For us Dominicans, the main course of Christmas dinner is unmistakably the pork. For families that are not very numerous a pork loin is more than enough. That’s why today we bring the roasted Cuban pork tenderloin for a small family.
The trick of this recipe is for me, the marinade, we make it Cuban style, or better known as mojo.
For that you have to put all the ingredients in a large ziplock bag and shake it a little to mix it, then add the pork and put it in the fridge overnight, or at least several hours, but it is clear that it is better to leave it the whole night.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds large pork tenderloin
- 20 small pitted prunes
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
For the mojo marinade
- ½ cup of lemon juice
- ½ cup of sour orange juice
- 5 garlic cloves mashed
- 3 tablespoons oregano leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup of red wine
- ½ cup of olive oil
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 tablespoon of vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of butter
Instructions
- In a large ziplock bag, combine all ingredients for the marinade. Shake it around a bit to mix it up, then add the pork and put it in the fridge overnight, or several hours at least.
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Soak prunes in water for 30 minutes. Drain prunes and reserve soaking liquid.
- Use a long, thin, sharp knife to pierce a hole in center of both ends of loin. Working from both ends, use handle of a large wooden spoon to force a cavity all the way through center of loin. Working with a few prunes, push them into the cavity with your fingers and spoon handle. Work from both ends until cavity is stuffed from end to end.
- Put all the rest of the ingredients on a cutting board and mince into a paste. Rub paste all over stuffed loin, place fat side up in a roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Continue to roast, adding water to pan if necessary to prevent scorching, until a meat thermometer inserted in center of meat reads 145°F or roast for 40 to 50 minutes.
- Take out of the oven and let it rest on a cutting board and cover with foil.
- Place the roasting pan across 2 burners on the stove over medium heat. Pour in broth and the reserved liquid from the prunes and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of pan. Let it simmer until reduced by about half and slightly thickened, and then add the butter and season with salt and pepper.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Calories: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 676mg | Potassium: 814mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 240IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 3mg
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4 thoughts on “Cuban pork tenderloin”
I don’t often think about pork for Christmas as it’s usually turkey in our house. But this year, we’re mixing it up and doing a beef tenderloin roast. This pork roast sounds delicious, though, and I’m thinking I might need to work it into the menu sometime this winter. I would never have thought about stuffing it with prunes…fun!! Merry Christmas to you and your family, Gaila! 🙂
Oh David!! thanks for stopping by! this is one of my dad’s favorite recipes, he always likes to add sweet to his savory dishes!! I am glad you liked it! Merry christmas for you, Laura and Robbie!! hugs my friend
Mojo flavored pork with prunes, yes please. It looks delicious.
Thanks again Karen!