Pork, Vegs, Grain

Menu: herb-dijon marinated pork tenderloin * oven-roasted yellow squash * oven-roasted okra * polenta with mozzarella and basil

Bless the butchers at Central Market and their marinating team. Tonight’s tenderloin was as moist and flavorful as last night’s chicken. I turned the oven to 400 to start; it pre-heated to that, and I put in the tenderloin for 15 minutes. Fifteen minutes later, as I put in the oven sheet of okra (with salt and red pepper ground over) and the oven sheet of yellow squash (cut in half, placed face down on a drizzle of olive oil), I turned the heat down to 375 and set the timer for another 15 minutes.

When the timer went off, I peeked at the vegs, which were roasting nicely, and started the water boiling for the polenta. 3 cups water and a grind of salt; bring to a boil, add 1 c medium stone-ground yellow cornmeal. Stir in; reduce heat to medium-low; cook 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Add handful skim mozzarella and 1 T butter; stir, remove from heat. Just before serving, stir in chiffonade of basil.

Remove everything from oven; slice and plate.