Emmanuel Piqueras sampled a suckling pig dish in the Andean village of Huarocondo, which inspired this tangy, slightly sweet and spicy pork tenderloin recipe. Cape gooseberries or tomatillos replace the original sour green tomatoes, and pisco stands in for the fermented corn alcohol chicha de jora. Plus: More Pork Recipes and Tips
How to Make It
In a food processor, puree the tomatillos with the jalapeños, scallions, rosemary, one-fourth of the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the honey. Pour the puree into a sturdy resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins, coat well and refrigerate overnight.
In a medium saucepan of boiling water, cook the corn until just tender, about 3 minutes; drain. In a food processor, puree the corn with the yellow pepper.
In a medium skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onion, ham and remaining garlic and cook over moderate heat until the onion is softened, about 7 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the pisco and light carefully with a long match. When the flames die down, add the corn and pepper puree and 1 cup of the stock and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the parsley and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside.
Remove the pork tenderloins from the marinade; reserve the marinade. In a large skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Season the tenderloins with salt and pepper, add them to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until browned on every side, about 1 minute per side. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of pisco and light carefully with a long match. When the flames die down, add the reserved marinade and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of stock and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over moderately low heat, turning occasionally, until the pork is pink in the center, about 20 minutes.
Transfer the pork to a carving board and cover loosely with foil. Boil the pan sauce over moderately high heat for 3 minutes. Set a fine sieve over a small saucepan and strain the sauce, pressing on the solids. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of honey and season with salt and pepper. Gently reheat the corn puree. Thickly slice the pork and transfer to plates. Pour the sauce over the pork, spoon the corn puree alongside and serve.