The next time you hear someone grumble about the quality of “hospital food,” let them know they’ll soon be eating their words after they’ve sampled the award-winning, innovative cuisine of Glen Cove Hospital’s assistant director of nutrition and food service, Lyndon Espiritu.

Mr. Espiritu was selected by more than 300 of his peers at Premier’s annual Foodservice Forum, held in conjunction with its 2010 Annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition, which drew more than 3,500 hospitals, healthcare systems and supplier attendees to Washington, DC earlier this past June.

Mr. Espiritu was among five finalists whose award-nominated dishes were prepared for all conference attendees to enjoy at its annual banquet. Attendees voted during the meal for their favorite entrée, and selected his Peruvian pork tenderloin with avocado chili sauce as the winner. (See accompanying recipe).

Mr. Espiritu credits his success to watching his mother cook for her five children. Of Filipino descent, Mr. Espiritu recalls the details involved in creating his favorite dish, Chicken Adobo. It was his mother’s nurturing enthusiasm that led him to join her in the kitchen and start cooking at a very young age.

Glen Cove’s master chef is able to conjure up recipes in his head from random visions, mental images and scents. In fact, Mr. Espiritu cooked up his winning recipe --Peruvian Pork Tenderloin -- after sampling a similar dish made with chicken. “I liked the idea of an avocado chile sauce, but I decided to go with pork tenderloin, which is the most tender part of pork,” he said. “I chose that meat because you can’t go wrong with it; it will stay moist and succulent. The sauce just adds to the flavor.”

Serving as living proof that it’s fun to cook with someone you love, Mr. Espiritu works closely with his wife, Patricia Balducci-Espiritu, a registered dietitian at Glen Cove Hospital. This talented culinary couple re-worked the pork recipe ten times, going through painstaking computer analyses, to ensure that the final product met strict dietary/health considerations while remaining mouth-watering and delicious.

Patients at Glen Cove Hospital benefit from the culinary team’s creativity by enjoying such dishes as surf and turf, shrimp scampi, lamb chops, and minted fresh fruit, to name a few. “We are proud of the fact that our kitchen runs smoothly, our patients are eating healthy, nutritious meals…and the feedback is positive,” he said.

After winning the Premier award, a beaming Mr. Espiritu said, “It is an honor to be recognized by Premier and my peers. I love cooking and I am thrilled to be able to provide tasteful, healthy meals to patients and staff at Glen Cove to help improve the quality of life in our community.”

Media Contact:
Betty Olt
516-465-2645
bolt@nshs.edu

RECIPE

Peruvian Pork Tenderloin with Avocado Chili Sauce
Ingredients

Pork:
1.75 lbs Pork Tenderloin
¼ cup White vinegar
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Kosher Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tbsp. Granulated garlic
1 tbsp. Onion powder
1 tbsp. Paprika
1/3 second Pan Spray

Avocado Chili Sauce:
½ cup Fresh cilantro, chopped
1-3/4 cup water
1 whole Haas Avocado
3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Fresh lime juice
1 medium Jalapeno, seeded, - cut
1 medium Yellow Onion, sliced
2 cloves Garlic
1 tsp. Kosher salt
¼ tsp. Pepper, ground

Instructions
Pork:

1. Mix spices well with vinegar.
2. Rub mixture on the pork (40 °F) and marinade for 2 hours.

Preheat convention over at 350° degrees.

1. Turn stove top on high heat and spray sautéing pan with pan spray.
2. Pan sear marinated Pork (40 °F) on all sides until brown about 10 minutes.
3. Place in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until internal temperature is at 155° degrees. By the time the pork has rested and before cutting, it will be done to 160° degrees.
4. Let stand for 5 minutes before cutting.
5. Slice meat ¼ inches thick.
6. Place port in steam table pan.

Peruvian chili sauce:

1. In a sauté pan, place 1-3/4 cups of water. Blanch onions, jalapeno pepper, and garlic until
2. Using a food processor (robot coup), place cooked vegetables and cilantro into the processor. Add avocado (40 °F) and salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.

Assembly:

Place sliced pork tenderloin (160 °F) in a serving pan; serve 4 oz per portion of the pork and 2 ounce side order of the Peruvian chili sauce (40 °F). Garnish pork tenderloin with cilantro and rose formed red pepper skin (40 °F).

Preparation Time 10 Minutes
Cooking Time 30 minutes
Yield Approximate Servings 6 serving
Serving Equipment Chafing dish
Serving Pan 2” steam table pan
Cooking temp °F 350 °F
Internal temp °F 160°F
Approximate Cost/portion $2.24/serving

Nutritional Facts
Calories 238
Fat 8g
Sodium 390mg
Fiber 3g