Pan-roasted pork tenderloin with weeknight mole poblano and limey lima beans

Crush and peel a few big garlic cloves; no need to chop. Have a shallot or two ready.

Trim the silver skin off the tenderloin: slip a little knife under it, loosen a strip at a time, then hold it taut and shave down the other side. Trim nothing else.

Season the pork with pepper and salt. Heat a non-stick pan or well-seasoned cast iron on medium with a good amount of oil.

Sear the tenderloin, moving it constantly with tongs so it does not stick and shred, until seared on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Drop the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and shallots.

Add butter and pan-roast the pork, basting by continuously flipping it through the butter, until it reads 145 F / 63 C inside, about 15 minutes in the pan total. Rest a few minutes.

Add two canned chipotle peppers to the pan.

Fry a little peanut butter (or tahini, or any nut or seed paste) for a moment.

Add a little cocoa powder and fry it briefly.

Add spices from among ground coriander, cumin, dried oregano, a tiny pinch of cinnamon and an even tinier pinch of cloves.

Add a little pinch of flour and let it fry to toast.

Add a little squeeze of tomato paste last and fry until rusty brown.

Deglaze with water, scraping up the fond with a spoon. Simmer a few minutes to extract flavour and gelatinize the flour, reducing on the thick side.

Stir in a big spoonful of fruit preserve (fig). Taste and adjust salt or sugar.

Push the sauce through a metal sieve with a wooden spoon, scraping the puree off the underside; discard skins and seeds.

Rinse the pan, return to medium heat, add about a tablespoon of toasted sesame oil and a 6-ounce bag of frozen lima beans.

Stir a few minutes until the beans start to brown. Add a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, optionally lime zest, then the lime juice and a teeny pinch of sugar.

Finish with a handful of fresh parsley or cilantro if available. Slice the tenderloin.

Plate the pork with the lima beans and the mole; sesame seeds are a common garnish.