Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Corn Salsa

It was a good weekend, the unofficial opening of grilling season in the Midwest came and I took full advantage... Sunday I made a pork tenderloin on the grill, it is one of my "go to" dishes.  Pork Tenderloin has the ability to pick up flavors from a light marinade or hold up to
bolder flavors.   When prepared like I did for this one it is bright and summery but still tastes like meat.  Did that make sense? Anyway today's post isn't really about the Pork Tenderloin, I will pass that recipe along but this post is really about the side dish... Roasted Corn and Black Bean Salsa!

Let's get the Pork out of the way... on Sunday I woke up early and put together a quick marinade, really easy:

2 Cloves of Garlic

2 TBLS Rice Vinegar

Juice from one lime

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

1 Cup Orange Juice

2 TBLS Cilantro 

1 TBLS Honey

Salt and Pepper

Mix it all together in a glass bowl and put in a trimmed pork tenderloin pop it in the fridge and let it sit all day.  When it is time to cook toss it on the grill for about 5 minutes on each side until medium rare (for me) or a little more.

The Salsa is what I had more fun with!  Melt a TBLS of butter in a skillet on the grill then add about a cup of whole kernel corn, I used frozen, the store I go to had some fresh on the cob but I don't trust it yet.  Let this cook on the grill while you get everything else ready (maybe 15 minutes).  

I just want to take a moment to express my adoration of my iron skillet... I have had this thing since I was in college, Julie, a regular reader of this blog convinced me to buy it (I remember her looking at me and saying, "you will appreciate this it 20 years, just buy it!")   I use it often and it is always been in my cupboard ready to go, since it is well taken care of it is virtually non-stick and since it is cast iron... well indestructible.

While the corn is cooking on the grill In a bowl mix:

2 Cloves of garlic minced

1 Cup of grape tomatoes cut in half 

1 Cup of black beans

2 TBLS Chopped Cilantro

1 TBLS Olive Oil

Juice from one Lime

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and leave on the counter while the corn cooks, I like to let mine caramelize in the pan until the sugars come out, the corn will be a little chewy but not at all crunchy.  When the corn is done add to the rest of your ingredients and start the pork.  Once you have finished with the pork, well you see the first picture you have the perfect picnic meal ready.

Roasted Corn

One of my favorite indoor/outdoor cooking vessels is my 7" Iron Skillet. I am not sure where I got it, I think it may be stolen from one of my college roommates and has been in my possession ever since. Being an Iron Skillet it is almost indestructible, I have used it on the grill, the stove top, baked in it and burnt too many things to count on it but in the end I can soak it, scrub it, season it and it is ready to go again. I keep my iron cookware well seasoned so the surface is virtually non-stick now. To clean and season it I will wash it with water, if there are some stubborn burnt on thingies I will use some salt to scrub it with, I never use soap. Then heat it up on the stove top and put a little oil in the bottom and let it sit for a few minutes then turn off the heat, wipe out the inside and let it cool slowly.

Since the iron skillet is virtually indestructible I often use it on the grill, unlike the rest of my cookware I can open or close the lid to control the heat or smokey flavor that I want. This is always a good tasting and simple side dish when you are cooking out. Corn picks up a sweet taste when it is roasted, the kernels caramelize as they cook giving you an almost candy like sensation when you chew and it has enough flavor and texture to hold some spice as well. The ingredients are:

1TBS Clarified Butter

1 Small Onion Diced

1 Jalapeno Pepper Diced

1 Pound frozen Whole Kernel Corn

1/2 tsp Kosher Salt

1/2 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper

I use Clarified Butter because, with the impurities removed, it can be cooked to a higher temperature that some other oils and it tastes so good. Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter in an Iron Skillet on the grill then add the Diced Onion and Diced Jalapeno Pepper once the onion is translucent add the Corn and saute together for several minutes, depending on the heat from the grill it can take 15-20 minutes more or less. You can close the grill lid for a while to cool this down some, and it helps get a smokey flavor. You want to hold off on adding the spices until it is close to done they can easily burn. When the corn is golden brown it is ready to serve.