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Ringing in Spring
Salute the season with tender greens, moist pork
and tangy stewed fruit
Recipes created for Canadian Health by Steve Pitt
Nutritional analysis by Susie Langley, RD
1. Trim tough silver skin off tenderloin (or ask butcher to do this for you). Place in plastic bag with 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, parsley, rosemary, sage, pepper and red wine. Close bag and rub herb mixture into tenderloin until meat is evenly coated with marinade. Marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours.
2. While oven is preheating to 375ºF (190ºC), remove tenderloin from bag and discard marinade. Sprinkle very sparingly with salt.
3. Heat butter and remaining olive oil in a heavy frying pan over medium heat. When pan just starts to smoke, add tenderloin and sear on all 4 sides until a brown crust forms, about 3 minutes per side. Hold meat with tongs to sear ends.
4. Place tenderloin on rack in oven pan and roast 15 to 25 minutes depending on whether you like pork medium or well-done. Remove meat, cover with foil and let rest at room temperature 10 minutes.
5. Cutting across the grain, slice pork into 16 medallions. Place 4 medallions per person on a bed of braised cabbage (recipe follows). Top with spoonfuls of warm apple- sauce (for recipe, see “Lean, Not Mean,” below).
Cabbage
1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
1 medium white onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1⁄2 tsp (2.5 mL) black mustard seeds
4 cups (1 L) red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine vinegar
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar
1⁄4 tsp (1.5 mL) ground cloves
1 medium cooking apple (Granny Smith, Spy, Cortland), cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp (30 mL) red wine or water
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Heat a large frying pan to medium hot. Add olive oil and heat 20 seconds. Add onion, cooking 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
2. Add mustard seeds and continue cooking 1 minute.
3. Add cabbage, vinegar, sugar, ground cloves, apple, wine, salt and pepper. Cook on medium-low heat 20 minutes or until cabbage is tender-crisp. Keep warm.
Makes 4 servings
[Per serving with applesauce and cabbage 420 calories, 16.5 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 75 mg cholesterol, 5 g fibre, 25 g protein, 40 g carbohydrates, 540 mg sodium; excellent source of thiamine and vitamin K; good source of iron, phosphorus, potassium and vitamins A and C]
THE COLOUR PURPLE A member of the nutrient- and fibre-rich brassica family, red cabbage gets its beautiful purple hue from anthocyanins, plant pigments also responsible for the colours of flower petals, berries and maple leaves in the fall. When cooked, red cabbage normally turns blue unless you first add some vinegar or acidic fruit. Anthocyanins contain phenolic compounds, which act as damage-preventing antioxidants. The plant chemicals in red cabbage may protect against neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Red cabbage has 230 times as many anthocyanins, four times as many polyphenols and a seven-fold greater vitamin C antioxidant capacity than its white cousin. —Susie Langley, RD |
LEAN, NOT MEAN Tenderloin is a delicious but lean cut of meat — ideal for Jack Spratt, but the rest of us might like a little added moisture to maximize its flavour and texture. I like to drop a dollop of warm applesauce on the medallions just before serving. You can use a commercial sauce or prepare your own. In a medium-size saucepan cook 2 cups (500 mL) peeled, cored cooking apples with a pinch of salt, 1 tsp (5 mL) butter, 1 tsp (5 mL) lemon juice, 1⁄4 cup (50 mL) brown sugar and one 3-in. (8-cm) stick cinnamon 15 minutes. When apples are soft, remove cinnamon stick and mash gently. For bonus flavour, add 1 tbsp (15 mL) demerara rum or apple brandy. —Steve Pitt |
1. In a large skillet over medium heat cook bacon until very crispy. Remove to a paper towel and pat dry.
2. Pour off excess bacon fat from pan, leaving 1 tbsp, and return pan to medium-low heat. Add vinegar and deglaze pan, gently scraping off any bacon residue from bottom of pan. Add Dijon, honey and olive oil. Stir briskly.
3. Increase heat to medium. Add dandelion greens and pinch each salt and pepper. Toss gently in dressing 1 minute or until leaves just begin to wilt.
4. Pour dressed greens into a warm serving bowl. Crumble bacon and feta over greens and sprinkle with olives. Serve immediately with whole-grain rolls or bread.
Makes 4 servings[Per serving 200 calories, 12 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 3 g fibre, 8 g protein, 19 g carbohydrates, 770 mg sodium; excellent source of vitamin A; good source of calcium, potassium and vitamins C and K]
LION-HEARTED LEAVES The greens of the dandelion (from the French dent de lion, or lion’s tooth) are a nutrition powerhouse. Bursting with twice as much vitamin A as Swiss chard, kale and spinach, these leaves are rich in vitamin K, a nutrient important for normal blood clotting and healthy bones. The leaves and roots of this relative of the sunflower are used traditionally as a spring tonic to stimulate digestion and enhance vitality after a long winter, and the blooms are used to make dandelion wine. The roots contain choline, a compound thought to improve gallbladder and liver function. Even the sticky white resin seen on the flower stems after picking is useful: it’s recommended for removing warts! —S.L. |
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, EAT 'EM Dandelions may be a lawn buff’s bane but their astringent taste makes for an interesting salad or side dish. In some places you can buy farm-raised dandelions year-round. If you pick the wild variety, make sure your grazing ground hasn’t been sprayed with chemicals or frequented by animals marking their territory. Pick early in the season, before the flowers begin to form or you’re in for a bitter meal. And bear in mind that dandelion greens have been used for centuries as diuretics: their Old English name is piss-a-bed, and the French call them pissenlit. Dandelion mixes well with other spring greens such as fiddleheads, baby spinach, radicchio and curly endive (frisée). —S.P. |
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1. Cook rhubarb, orange juice and sugar 10 minutes in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat.
2. Add strawberries and cardamom. Stirring gently, cook 10 minutes, until fruit forms a soft compote.
3. Divide among 4 dessert dishes and chill in refrigerator.
4. Serve garnished with 4 strawberry quarters and a shortbread cookie.
Makes 4 servings
[Per serving with cookie 270 calories, 4 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 4 g fibre 2 g protein, 59 g carbohydrates, 55 mg sodium; excellent source of vitamin C; good source of fibre and potassium]
STATELY STALKS Usually considered a fruit, rhubarb is actually a vegetable in the buckwheat family. The best way to harvest rhubarb is to pull the stalks away from the root so they snap off like ribs from a celery root. Trim both ends of each rib, removing the pale woody bottom and the top part where the leaves begin. The leaves can be poisonous so discard them. Remove skin with a vegetable peeler if it is not easily pierced by your fingernail. Final note: both rhubarb and strawberries vary greatly in sweetness depending on the species and the season. Start with 3⁄4 cup (175 mL) of sugar, but if the compote is too tart, add more as needed. —S.P. |
INDIA MEETS SCANDINAVIA A primary ingredient in Indian curries and Swedish cookies, cardamom is a member of the ginger family and is known as the queen of spices. The seeds contain a volatile oil, which is responsible for the spice’s aroma as well as its medicinal properties, traditionally used to treat ailments ranging from hiccups and ulcers to bad breath and depression. In the Middle East, the Bedouins stick cardamom pods in the spouts of their coffee pots in the belief that these will detoxify the caffeine. Because it inhibits platelets from sticking together in the blood, cardamom may protect against heart disease. It may also have stronger anti-cancer activity than the antioxidant vitamins C and E. —S.L. |
