This spicy roast pork and fruit salad is a hearty but low-fat
combination that makes a useful, all-season dish. Jerk seasoning
gives the roasted pork tenderloin a warmly spirited flavor,
nicely balanced by the fruit and lime juice in the salad.
The recipe is from “The New Woman’s Day Cookbook”
(Filipacchi, 2005, $35), a collection of about 355 recipes by
Elizabeth Alston and the editors of Woman’s Day magazine. The
book jacket calls the contents “simple recipes for every
occasion” and the range covers just about that. It includes a
baked macaroni and cheese, as well as roasted red snapper with
coconut-ginger sauce; brownies, as well as mocha-hazelnut
granita. There are sections with background information, tips and
glossaries, and a selection of color photos.
The notes with this recipe explain the origin and general
characteristics of the popular seasoning blend we know as jerk,
and suggest that farmers’ markets and green markets are good
places to go to look for fresh, unusual greens for your salad.
Spicy Island Roast Pork and Fruit Salad
(Start to
finish 50 minutes)
1 pound pork tenderloin
1 tablespoon
Caribbean jerk seasoning
8-ounce can pineapple chunks in
juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime peel
1/4 cup fresh
lime juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon Caribbean jerk
seasoning
1/2 cantaloupe, cut into 4 wedges
8 cups (9
ounces) mixed salad greens (such as romaine, frise, radicchio)
Heat oven to 425 F. Place pork in roasting pan; rub with 1
tablespoon jerk seasoning. Roast 30 minutes or until barely pink
in the middle and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in
the center registers 155 F. Remove to cutting board, cover
loosely with foil and let rest 8 to 10 minutes.
To make the dressing: Drain pineapple juice into a large
bowl.
Add lime peel and juice, honey and 1 teaspoon jerk seasoning.
Whisk to blend.
Cut each wedge of melon off the peel then slice thinly
crosswise.
Cut pork in 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add to dressing along
with salad greens, cantaloupe and pineapple. Toss to mix.
Makes 4 servings.
Nutrition information per serving: 265 cal., 26 g pro., 27 g
carbo., 2 g fiber, 6 g fat (2 g saturated), 67 mg chol., 104 mg
sodium.
