Baharat and Citrus Marinated Pork Tenderloin

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One of my favorite Middle Eastern spice mixtures in baharat, a wonderfully aromatic blend of 9 spices that includes cassia (cinnamon), paprika, black pepper, cumin, allspice, cardamom, clove, corinader and nutmeg.  It lends itself to just about anything from potatoes to pork. I especially love it on pork tenderloin.

It’s easy enough to make if you have a spice grinder and all the spices in your pantry. Otherwise, my friends at the Savory Spice Shop have a unique blend that features ginger as well. Over the holidays flavorista Tracey and I made this and served it with her favorite Israeli Couscous.  Some leftover roasted broccoli bits were mixed into the couscous. I served it this summer for Sue’s Nifty Party.  This pork is outstanding served hot or cold!

Citrus and Baharat Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Marinade
2 Tbsp. orange zest
2 cups fresh squeezed orange juice
1 Tbsp. lime zest
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup baharat spice blend
2 pork tenderloins

Place all the ingredients, except the baharat, into a large mixing bowl. On the stove in a dry skillet, heat the baharat until it starts to release its aroma. While whisking the juices, add the spice mixture. Place the pork tenderloins in to large zip lock bags or a non-reactive mixing bowl and pour the marinade over the meat. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Make sure that all the pork is submerged into the mixture. Ziploc bags work great for marinating for this very reason.

An hour or so before you want to cook the pork, remove it from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature. You can either grill or roast the pork, either way it is delicious. Cook until it is medium rare. Meanwhile reduce the marinade over medium/low heat until it has been reduced by half to make a zesty sauce. You can skip this step but it’s nice to have the added flavors.

Remove the pork  from the grill, place it onto a platter and cover for about 10 minutes. This is very important as you want all those juices. Heat a large serving platter and place your couscous onto it. I like to place my carving board into a baking sheet so that I can really capture the juices, this also more santitary as they won’t run all over your counter. Slice the pork and place it on top of the couscous. Pour the juices on top and serve!

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