Conga Lime Pork — Something Warm to Cook While the World Gets Bigger

January 2025. Cold. The lungs feel it. The morning cough is back, the winter version, the deeper rattling that takes fifteen minutes to clear and leaves me sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for my breath to come back like a train that's running behind schedule. But it comes back. It always comes back. The inhaler, the exercises, the scarf on the morning walks. The routine that winter requires and summer forgives.

Made chicken and dumplings Wednesday because winter demands chicken and dumplings the way winter demands coats and blankets and the willingness to keep going when the sky is gray for the fifteenth consecutive day. The dumplings were good — drop dumplings, Betty's, the lid kept on for twenty minutes, the steam doing its work. I made extra and took a pot to Clay's apartment because Clay is learning to cook but hasn't learned to cook chicken and dumplings yet, and some things you don't learn from a recipe, you learn from eating it enough times that your hands remember what your mouth knows.

Amber is seven months pregnant. She sent a sonogram picture and the baby looks like all sonogram babies look — like a suggestion, a sketch, a promise drawn in gray and black. James said it's a girl. They're having a girl. I am going to have a granddaughter. I said this out loud to Connie and she said I know, Craig, I was on the call. I said I know you know but I need to say it out loud because granddaughter is a word that needs to be spoken to be real, the way recipes need to be cooked to be real, and I am speaking it and I am cooking it and the reality of it is settling into me like broth into beans.

The dumplings were Wednesday’s medicine, but after James called and I said the word “granddaughter” out loud to Connie and had to say it again just to keep it real — I wanted something with a little more brightness to it, something that felt less like survival and more like occasion. Conga Lime Pork is the kind of recipe that does that: the citrus cuts through the gray, the warmth of the pan does what January can’t, and cooking it feels like a small declaration that there are good things ahead worth feeding yourself for.

Conga Lime Pork

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch medallions
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
• Lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the marinade. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, lime zest, 2 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and cayenne if using. Stir in honey until fully combined.
2. Marinate the pork. Place pork medallions in a shallow dish or zip-top bag and pour the marinade over them. Turn to coat evenly. Let marinate at room temperature for 10 minutes, or refrigerate up to 4 hours for deeper flavor.
3. Heat the pan. Warm the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet or cast-iron pan over medium-high heat until shimmering.
4. Sear the pork. Remove medallions from marinade (reserve the marinade) and sear in a single layer, 3—4 minutes per side, until a deep golden crust forms and the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Work in batches if needed to avoid crowding.
5. Build a pan sauce. Remove pork to a plate and tent loosely with foil. Pour the reserved marinade into the hot pan and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, for 2—3 minutes until slightly reduced and glossy.
6. Finish and serve. Return pork to the pan and turn to coat in the sauce. Scatter fresh cilantro over the top and serve immediately with lime wedges alongside rice, roasted vegetables, or warm crusty bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 295 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 12g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 360mg