Farmers' Market Friday ~ A Light Summer Dinner {Grilled Wild Pork, Cucumber and Peach Salad and Pita}

It is Independence Day today, and sure, I could be like all just about every other source posting food ideas and go with some recipes that are the typical for celebrating this day (e.g., potato salad, cabbage slaw, funky hot dog or hamburger toppings, or even a flag cake.) However, I figure if you're like me, you have your own way of doing the traditional meal and I'm not about to mess with that. Instead, I'm going to offer up something for the day after the usual celebration - a fairly light meal that is cool and refreshing and will be something different after a day of overdoing it with burgers or hot dogs and all the fixin's. 

We are in the midst of Central Texas' peach season. With so many different varieties planted, fruits have overlapping ripening windows. Essentially, these amazingly juicy, sweet and delicious fruits are available from early June to mid- August (depending upon variety)  It has always been family tradition to buy a bushel of these beauties, eat some fresh, and then spend some time and effort preserving them for use in the rest of the year (I'm sensing a pattern here.) When I was a kid, my mother was fond of preserving them via freezing. This preserved stock would then be used later in the year to make the most delicious Peach Cobbler (I still have to hit her up for the recipe on that one.) or just spooned over vanilla ice cream. A couple of years back, I did the same thing - adding another generation to the tradition. I've used those frozen peaches to make ice cream, and a variety of other sweet treats. I've also had peaches paired in a main dish as a glaze for pork or what have you, but when I ran across a recipe that used the peaches in a main dish salad, I was intrigued.

For this post, here's  the Farmers' Market Shopping list:

• Sweet, delicious freestone peaches from Star Farmers Market
• Red and sweet onions from Rock House Farms
• Wild Boar pork tenderloin from BLT Farm
• Whole Wheat Pita from Artisan Ovens
• Cucumbers from Two Happy Children Farm 
• Extra Virgin Olive oil from Central Texas Olive Oil

Grilled Wild Pork Tenderloin with Cucumber and Peach Salad

adapted from Grace Parisi

• 2 pork tenderloins, butterflied and pounded slightly click here for instructions on how to butterfly a pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 lbs each; for our meal, I used the Wild pork tenderloin offered for sale by BLT Farm see notes below for more discussion.)
• olive oil for coating meat
• 1 Tbsp of seasonings of your choice ( I used black pepper, dried rosemary, red pepper flakes and garlic salt - be creative)
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 Tbsp finely minced red or sweet onion (I used red onion, but use what you like)
• 2-4 peaches, pitted and diced
• 3/4 lb fresh crisp cucumber, peeled and diced (I usually remove the seeds, but the farm produce has had such small sweet seeds that I haven't had the need to do so.)
• 1/4 C Fresh Mint Chopped
• Pita bread for serving; plain yogurt(optional for serving)

1. Heat grill to moderately high heat. Combine your seasonings/spices in a small bowl and mix well. Rub the pork with a bit of olive oil and rub your spice mix all over it. Grill over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 135F (approximately 8-10 minutes.) Transfer pork to cutting board and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Place pita bread on grill and watch closely, remove when heated through and grill marks appear but pita is still soft and pliable. 
2. While the meat and pita are on the grill - in a medium sized bowl, whisk together the lime juice and 1/4 C of olive oil. Season with salt to taste and then add the minced onion and let stand for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Add in the chopped peaches, cucumber and mint. Stir well so that the produce is fully coated with the dressing. 
3. Slice pork into strips, serve with a side of the salad, pita and yogurt. 

NOTE: We used the wild pork tenderloin for this recipe and while the flavor was incredible (seriously, like delicious pork and not at all gamey or rangey or anything that might come to mind when you hear the word "wild") we would not butterfly it next time. Instead, I would cut it into thickish filet steaks and grill that way instead *and* watch it more closely - I think it suffered from being slightly overcooked. So, if you've ever considered the wild pork, I say don't shy away from it - just be smarter than we were.

While the pork, cucumber-peach salad and pita would be sufficient, we added an extra vegetable side. This slightly sweet and spicy okra will make you rethink everything you thought you knew about the stuff.

FMF Extra - El Syd's Barbecued Okra

• 1 lb or so fresh okra
• 1 Tsp kosher salt
• 1 Tsp smoked paprika
• 1 Tsp brown sugar
• 1 Tsp ground coriander seeds
• 1/2 Tsp ground black pepper
• a dash of cayenne pepper
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

1. Preheat grill to moderately high heat.
2. In a large zip close bag, put all of the spices and the oil. 
3. Rinse the okra under running water; blot dry. Dump the okra into the spice/oil mix bag. Zip closed and shake to coat completely.
4. We have a nifty grill basket to grill the okra in a single layer without worrying that they will fall through the grill grate. If you don't have one then make sure that your okra are positioned cross-ways on the grill grates - or - skewer a few pods together to keep okra in place. 
5. Grill until browned to your liking (about 2-4 minutes per side) use tongs to turn easily.
6. Transfer grilled okra to plates and serve immediately.

This meal was surprisingly light and refreshing. The sweetness of the peaches and crispness of the cucumber paired with the lime and onion were fabulous with the hint of mint. Such a great side to go with that grilled pork. The okra provided a sweet and spicy kick. Grilled, it has none of its usual sliminess, and is a great way to win over non-okra folks. Again, all told this meal took a little over half an hour to make. Quick, simple, light, and fresh - sounds like just the thing after a little overindulging on Independence Day!

Happy Cooking!
sld


Disclosure: I was invited by Wolf Ranch Farmers'Market to visit and meet the vendors and was provided Market Money with which to purchase ingredients for the Friday Farmers'Market posts. I was not compensated to write this post and all opinions are my own.