Am I crazy to think that I could pair some sort of rhubarb... stew with a pork tenderloin?

Peter - just saw this today and thought of you!
http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2008/06/pork-tenderloin-with-rhubarb-pear-rosemary-and-honey-recipe.html

I think it sounds like a great idea - I think a sort of chutney with the rhubarb would be great too. You would probably need a sweetener, but to make it more savory I feel like a bit of vinegar would add depth, and caramelized onions would be sweet but also add that complexity. I think orange peel would work really well too in this combo, and I like the red wine suggestion above, I think that would add a lot of flavor - as long as it's not too strong. I'm just making this up but it sounds like a great idea!

@Greenstuff, your rhubarb rabbit sounds fab.

Just one more thought for you, since it's a pork tenderloin you're talking about, and there's no need to stew that. My favorite was to cook a pork tenderloin is to slather it with Dijon mustard, add a little wine, and cook. Then, when I take it out of the oven, I dollop on some crème fraîche and let it sit. It's great just like that, but it's also good with a little bitter and/or sweetness, which I get from adding some mountain ash jam. I've been thinking also of stewing some rhubarb in wine and using it in the cooking stage. Again, you'd probably want to add a little sugar or other sweetener.

For my rabbit with rhubarb, I added a little sugar.

My basic recipe was to marinate the rabbit in red wine, a carrot, onion, cinnamon bark, and a bouquet garni. Dry the rabbit and brown in batches. Sauté another onion, then add everything from the marinade and stew the rabbit for a half an hour or so. Add the rhubarb, sugar, some orange peel, and mustard, and stew the rabbit slowly for another hour or so. The rhubarb did break down completely, but that turned out to be fine. It was a great sauce.

Jamie Oliver has a dish where pork is roasted on a bed of rhubarb. I quite liked the flavors when I made this as a change from rhubarb as dessert, but as mrslarkin says, it does need some sweetness added. Maybe toss the rhubarb with some sugar before roasting the pork on top of it? Also the texture does get a bit soft, but you could always puree it for a better mouthful. Here is the recipe.

http://homecooking.about.com/od/porkrecipes/r/blpork46.htm

I think of rhubarb as a substitute for tomatillos. Cross reference recipes from that. Have fun w/ it!

You're not *that* crazy, Peter. Rhubarb can definitely be savory. But you'll have to include a little bit of sweetness when you cook that sour beast. Also, keep in mind it gets real mushy when it's cooked down. For some chunk factor, you might want to add soused dried cherries or dried cranberries to the mixture.

Or you can make a Rhubarb-Applesauce. That could be real yummy with the pork!

I like all of these ideas!

Good luck!

I don't think you are crazy. I would maybe cook the diced rhubarb with some diced onions, ginger, rosemary, juice of half a lemon, and if too tart, a squeeze of honey. Let me know how it turns out if you try it.

I think that a pork stew with rhubarb would be outstanding. I recently stewed a rabbit with rhubarb and it was out of this world. Rhubarb does not have to be sweet.

MrsWheelbarrow makes a pickle-y, jammy plum sauce to go with grilled pork tenderloin, and you can trust MrsWheelbarrow. So maybe you're not crazy! Maybe.
http://www.food52.com/recipes/308_plum_sauced_pork_tenderloin

Mmmm, not at all. I like to make a port wine reduction with rehydrated dried cherries to serve with pork tenderloin. Fine dice some rhubarb and toss it into the mix while the wine reduces.

To be honest, unless you're leaning sweet in your use of the rhubarb -- think sweet pickle, relish, lots of sautéed onions, etc. -- I'm not sure those two things would live so happily together. Strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert and pork tenderloin on the grill, my friend...