Pork Tenderloin

Many packages of pork tenderloin contain 2 tenderloins weighing about 3/4 pound each. If you happen to get a package with 1 larger tenderloin, simply cook it a little while longer.

Pre-marinated pork tenderloins can be found in the supermarket meat section. To round out the meal, add a romaine salad dressed with Dijon vinaigrette and a basket of warm cranberry-corn muffins; finish with wedges of apple pie and sharp cheddar cheese.

Serve this dish with brown rice.

With the pork, serve sautéed spinach and some steamed baby red-skinned potatoes with butter and chopped fresh dill. Warm apple tartlets from your favorite bakery complete this elegant meal.

Active time: 10 min Start to finish: 40 min

Each year, some fifteen thousand Iowans enter nearly fifty thousand things in competitions at the State Fair. Categories range from draft horses and monster trucks to quilts and corn-cob mosaics. Of course there are pies and cakes, breads and biscuits, jellies and preserves, plus contests for the ugliest cake, the most creative dough sculpture, and things you can do with breakfast cereal. In 1994 Emma Whitlock of Indianola took first prize in the "Let's Cook Healthy! Iowa Pork" category. Although this isn't a traditional Fair version of pork tenderloins, it's a simple way to give them a sweet twist.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

The extra marinade keeps up to three weeks in the refrigerator and is delicious used with chicken, lamb or beef, too.

Since moving to Stockholm to join my Swedish husband, I'm learning to base my cooking on ingredients that are plentiful here. It seems that pork is more popular--and more readily available--than chicken (my usual standby) so I developed:

This simplified version of a classic party dish will add some welcome heat to a winter night.

If you are making the creamed grilled corn and are using a charcoal grill, grill the corn first, then add more briquettes to keep the fire hot while you finish up the corn dish on the stove. Then keep the corn warm, covered, over low heat while grilling the grilled scallions with lemon and pork.

"I had the pleasure of dining at Bacco restaurant during one of my many visits to New Orleans," writes Scott J. Grande of Ormond Beach, Florida. "It's run by Ralph Brennan, who is a gracious and accommodating host. The pork tenderloin on escarole that I had for dinner was delicious; I hope you'll be able to get the recipe for my collection." Bacco is one of eight New Orleans restaurants run by members of the Brennan family. At Bacco, this pork tenderloin is served with garlicky mashed potatoes.

Chinese viceroy Li Hung Chang, visiting San Francisco's Palace Hotel in the 1890s, requested vegetables with a bit of meat "job suey," or "in fine pieces," and chef Joseph Herder obliged.

Roast chicken or smoked turkey can step in for the pork, or meat can be omitted entirely for a great side dish. The roasting can be done all at once or in stages. This dish can also be served hot.