We Remade the First Chef Recipe Men’s Health Ever Published

WHEN WE WERE tracking down the best recipes we’ve ever published for our 35th anniversary issue of Men’s Health, we found so many delicious bits of trivia.

Bits like our very first recipe ever, for chili con carne, back in our Summer 1989 issue. Our very first protein shake recipe ever, for a classic peanut butter and chocolate blend from an August 1990 issue. And then our very first recipe from a real chef.

It was our November 1996 issue and the chef was Charles Wiley, who was back then working at The Boulders Carefree Resorts spa north of Phoenix, Arizona. Chef Wiley shared his recipe for Chili-Roasted Pork Tenderloin, a six-ingredient high-protein meal that, honestly, we’d still print today.

But we wanted to give Chef Wiley the chance to weigh-in before we published the throwback recipe online. He’s now at Hearth ’61 at Mountain Shadows resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, and he’s just as dedicated to serving fresh, healthful food that is as delicious as it is satisfying.

“In the mid-nineties, I was completely immersed in Southwestern cuisine,” Chef Wiley says. (Hence the chili seasoning of his 1996 recipe.) “At Hearth ’61, we take a more global approach, borrowing notions and techniques from around the Mediterranean as well as the Southwest.”

Wiley says he doesn’t follow one specific diet, exercises regularly, and has always believed that moderation in everything is key. “I’m now 70 years old, and my crew and I still make beautiful food daily,” he says.

Here’s proof: Chef Wiley’s updated version of that original pork tenderloin recipe.

Shawarma-Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Paul Kita

What You’ll Need:
1/3 cup Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp molasses
4 tsp shawarma spice
Pinch ground cayenne pepper
2 pork tenderloin, trimmed of any fat
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped
2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

How to Make It:

1. In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, molasses, shawarma spice, and cayenne. In a baking dish, add the tenderloin and cover with the mustard mixture. Refrigerate for two to four hours.

2. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place the pork on a rack in a roasting pan and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cover the pork with the chopped parsley and cilantro, patting them so they adhere to the meat. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the tenderloin reads 150°F (that’s for medium to medium-well), 20 to 25 minutes.

3. Using oven mitts, carefully remove the meat from the over and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing against the grain. Serve with steamed vegetables and jasmine rice. Serves 4