This recipe is featured in our July 2019 Food +Entertaining Article, A Modern Fête.
Cucumber-Cantaloupe Salad
Course: Salads6-8
servings as a main courseIngredients
- For the pork:
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 ¼ to 2 ½ pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Special equipment: an instant-read thermometer
- For the glaze:
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon Tabasco
- For the vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder, toasted
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup olive oil
- For salad:
3 mangoes
5 ounces mixed greens (about 6 cups)
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (from 1 medium head)
1 red bell pepper, cut lengthwise into thin strips
2 firm-ripe California avocados
Directions
- Prepare the pork:
- Preheat oven to 350°. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in skillet.
- Stir together brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140° (about 20 minutes). Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.)
- Prepare the vinaigrette:
- While the pork roasts, whisk together juices, mustard, curry powder, salt and pepper. Add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified.
- Prepare the salad:
- While the pork stands, peel and cut mangoes into ¼-inch-thick slices. Toss mixed greens, cabbage and bell pepper in a large bowl with about ¼ cup vinaigrette. Halve, pit and peel avocados, then cut diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices.
- Assemble the salad:
- Cut pork at a 45-degree angle into ½-inch-thick slices. Line a large platter with dressed salad and arrange sliced pork, mangoes and avocados in rows on top. Drizzle some vinaigrette over avocados and mangoes. Pour any juices from skillet over pork.
Notes
- You can substitute chicken for the pork in this recipe.
- Recipe adapted from Epicurious, May 2003