Pork Tenderloin

Sometimes it's okay to cut corners: Here we make the classic Italian dish with bacon and skip the multiday air-drying process. It's not traditional, but it sure is delicious

Juicy pork, roast carrots, and hearty greens plus a garlicky romesco sauce equals a dinner you'll want to make over and over.

This cut of pork can be very lean, so take care not to overcook it or it will be dry. Ideally, it should still be a little pink in the center.

Start this recipe one day ahead; the pork is best if it is left to marinate overnight.

You need only a small amount of beer to flavor the sauce. We trust you know what to do with the rest of that bottle.

Tender pork is roasted with rich, warmly spiced chutney so that the fruity condiment gets a chance to cook into the meat. The woody, sweet notes of the chutney are also great atop chicken, lamb, or duck—or just on a spoon, straight. Rhubarb is at its prime in spring so for a fall-friendly chutney, replace it with fresh apples and figs.

To sauté pork tenderloins, cut them into rounds (noisettes) about 3/4 inch thick, brown them over high heat, and then continue cooking them until they are firm to the touch. Here, they are served with a sauce made with prunes soaked in wine, a little meat glaze (if you have it), and some cream.

In this delicious double dose of pork, the tenderloin stays juicy inside a crispy pancetta crust. Make sure to save any extra chutney—you'll want it for pork sandwiches the next day.

Fig trees love warmer climates. However, for the adventurous northern gardener, the best way to grow figs is in a container that can be placed outdoors in warm weather and then brought indoors to winter. The best variety of fig tree for a container is the Petite Negri fig. It's a small- to medium-sized black fruit with sweet, red flesh. If you have great weather, Mission figs are superb. The natural sweetness of figs goes well with pork tenderloin in this dish. If you like, use sturdy fresh rosemary branches (as from the Tuscan variety) for the skewers.

Roasting beets takes a bit longer than boiling them, but the time spent is well worth it for the resulting rich flavor. Using both the greens and the roots makes beets a great bargain.

A mortar and pestle make easy work of crushing whole spices and peppercorns, but you can also use the bottom of a skillet or even the flat side of a chef ’s knife, pressing down firmly and working on a cutting board. Choose apricots that are ripe but still firm so they can hold up under the heat of the grill; brush the apricots and pork with the glaze as soon as they come off the heat. The glaze also tastes great on other grilled meats.

Make the chile-lime marinade the day before, and let the pork marinate overnight before cooking.

Five-spice powder is a pungent seasoning mix used widely in Chinese cooking. It is made of equal parts ground cloves, cinnamon, fennel seed, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. For a recipe, see page 650.

While the pork roasts in its herb-enhanced Dijon glaze, you can prepare the brown rice flavored with orange marmalade that accompanies it. Steam some broccoli to serve on the side.