Asian Pork Tenderloin, Noodle and Vegetable Salad with Lime-Peanut Dressing

Asian Pork Tenderloin, Noodle and Vegetable Salad with Lime-Peanut Dressing from Kristine Schug’s Winery Kitchen originally paired with SCHUG Sauvignon Blanc

Makes 4 to 6 Servings

Salad:
12 oz. chilled cooked pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
4 cups Romaine lettuce, washed, rinsed and chopped
4 oz. cooked rice vermicelli, rinsed with cold water
½ cup red bell pepper, stems and seeds removed, thinly sliced
½ cup cucumber, peeled, cut into julienne strips
½ cup carrot, peeled, cut into julienne strips
8 asparagus spears, cooked al dente and chilled
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup scallions, thinly sliced
½ cup mint leaves, chopped
½ cup peanuts, toasted and chopped
Whole Cilantro leaves, for garnish

Lime-Peanut Dressing:
¾ cup prepared Asian peanut “Satay” sauce
¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tbsp. chile oil
1 tbsp. Asian fish sauce (Nam Pla)
2 tsp. sugar
½ cup salad oil

3 to 4 hours before serving, prepare dressing:

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Adjust sugar or lime juice according to taste, set aside. Place sliced pork tenderloin in a Ziploc bag and pour ½ cup of the dressing over it. Seal the bag and gently manipulate to coat all the meat with the dressing. Place meat in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours.

Just before serving:

Place handfuls of chopped lettuce onto each of 4 to 6 serving plates.

Next, place a large handful of rice noodles on the lettuce, then arrange the bell pepper slices, cucumber, carrot and asparagus in a decorative manner over the noodles. Place 2 or 3 slices of the marinated pork over the top of each salad. Sprinkle each salad with some cilantro, scallions, mint and chopped peanuts.

Now ladle a large spoonful of the Lime-Peanut Dressing over the top of each salad and garnish with a cilantro leaf or two. Serve right away, at room temperature. Makes 4 to 6 salads.* **

*Another way to serve this salad is to offer all the ingredients in separate bowls so that each guest may create a dish with preferred ingredients.

**This salad recipe would also be nice with leftover cooked/grilled chicken

Complementary Wines: Sauvignon Blanc, Water: Still

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