Pork with Curried Apple and Couscous

Perfect for an early-autumn weeknight dinner, the aroma of the curry will make you glad it only takes a half hour to prepare. 

• 3/4 lb pork tenderloin
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 3 tsp butter, divided
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 small apple, peeled and sliced
• 1 Tbsp raisins
• 1 tsp cornstarch (see notes, below)
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/3 C chicken broth
• 1 1/2 C hot cooked couscous

1.  Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.  In a medium skillet, brown pork in 2 tsp butter.  Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160°F, turning occasionally.  Remove pork and keep warm.
2.  In the same skillet, saute onion and garlic in remaining butter until tender.  Add apple and raisins, saute 2 minutes longer.  Combine the cornstarch, curry powder, and broth until smooth; stir into apple mixture.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until thickened.  Serve with pork and couscous.

 Robyn's notes: I decided to use tapioca starch (tapioca flour) in place of the cornstarch, to see if the recipe would be successful for people who can't eat corn derivatives.  Came out great.  When making that substitution, it's a 2:1 ratio, tapioca to cornstarch.  So since the recipe calls for 1 tsp cornstarch, 2 tsp tapioca starch is needed.  This was good, smelled fantastic, but the pork was a little drier than I wanted it, and I barely cooked it to done because I knew the carryover as it rested would get it to proper internal temperature.  Gluten-free if you use rice instead of couscous.  Watch me demonstrate this recipe on youtube!

*** 3 Stars: Good. At least one of us liked this enough for me to make it again, but not often