Herb-roasted pork with fig jam
Continuing with our theme of fruit + meat, we come to our combination of the day: fig and pork. My knowledge of the fig was relatively limited--I'd heard their leaves provided a sartorial solution for some Biblical figures, and I'd heard that their tree fruited year-round (thank you BBC Planet Earth). I'd never had figs until fairly recently, when I had a very delicious fig risotto with pork tenderloin in Las Vegas. Thus, when I came across a recipe pairing fig and pork together, I was instantly sold. The idea of making "jam" seemed like a large undertaking, but it was actually quite quick and straightforward.
Recipe
from Epicurious.comServes 2 for jam1 cup dry red wine3/4 cup water12 dried black Mission figs, stemmed, cut into ¼” cubes½ cup sugar2 tbsp fresh lemon juicefor pork½ tbsp. chopped fresh sage½ tbsp. chopped fresh thyme½ tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary¼ tbsp. sea salt2 tbsp olive oil½ tsp black pepperpork loin roast (1 - 1-1/2 lb)¾ oz thinly sliced pancettaTo prepare the fig jam, bring all ingredients to a boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Boil mixture until thickened and reduced to 1 cup, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Transfer jam to large bowl and cool completely.For pork, puree olive oil, sage, thyme, rosemary, sea salt and pepper in processor until almost smooth. Place pork in large roasting pan. Rub herb mixture over roast, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Preheat oven to 400 F. Sprinkle pork generously with salt and pepper. Place pancetta slices atop pork, overlapping if necessary. Roast about 1 hour, or until thermometer reads 145 F when inserted into center. Let stand for 15 minutes. Serve with fig jam.
Musings
A few notes on preparation: We used fresh rather than dried black Mission figs. Perhaps as a result, the jam was more voluminous than 1 cup in the end, but still had the appropriate thick consistency. Instead of pureeing the herbs, David minced them very finely and mixed them together. We also only marinated for about half a day, rather than overnight. Finally, we substituted bacon for pancetta, just interweaving several slices on top the of the roast.This dish was divinely good, from first bite down to, well, not quite the last morsel since we couldn't even finish all of it (we'd also made scalloped potatoes to go with it). The fig jam was wonderfully sweet and flavourful and paired so well with the pork. In the end, the pork probably could have marinated for the designated length of time (overnight), as the fig jam did somewhat overpower the herbs in the pork. But it was all so delicious, we hardly even noticed.