The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain

Here's the meal that was in my profile photo, and is now at the bottom of this post. The side dishes are not my original creations (spinach and garbanzos from a Spanish tapas cookbook, and Vigo brand yellow saffron rice), nor is the bread (Spanish white bread recipe found online and baked by my wife), but the pork and sauce were invented on the fly.

Spanish-inspired rub for pork

This can be made for as much or as little meat as you need. I just eyeballed it, but feel free to use precise measurements.

2 parts Kosher salt
1.5 parts freshly ground black pepper
1 part ground cumin
1 part granulated garlic
1.5 parts coriander
1 part turmeric
2.5 parts Spanish paprika
1 part orange zest (preferably Valencia orange)

Mix the ingredients, then brush the pork lightly with oil, rub the seasoning mixture onto the meat, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight. Grill or smoke the meat.

For the plate in the photo, I used two beautiful pieces of pork tenderloin. I seared them over high direct heat on the grill, then moved them to the other side and cooked them indirectly. I spiked the water in the drip pan with some more orange vest, cumin, and coriander, and let it go while I prepared the other components of the meal.

Spanish-inspired tomato viniagrette sauce

One can whole peeled tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
1 tsp. coriander
several grindings black pepper
1 Tbsp. Kosher salt
2 Tpsp. Spanish paprika
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 medium sized bell pepper (any color)


Combine all ingredients except bell pepper in food processor bowl or mixing bowl (with immersion blender), pulse several times until tomatoes are no longer recognizable. Let the mixture rest. Brush the pepper with vegetable oil, then roast it over direct heat on the grill, turning frequently until charred all over. Let it cool for a few minutes, then peel, seed and chop. Add the chopped roasted pepper to the mixture in the bowl, and process for a couple of minutes until smooth. If using the processor, transfer to a bowl and let rest until ready to serve. Stir well just before serving, then spoon over pork.