I got to prepare The Accidental Salad on Talk of the Town (click to watch) today, but The Accidental Salad proved to be the accident-prone salad. According to my husband, the salad I prepared for the camera shot just jumped right out of his hands, spilling half of the finished product in the driveway before ever leaving home. I put the saved half in the fridge and remade the dish. Quickly. I want to believe my husband, I really do, but he’s so mean to vegetables I’ll just never be sure…
If you think, like I used to, that people on TV new programs are just being nice for the camera, it’s really not true - at least not on Talk of the Town. I swear it’s the friendliest place I’ve ever been. The hosts are practically reserved on camera compared to how happy and talkative they are when the cameras aren’t rolling. The staff and producers are just like old friends. And best of all, they love my food! I never want to leave when the show is over.
But I did leave, and came home to a half of a saved Accidental Salad. Those poor mistreated vegetables were not going to waste (nice try Sammy). Indeed this salad was destined to become the perfect supporting cast for a very beautiful piece of pork tenderloin. It was tempting to marinate this pork in a bit of the leftover salad dressing to carry on the same flavors, (or because I was feeling lazy) but that seemed sort of cliché. Instead, I decided to make a marinade that had the same Asian kick and to cut the pork into cubes. I don’t know if this works for you, but darn if my family doesn’t just think they are--dare I say it--“dining high on the hog” if food is cut into cubes and put it on skewers. Shish kabobs always feel like party food. The marinade kept getting a little bit of “this and that” but it turned out to be just the thing. The pork was sweet and spicy at the same time - delicious. This menu was not only a success it was beautiful too. The Accidental Salad served as a perfect sidekick to Marinated Pork Tenderloin skewers wrapped in pita bread with grilled peppers and onions. Pepper Jelly made a tasty condiment. This dinner was no accident - it is definitely company worthy and a great summer supper. Can’t wait to make this one again!
Ingredients
1½ to 2 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat and cut in one inch cubes
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup fish sauce *
2 Tbsp chili paste * (use less for less heat or more if you like a spicy kick)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
Optional: red onion slices and mini peppers to grill
Directions
Combine brown sugar, rice vinegar, fish sauce, chili paste, and garlic in a large bowl.
Add pork and marinate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.
Light a grill or preheat broiler.
Thread pork on skewers reserving the marinade.
Put marinade in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
Boil 1 minute. Cool slightly.
Grill or broil pork skewers brushing with reserved marinade until desired degree of doneness.
Serve with The Accidental Salad if desired, from Sallie’s Kitchen Corner Recipes.
*In Asian section of most grocery stores
