Grain dish to go with Pork Tenderloin…

prepared with a cherry madeira sauce and sauted spinach with garlic? I am thinking something like barley, israeli cous cous, or faro but am open to suggestions.

-braised lentils

Quinoa for me.

OK, I have looked around and I think it is between these two recipes:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... ous-241748 (just the couscous part of the recipe)

and

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... chios-2239 (minus the basil)

Thoughts?

Funny, my first thought was a wild rice/brown rice blend with nuts, scallions, and maybe some dried fruit.

Then I decided that this was too much fruit.

Both of the recipes you've chosen sound delicious, but with the fruit sauce with the pork, you may overdo the sweet side of the palate.

With the soft texture of the spinach and the tenderness of the pork, I think I'd go for something with a bit of chew, maybe some onion/shallot/scallion to complement the garlic, and a bit of saltiness. So, I'm back to the rice blend, without the fruit.

But, that's me .

Yeah, I see what you mean about the texture. Where the sweetness is concerned I thought the salt, garlic, and slight bitterness of the spinach would counteract it to a certain extent and then I happen to love the combo of golden raisins and dried cherries (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that I will probably substitute golden raisins for apricots if I do the recipe with the pistachios). Additionally, I am hoping to actually get a larger grain couscous like an israeli couscous or something slightly smaller. Then, if texture is an issue I figure I can always just throw the couscous in a shallow baking pan under the broiler for a hot minute before adding the other stuff to give it a slight crunchiness from the toast/char of the broiler.

Not to be argumentative, but technically, cous cous is pasta not grain. How about pilaf made with cracked wheat bulghur, onions and orzo (or slivered almonds)?

I ended up going with Israeli Cous Cous with green onions, golden raisins, and pistachios. It was delicious.

Something completely different would be buttered hominy seasoned with a little jalapeno pepper.