The other day I took a pork tenderloin out of the freezer and then sat down to my computer to find ideas for a nice weekday supper. Pork tenderloins are great (if you like pork) because they are lean, super-tender, easy to cook and budget-friendly. One tenderloin will feed me and Daniel two meals. So whenever they go onsale, I usually buy a bunch for the freezer and am always looking for new ways to serve them. This night I knew I wanted to use my homemade apricot preserves. Their sweet and tangy flavor pairs really well with pork. I also wanted to use Chipotle peppers, which are a new favorite ingredient of mine. Chipotle peppers are actually red Jalapeno peppers that were allowed to ripen on the vine and then smoke-dryed using a wood fire. This process helps create the lovely smokey, spicey flavor that these peppers are known for. My google search led me to this recipe, which I used for inspiration. I made several changes (I never really follow a recipe completely, unless it is for baking or canning) and the result was a wonderful smokey, sweet and spicy sauce that went fabulous with the pork tenderloin and was super easy to make. I served it with potatoes au gratin and roasted green beans (both vegetables from my father's garden).
The Recipe:
Chipotle-Apricot Sauce:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 lg onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup apricot preserves or jam
1-2 chipotle pepper in adobe sauce, chopped
1 lime
salt
pepper
Saute the onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft (about 5 min). Add garlic and saute for 1 min longer. Add chicken broth (I added way less broth then the original recipe), apricot preserves and chipotle pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer until reduced to a thick sauce (about 10 min). Add lime juice at the end. (The original recipe called for lemon juice, but I like the combination of chipotle peppers and lime much better)
The Pork Tenderloin:
Cover pork tenderloin with olive oil, salt and pepper and allow to come to room temperature. Preheat oven to 400 F.
Brown tenderloin on all four sides in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat (About 5 min/side). Put in oven and roast until no longer pink in the center, about 30 minutes. Let pork rest for 5 min before slicing. Serve sliced with Chipotle-Apricot Sauce spooned on top.
