I had no real plan on what I was going to make for Tapas this month, I had a couple of ideas and wrote them down, but when I looked at them again I went "Meh", they just didn't sound that exciting.Â
I knew I had a pork tenderloin in the freezer and wanted to use that, but didn't want to make
Tonkatsu, again...
And I also didn't want to just
roast it and season i t, been there, done that. A couple of times, and while tasty, wanted something a little different.
So I went looking for inspiration in my cookbooks, specifically my 100 Best Classic Tapas.
And I found it.
THE RECIPE!!!!
They tend to jump out at me, these inspirational recipes that is.
You can find this one on Page 70.Â
I just thought I would let you know in case you have the book and want to follow along with me.
And if you don't, here's how I made them.
First off, I had tenderloin and did not want to marinate them overnight or even for the 8 hours they recommended. Tenderloin will take on the flavours beautifully in less time.
1 pound lean, boneless pork  (I used two tenderloins)
3 tablespoons good olive oil, I used Coratina Olive Oil from
Smashing Olive.  Plus extra for drizzling.
juice and zest from a large lemon (I had a couple that were given to me last week, so I used them)
2 garlic cloves, crushed and minced a little, just to release the garlicky goodness
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, flat or curly, your choice.
1 tablespoon ras-el-hanout spice blend.
salt and pepper
Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, zest, parsley and garlic together.  Set aside.
Cut the pork into bite size pieces, about 3/4 inch square, and place into a pan, glass or plastic, in a single layer. If you're using a pork tenderloin, take off the silver skin first. Trust me on this, if you don't, you will regret it. Nothing you can do will make it palatable. Â
Pour the marinade over top of the pork and refrigerate for about 3 - 4 hours if using pork tenderloin, or up to 8 hours if using lean pork.
 I did massage the marinade into the pork a little, cause I could.
Take the meat out and either grill it or broil them.  You can skewer a few pieces of the pork and grill them or do as I did, which was spread them out on a shallow pan, and broil them.
Skewer the pieces of pork on toothpicks, sprinkle a little more parsley over the top, and then finish off with a little of a good, and I do mean good, olive oil. Â
I had the Coratina and it finished off the dish beautifully.
I'll share the recipe for the ras-el-hanout another day, and tell you how I used it in another dish. Â
Just have to figure out what else I can use it in, I seem to have quite a bit left over.Â