Apricot-Ginger-Glazed Pork on Wild Rice

Admittedly, I was in a hurry. And fathers who are in a hurry have to come up with quick ways to satisfy everyone's hunger pangs. My daughter was at gymnastics while I roamed the aisles of a local grocery store – and there, in a corner of the produce section was a lovely lady demonstrating recipes. She was nowhere near ready but I figured I'd give it a try – not knowing what the end result would be. Alas, isn't that how it is with any new dish you try? I compiled a set of ingredients, picked up my lovely child, and went to cooking. And what do you know? We were all having dinner within 30 minutes of me walking in the door....

We were blown away by the flavor explosion of this dish. You will be, too.

Ingredients:

For the pork:

1 Tbs. sesame oil

2 Tbs. Siracha-garlic seasoning (I used Weber's – the people who make BBQ's...)

1 lb. pork tenderloin

1 cup apricot preserves

¼ cup rice vinegar

1 Tbs. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. peeled and grated fresh ginger

1 Tbs. chopped cilantro

For the rice:

1 cup wild rice or a whole-grain rice blend.

½ cup chopped, dried apricots

¼ chopped pecans

1 Tbs. chopped parsley

Let's get started:

Wild Rice:

Since the rice takes the longest, the first thing I do is get the rice started. As I have stated before, I don't like cooking rice and use a dedicated rice cooker (mine is a Zojirushi). I simply add the rice and the required amount of water, hit that button, and get to making the rest of the dish...

So, while the rice is cooking, add the remaining ingredients for the rice dish in a large bowl. Once the rice is done, add it to the bowl and stir. Done!

Pork:

Trim the fat and any silver skin of the pork tenderloin. Cut the tenderloin in half, then cut the two halves into another set of halves. You should now have four pieces of roughly the same size.

Put the four tenderloin pieces into a medium bowl and sprinkle the siracha-garlic seasoning on top. With your hands, move the pork about until all sides are covered with seasoning and there is nothing left in the bowl.

Put a large non-stick sauté pan on medium-high for about 3 minutes.

When the pan is hot, add the sesame oil and swirl around.

Now add the four tenderloin pieces.

Turn them often and cook for about 4 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Add apricot preserves, vinegar, lime juice, and ginger. Stir, turn the tenderloin pieces, and cook 5 to 7 minutes. With a meat thermometer, test the temperature of the biggest piece. Let it get to about 145 degree Fahrenheit. By now, the sauce will have thickened and the tenderloin will be nicely coated.

When the pork reaches the right temperature, remove from pan and plate.

Spread a bit of sauce on and around the tenderloin pieces.

Sprinkle a bit of chopped cilantro on top.

You rice should be done, too – so, after mixing all the rice ingredients together, put a nice helping of the rice on the plate as well.

Serve immediately.