Quick Fix: Mojo adds sweetness to pork tenderloin

A garlicky-sweet glaze coats pan-roasted pork tenderloin in this quick Cuban-inspired meal. Mojo is a Cuban condiment and marinade that is used in Cuban recipes. There are many versions, but it's usually made with Seville or sour oranges, spices, garlic, onion and oil. It is sold bottled in many supermarkets and is sometimes called Spanish barbecue sauce.

If you can't find mojo in your store, use this quick substitute. Although not authentic, it works well for this recipe. Mix together 1⁄4 cup orange juice, 1⁄4 cup lemon or lime juice and 3 garlic cloves, crushed. Add a little salt and pepper, to taste, and use as the marinade.

You can serve this entree with black beans and rice, a Cuban staple. For this quick recipe, I use canned black beans. Draining the liquid removes a lot of salt and sugar added to canned beans.

Short cut tip: Omit rice and beans and serve with a microwaveable rice and green salad.

Wine suggestion: This rich pork dish would go well with a nice red pinot noir.

MOJO GLAZED PORK

3⁄4 pound pork tenderloin

1⁄2 cup mojo sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons orange marmalade

Preparation

Remove fat from pork and butterfly it by cutting the pork in half lengthwise and opening it like a book. Do not cut all the way through. Place pork in the mojo and let marinate for 10 minutes while you make the rice.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove pork and reserve marinade. Saute pork in skillet three minutes. Turn and saute three minutes. Add salt and pepper, to taste, to the cooked side. The pork is done when a meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees.

Mix the reserved marinade and marmalade together. Remove the pork to a plate and add the marinade mixture to the skillet. Boil about three minutes, scraping up the brown bits in the pan as it boils. Slice pork and divide into two portions. Spoon the glaze over each. Makes two servings.

QUICK RICE AND BEANS

1⁄4 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

1⁄4 cup frozen chopped/diced onion

1⁄4 cup frozen chopped/diced green bell pepper

1⁄2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tablespoon canola oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation

Bring a large saucepan with 2 to 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add the rice and boil rapidly seven minutes. Add the onion and pepper and continue to boil three minutes, or until the rice is cooked through but still firm. Drain rice and vegetables and place in a bowl. Add the black beans and oil and toss well. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Makes two servings.

Linda Gassenheimer is the author of 14 cookbooks including her newest, "The Flavors of the Florida Keys" and "Mix 'n Match Meals in Minutes for People with Diabetes." Visit Linda on her web page at DinnerInMinutes.com, or e-mail her at Linda@DinnerInMinutes.com.