Sumac Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Japanese Turnips

Sumac is a bush, native to the Middle East, whose red berries are ground into a chunky powder which has an earthy and sour taste. You can use it in situations where you want the tartness of citrus but without the juice like in a dry rub for meat or fish dishes. Try taking some and mixing it with salt (1 to 1 proportions) and tossing it with some French fries or popcorn or adding it to store-bought hummus to make it special.

This marinade would work equally well on chicken or a mix of root veggies. Also if you don’t have access to little darling white Japanese turnips, use whatever you have lying around — sliced shallot, carrots or sweet potato, for example.

Ingredients

• 1T Olive oil
• 1T Soy sauce
• Zest of an orange
• 2T Orange juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 pork tenderloin
• 6 Japanese turnips, sliced

Directions

1. Take the first six ingredients and mix them together in a cup. Pat your pork tenderloin dry then cover it with the marinade. You can let it sit in the marinade for anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 400, then sear all sides of the tenderloin in a hot cast iron skillet on the stovetop until they’re good and brown.
3. Toss the turnip slices with a pinch or two of salt and add them to the hot skillet around the pork.
4. Put it all in the oven to finish cooking. The time will vary depending on how large your tenderloin is. I would start with 10-12 minutes and then check on it with a meat thermometer.
5. I take mine out when the inner temperature on the thickest part is 150 degrees. Then I let it rest on a plate for 5-10 minutes before cutting it.