Island Pork Tenderloin Salad

This is a beautiful, mouth-watering dish, but fairly time consuming. When caught for time I make the pork and glaze without the salad, and serve over rice instead.

Pork:

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (center cut), 2 1/4 - 2 1/2 lb total

2 tablespoons olive oil

Glaze:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Tabasco

Vinaigrette:

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon curry powder, toasted

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

Salad:

3 navel oranges

5 oz. baby spinach, trimmed (6 cups leaves)

4 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced (from 1 medium head)

1 red bell pepper, cut lenthwise into thin strips

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 firm-ripe California avocados

Prepare pork: 

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub.

Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in skillet.

Make glaze and roast pork: 

Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140°F, about 20 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.)

Make vinaigrette while pork roasts: 

Whisk together juices, mustard, curry powder, salt, and pepper, then add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.

Note: to toast curry, heat in a heavy, dry skille over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant and a shade or two darker.

Prepare salad ingredients while pork stands: 

Cut peel, including white pith, from oranges with a sharp knife, then cut oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Toss spinach, cabbage, bell pepper, and raisins in a large bowl with about 1/4 cup vinaigrette. Halve, pit, and peel avocados, then cut diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Assemble salad: 

Cut pork at a 45-degree angle into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Line a large platter with dressed salad and arrange sliced pork, oranges, and avocados in rows on top. Drizzle some vinaigrette over avocados and oranges. Pour any juices from skillet over pork.

From the Kitchen of: Gourmet, May 2003