SANDRA'S ASIAN PORK ROLL APPETIZER

I created this recipe when I had an extra pork tenderloin and was craving an Asian dish, 
and they turned out to be a superbly delicious appetizer...

Yields: (18 to 20 rolls; cut in half makes 36 to 40 appetizers)

Prep: 30 Mins.
Marinade 1 - 4 Hrs.
Bake: 15 to 20 Mins.

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 pound center cut pork tenderloin

1/2 red onion, julienned (separate thin pieces)
½ each orange, and green bell pepper, julienned
2 cloves garlic, grated

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons honey

¼ teaspoon sesame oil

Ingredients laid out:
 1 pork round flattened...

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
--(An Asian-type of BBQ sauce)

2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

¼ cup olive oil

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

-- Garnish with freshly chopped parsley

METHOD

Trim any excess fat on pork, and cut into ½” thick, round slices.

Adding veggies to flattened pork...

Flatten meat slices with a mallet (or small heavy-bottomed, flat saucepan) between in a Ziploc bag (slightly moistened with water to prevent sticking) until doubled in size. Place julienned red onion slices nearest you on flattened meat slice and roll up. Repeat to form remaining rolls.

First stuffed pork roll...

In a small non-reactive bowl (glass or ceramic), whisk together garlic, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, ginger root, sesame seeds, and ground pepper. Slowly drizzle olive oil while whisking into marinade to form an emulsion. Pour Asian marinade into a non-reactive glass 9”x13”x2" square baking dish (or a round one as I used). Roll pork rolls to coat with marinade in baking dish, and place them touching, seam side down. Cover and let marinade in refrigerator for a minimum of 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Remove from refrigerator and allow to return to room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Hot out of the oven...

Bake, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes (basting half way through) until meat is no longer pink in center; cut to test or they should register 155 to 160 degrees on a meat thermometer when done. Let rest covered with foil for 5 minutes for juices to redistribute.

To serve, cut rolls in half diagonally and place on decorative serving platter and sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve hot or warm – Enjoy!

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Tips: When transporting, I prepare and bake the rolls ahead of time, and place them in a microwavable/ovenproof dish, so I can reheat in the microwave or oven for a couple of minutes before serving.

Also, we like our veggies crisp-tender, so if you prefer them tender you might choose to saute the julienned onion and bell pepper beforehand for 3 to 5 minutes.