Against the Grain
Armed with a pork tenderloin and faced with the question of how to prepare it in less than an hour (we had guests coming over on a Friday after work!), I called my dad for reinforcement. He suggested cutting the tenderloin length-wise and creating a stir-fry type sauce with the rest of the vegetables I had availalbe. His first idea, to wrap the pork discs in bacon and bake for hours in a casserole, sounded much more tasty and traditional to me, but up against the clock, I skeptically took his seccond suggestion and got to work. Jason also met the slashed tenderloin with raised eyebrows when he walked in the door, but I tried it nevertheless, and we were both amazed that it turned out! I suppose, at the end of the day, it's a very "tender" cut of meat, and therefore likely delicious in many variations, although, aftraid it would be boring, I threw in an entire jalapeno, which gave it the extra kick I think it needed to be something a bit less ordinary.