Stuffed Salsa Pork Tenderloin

For frequent followers of Equal Opportunity Kitchen, you may remember me talking about being a BzzAgent. BzzAgents are voluntary word of mouth marketers who test a product, write a review and share the news. If it's not ringing a bell, make sure to check them out here . As agents you are introduced to several "campaigns" and have the opportunity to chose as they come available. A recent campaign from Canadian Pork Producers interested me. I've never been particularly shy about sharing that I've always had a fear of pork. I just really had no idea how to cook it since it's never been a meat source familiar in my diet. This campaign has made a huge difference to both my ability to cook pork and also my interest in wanting to try different cuts.



The label indicates that the store bought cut of meat is Canadian raised. Perfect! It's important to support our local farmers.

Off I went certain that finding Canadian raised pork would be no problem to find in any of Toronto’s major supermarket chains. I must say I was shocked and rather dismayed when I went into a Loblaws Superstore and found not a single indicator of any of the meat products being Canadian. It must be some mistake I thought so I went to the meat counter and asked the clerk where the Canadian raised beef and pork was. She looked at me with bleary eyes and continued to tell me that Loblaws was a Canadian grocery chain. Pretty sly I thought so I went back at her and said where are labels on the Canadian pork? Her response : “We don’t carry that kind of pork, just what’s in the cooler”. Still not satisfied I asked, “so does that mean that your meat products are NOT Canadian? Her response – “just what’s on the shelf ma’am”. By this time I was getting annoyed – firstly for being called ma’am – what the heck does that mean? More importantly, a chain the size of Loblaws that has flags throughout the store touting “1000 Canadian Flavours” is rather misleading when it seems that their products aren’t Canadian. So I said “thank you ma’am (I had to do it) and left the store. It’s all about Canadian pork so I felt I really had to be true to the program.

My message to Canadian Pork producers – lean more heavily on Loblaws. For those of us who care about supporting our local economy, Loblaws can only lose by not supporting local farmers. Being the big mouth that I am, I’ve made a point of sharing this information with several of my friends who were also rather surprised. We’re all rethinking where we actually do our grocery shopping.

Look for the sticker!!!
Tell everyone to look for the Canadian pork sticker when at the store. If they don't see a sticker, they can ask the meat manager where the pork is from. After all, that will help your friends find the Canadian pork they're looking for!

Salsa Stuffed Pork Tenderloin



Ingredients

1 Pork Tenderloin 12-16 oz
1 Heaping Tablespoon garlic (minced)
1 Heaping Tablespoon dried (or fresh) parsley
1/3 - 1/2 cup medium salsa
Pepper to taste

Method:

1. Remove silverskin from tenderloin

2. Cut pork lengthwise to open it like a book (not all the way through)
3. Mix together garlic, parsley, salsa and pepper.


Fill tenderloin (moderately)

4. Fold over the tenderloin and hold together with toothpicks. Tip: Put the toothpicks in on the long side and not up and down otherwise you'll have some challenges on the grill.
5. Place on medium high grill and turn just until there's a slight bit of pink on the inside.


6. Transfer to a plate and tent with tin foil for approximately 5 minutes.
7. Remove toothpicks and slice at an angle.


All pork cuts (with the exception of ribs) qualify as "lean" or "extra lean" and fit well into a healthy eating plan. Check out the information and recipes available at Pork Fits .