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Just Like Magic, Pork Tenderloin Recipe Is Back

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By JEFF HOUCK

jhouck@tampatrib.com

Published: November 30, 2008

We know how it is.

You read the paper. You see a recipe you like. You mean to put Baylife Magazine aside so you can clip out the dish, but the paper somehow - mysteriously, even - finds its way into the recycling bin.

We're here to help.

"You had a recipe for tenderloin baked in a baguette, which was a Cuban version," writes a reader named Ollie. "Sounded real good. Was going to try it but lost the recipe. I think the Culinary Sherpas recommended it."

It was indeed one of the Sherpas' great recipes, Ollie. It's printed at right.

PAGING ANDRONIK'S

Reader Tammy Petrou says she used to get the best Reuben sandwich at a place called Andronik's in Temple Terrace.

"It closed several years back," Petrou writes. "The sauce on the Ruben was so wonderful - not the Thousand Islands base. It looked like Caesar dressing but wasn't. Please ask your readers if anyone has the recipe."

WANTED: OATMEAL PIE

Susan Tamme of Palm Harbor grew up and worked the tobacco farms in southwest Virginia.

"I was fed after a hard day's work," she writes. "Since the area was relatively poor, they made a mock pecan pie out of oatmeal. Do you know where I can find an Oatmeal Pie recipe?"

ANYONE FOR MULLET?

The fall is when mullet schools are harvested in our state's Gulf Coast waters. The two most widely available mullet in Florida are the striped mullet (also known as black, gray or jumping mullet and white mullet) and the white, or silver, mullet.

The flesh is bony and can require some patience to sort through, but the oily nature of it makes it excellent for eating. The recipe below for Black-Eyed Florida Mullet comes from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Looking for a recipe? Write to Jeff Houck, The Tampa Tribune, P.O. Box 191, Tampa FL 33601; or e-mail jhouck@tampatrib.com. Keyword: Recipes, for

more recipes and

MOJO PORK TENDERLOIN ROASTED IN A BAGUETTE

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and sinewy tissue

1/4 bottle Mojo Criollo marinade (We used Iberia brand, simply because of the little caveman-looking guy on the label. Marketing genius.)

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 red onion, sliced thin

1/2 Vidalia onion, sliced thin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 loaf of crusty baguette, large enough to fit tenderloin inside

1/2 cup Manchego cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a shallow dish, marinate cleaned pork tenderloin with 1/4 bottle of Mojo Criollo for 1 to 2 hours.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and season well with salt and pepper. Saute until the onions are just browned - about 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Pat marinated pork loin with a paper towel to dry, let sit at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking (to minimize the shock to the meat when it hits the hot pan) and season with salt and pepper

In a pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place the pork in the pan and sear until each side is browned nicely, about 3 to 4 minutes a side. Do not turn constantly. Let the pan do its job - if the meat isn't touching the pan, it can't cook. Once browned on all sides, remove from heat and set aside.

Next, make a slit along the top of the baguette. Scoop out most of the soft insides. Lightly brush the inside of the baguette with remaining olive oil. Fill with caramelized onions and then Manchego cheese. Nestle the pork on the inside of the baguette so that the pork is well-enclosed.

Trim off the excess ends of the bread. With kitchen twine tie the bread to secure the pork at 1- to 2-inch intervals, or use silicone heat-resistant cooking rubber bands to tightly secure the stuffed baguette. We use the rubber bands.

Place the pork-filled bread on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the pork reaches 150 degrees - about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to rest 10 minutes.

Remove the strings and cut into slices.

Makes 4 servings.

Source: adapted from Joanne Weir's "Pork the Way the Tuscans Do"

BLACK-EYED FLORIDA MULLET

1/2 pound smoked, grilled or broiled Florida mullet meat

2 15-ounce cans black-eyed peas

1/2 cup chopped Florida onion

1/2 cup chopped Florida green pepper

2 teaspoons minced Florida garlic

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup cider vinegar

Break fish into bite-size portions and set aside. Mash peas lightly, just until half are broken. Combine peas, onion, pepper, garlic, pepper sauce, salt and vinegar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add mullet and cook until heated through. Serve as a side dish.

Makes 6 servings.

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