A Month-of-Few Ingredients: Grand Berried Pork

This recipe is from the first book in a culinary mystery series by another author I just discovered. ByCook or by Crook, a Five-ingredientMystery by Maya Corrigan includes--well, look at that--5-ingredient recipes! I am trying several, but for you, I’m sharing her super-tender Grand Berried Pork.

I’ve had a number of e-mail conversations with Mary Ann/Maya, and she is just delightful! I’d love sitting down with her over an adult beverage and talk cooking and mysteries. She just comes across as genuine and interesting.

The name of her dish comes from cooking pork so tender that older folks, who have trouble chewing meat sometimes, can just let this melt into their stomachs. The recipe is published in the local small-town Maryland newspaper column written by the Codger Cook. In the mystery, Val returns to live with her crusty grandfather after a tragedy changes the course of her life. Soon after settling in, she is caught up in solving a murder that might have been committed by her cousin, a woman she is very close to.

Authors, for your information, Maya Corrigan has one of the best author websites I’ve seen. Check her out and play some games and learn about mystery history and so much more! She inspired me to spiff up my own site.

Grand Berried Pork (serves 4-6)

1 ½ pounds pork tenderloin

2 T oil

3 c fresh cranberries

3/4 c sugar

2/3 c water

Wash cranberries and discard ones too ripe.

Slice pork tenderloin into 1” pieces, then press on each medallion to make ¾” thick.

Pat the meat dry with a paper towel (or it won’t brown).

Put oil in a large skillet and add the meat when the oil sizzles.

Turn each piece when they no longer stick to pan in order to brown both sides.

Drain fat and juices from pan and return meat to the pan.

Add cranberries, sugar, water to meat in pan. Stir.

When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce heat.

Cover and cook at slow boil for 20 minutes, turning pork halfway through.

Add water if cranberries stick. Salt to taste.

NOTE:
Mary Ann/Maya suggests serving with white rice, using the cran-pan sauce as the topping for the meat and rice. I used a brown rice-quinoa mixture.

The original recipe calls for ¾ cup of sugar. Mary Ann and I had conversations about that. Her family likes it less sweet so she uses 2/3 cup of sugar. We like it even tarter and I used only ½ cup sugar. You need to start with a small amount of sugar, taste the syrup in the pan and add more to your taste.

DH’s Rating:  5 Tongues Up!  “The cranberry sauce is right on the edge of too tart, but it’s really good.” I wasn’t sure he’d like this since the other pork tenderloin recipe I’ve made for years is a family favorite requested by my sons when they visit. Hooray! Another way to fix pork tenderloin, a really lean meat we eat a lot.

If you liked this recipe, I’d really appreciate you spreading the word on your social media outlets. Here are some pre-made Twitter and Facebook posts you can use or modify.

Tweet: Culinary #mystery BY COOK OR BY CROOK (Maya Corrigan) cranberried pork #recipe on @Good2Tweat’s blog http://bit.ly/2m8At7i

Facebook: Fruit and pork, a combo meant to be. For something different, try cranberried pork tenderloin tomorrow. Recipe from Maya Corrigan’s culinary mystery, BY COOK OR BY CROOK at http://sharonarthurmoore.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-month-of-few-ingredients-grand.html