Revamped BLT w/ Pork Tenderloin, Napa Cabbage, Roasted Tomatillos, and Tomatillo Aioli

      Today, I was inspired by the movie Zodiac (watched it last night) b/c one of the characters in the movie was always eating a BLT sandwich. I never understood why people love BLTs so darn much since its literally bacon, lettuce, and tomatoes; oh and mayo. I guess BLTM never took off? Speaking of the name, why is it BLT? It goes lettuce, tomato, THEN bacon, so it should be LTB, right? Oh never mind, read the next paragraph to see how I breathed life into this forgotten classic.

                                                                    Ingredients:
Tomatillo Aioli                                                    Sandwich

•  2 Tomatillos, husked                      1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin (marinated if desired)
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp Olive Oil (pure)      4 Fresh Napa Cabbage Leaves
• 5 fresh Basil leaves                         1 Large Tomatillo, husked
• 3 Cloves Garlic                              2 French Baguettes
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 Egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
• Salt & Pepper

      Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and place 2 tomatillos on a small baking pan. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, and coat with 1 Tbsp olive oil. Once the oven has preheated, place the pan in the oven for 25-30 mins or until a fork slides into the tomatillos effortlessly.
      While the tomatillos are roasting, you can start making the aioli. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolk, dijon mustard, and a pinch of salt together for 2-3 mins. Next add a finely minced garlic clove and continue to stir until incorporated. Now add the cup of olive oil in a slow steady stream, whisking as you pour; about 5 mins. Finally add the lemon juice, and a dash of salt/pepper, and whisk until the aioli is smooth and resembles the consistency of mayonnaise.
      Once the tomatillos are done turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and place them in a blender or food processor with the basil and garlic clove. Puree the tomatillo mixture slowly adding in the last tbsp of olive oil in a steady stream. Next, whisk together the tomatillo puree and aioli in a small bowl and refrigerate.
      While the oven cools down to 350, place the tenderloin on a cutting board and season w/ salt/pepper. The next step is to remove the "silver skin"--a thin tough piece of membrane on the bottom side of the tenderloin. To remove the silver skin, take a sharp knife and slice underneath the membrane pulling up on the silver skin as you slice. Sear the tenderloin in a large skillet coated with olive oil for 2-3 minutes on each side. Pop the skillet in the oven for approx 20 minutes or until an internal meat thermometer reads 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
       Next, slice the large tomatillos (like you would a tomato) into 4 thick slices and then slice each in half to create half circles. Slice each baguette in half both ways, drizzle with olive oil and toast in the oven on a sheet tray for about 5 mins or until brown an crispy. When the tenderloin is done, place on a cutting board and tent with foil for 5-10 mins to allow the juices to redistribute.

My version of a BLT

     While the tenderloin sits, begin building the sandwich: take the bottom piece of a baguette, lightly spread some of the aioli, followed by a napa cabbage leaf. Untent the tenderloin and slice on a bias into half inch pieces. Put 3-4 pieces of tenderloin on top of the cabbage and 2 tomoatillo halves on top of the pork. Lastly, spread a generous amount of the aioli on the top piece of the baguette and finish the sandwich. Serve alongside my homemade macaroni salad with pesto-mayonnaise (see earlier post for recipe).

Your Mom's BLT sandwich