Coffee-Ancho Marinated Pork Tenderloin with Salsa Verde over Carrot Puree

It's always fun to use some ingredients, like coffee, in new ways. Everyone thinks of coffee for dessert, but rarely is it used in savory dishes. This is a great use for leftover coffee from your daily A.M. pot. (If you don't make coffee every day--good for you--you can just buy a cup and save it for later).

1 pork tenderloin, trimmed of silver skin and big pieces of fat
1/4 cup CHILLED (room temperature or cooler for safety reasons) coffee
1 Tablespoon Ancho Chili Powder
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon honey
1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
1 Tablespoon canola oil
1 serrano chili, 1/2 sliced with seeds in, other half de-seeded and minced
salt
5 or 6 Tomatillos, husks removed
1/2 white onion, minced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
8 small or 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1 1/2" pieces
1 Tablespoon light sour cream
Beef broth

1. In a large zip lock bag or a glass pan, whisk coffee, chili powder, cumin, 1 T honey, vinegar, oil, half the serrano pepper (with the seeds), and a small pinch of salt.

2. Add pork tenderloin and let marinade for at least 2 hours. (Preferably longer).

3. When ready to cook pork, take out of fridge to get the chill off the meat. Preheat grill to Medium-High. Put the carrots in a microwave-safe bowl with a Tablespoon of water and microwave, covered, for 8 minutes.

4. In a sautee pan, drizzle a teaspoon or so of canola oil (more if needed) and turn heat to Medium. After 30 seconds or so, add chopped onion, garlic, and serrano. Add a pinch of salt and 1/2 teaspoon cumin and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until they start to become soft and transparent. Transfer to food processor to cool. Flip pork after 6 minutes or so.

5. When grill is hot, add pork and tomatillos. Keep an eye on the tomatillos as they cook quickly--we're just looking for a nice char on these. They will only take a couple minutes per side. When they are charred, take them off the grill and let them sit for a few minutes to cool. When cooled, peel off charred skin, remove any hard stalks, and transfer to food processor with the onion mixture. Add a teaspoon of honey and run the processor until well combined. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Rinse out processor for the carrot puree.

6. When the pork has reached an internal temperature of 145 degrees, take off grill and let sit to redistribute juices.

7. Put carrots in food processor. Add sour cream and a pinch of salt. Run the food processor. Through the feed tube, add beef broth until it reaches desired consistency (like a thin mashed potato).

8. Slice pork and serve over carrot puree. Drizzle any accumulated pork juices over the pork and top with salsa verde.

Serves 2.

Printable version here.