My youngest son had a birthday last February (come to think of it he has one every February) and as he is the outdoorsy type, we decided to get him a Camelbak hydration pack. For those that don’t know what that is, think of a slim backpack that is really a bag that you fill with liquid (most typically water). It has a tube that comes out of it so when you wear the pack while backpacking, the tube is positioned near your mouth. Want a drink? Your water is right there.
Because there are so many varieties of these things, and we knew that if he was going to be using it a lot, he might want to pick it out. So the Ranting Wife and I discussed just printing out a picture of one and putting it into a card with a promise that we’d buy one that he picked out. My lovely wife took care of putting the card together.
His birthday came and when he opened his card he got a perplexed look on his face. He then laughed and said “Hump Daaaaay” in the manner of the Geico commercial. The perplexed look then went to my face and he showed me the picture. It was a camel with an arrow pointing to the camel’s back but also right at the hump!
Five-Spice Pork With Roasted Oranges and Broccoli
A great dinner for a hump day.
I used some frozen broccoli for the dish.
For a recipe last year I had mixed up my own 5 spice powder. This was a good chance to use some up.
Searing the pork.
The oranges really bring out a lot of flavor.
Better than eating your average camel!
Five-Spice Pork With Roasted Oranges and Broccoli
Prep Time: 0 hours 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 hours 30 minutes | Servings: 4 servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
1 head broccoli, florets roughly chopped, stalk peeled and sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 small orange (unpeeled), cut into wedges
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon five-spice powder
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the broccoli, onion, ginger, garlic and orange with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste in a shallow baking dish. Set aside.
Pat the pork dry and sprinkle all over with the five-spice powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and sear, turning, until golden brown on all sides, about 8 minutes.
Add the pork to the baking dish with the broccoli-orange mixture and roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the pork registers 145 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest 5 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, return the broccoli-orange mixture to the oven and roast 5 more minutes. Serve the pork with the roasted broccoli and orange wedges.
Per serving: Calories 329; Fat 15 g (Saturated 3 g); Cholesterol 92 mg; Sodium 951 mg; Carbohydrate 17 g; Fiber 4 g; Protein 34 g
Rantings of an Amateur Chef 
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