RCP: Braised pork loin roast with rosemary and figs

[Jenise]

Hungry for something pot-roasty, I went looking for a recipe that would inspire me to do something outside of my usual ouvre of Provencal French cooking. Of course, I found something instantly attractive to me because it was perfectly within my usual ouvre but nonetheless slightly different than what I would have reflexively done (figs!), so it qualifies. It's on the menu for tomorrow: thought I'd share the recipe. I'll report back.


Braised Pork Loin Roast With Rosemary and Figs

2 cups dry white wine
1 8-ounce package dried Calimyrna figs, stemmed, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 6-rib blade-end or center-cut pork loin roast, chine bone removed, ribs cracked
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium carrot, peeled, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

PreparationPreheat oven to 300°F. Bring wine and figs to boil in small saucepan. Remove from heat and let stand until figs soften, about 15 minutes. Drain figs, reserving wine and figs separately.

Meanwhile, heat oil in heavy large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. Add pork to pot and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Transfer pork to platter.

Add onion and carrot to same pot. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until onion is golden brown, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Stir in rosemary and garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add broth and reserved wine.

Return pork to pot, meat side down. Bring to boil. Cover and transfer to oven. Bake until thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 150°F, adding figs during last 10 minutes of roasting, about 1 1/2 hours.

Transfer pork to cutting board. Using slotted spoon, transfer figs to small bowl. Tent pork and figs with foil to keep warm. Spoon fat from surface of sauce. Bring sauce to boil. Stir butter and flour in medium bowl to blend. Whisk 1 cup sauce and mustard into butter mixture. Whisk mustard-butter mixture into sauce in pot. Boil sauce until thickened and slightly reduced, about 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer pork to platter, surround with figs, and pour sauce over. Carve pork between rib bones.

I am definitely going to try this. I have Calimyrna figs on hand always since I prepare a perfect Walnut and Fig tart in the fall/winter months. Thanks for posting.

[Jenise]

Jo Ann, I'll post on my results later. Btw, Haggens doesn't carry figs. So it was either turn around and drive ten miles back into Bellingham, or settle for something else: I'm substituting golden raisins. Hardly the same thing, but at least they're dried and sweet.

Yes, please post the results. 1.5hrs seems a long time to cook pork loin, even with the bone on.

[Jenise]

Jo Ann,

We loved this dish. However, I did a few things differently. Because I was using golden raisins, I didn't bother plumping them in the wine. I used a four-bone roast and cooked it stovetop where I could keep a closer eye on it. After about 50 minutes it had reached 140F and I removed the meat to a plate to rest under a foil tent while I made the pan sauce--I prefer a little pink to overdone. It was ready in about an hour. I opted for whisking in Wondra flour until I liked the consistency of my sauce rather than butter/flour balls (there's a name for those in French cooking, but I can't come up with it--anyone else remember?), then silked it up with a few tablespoons of heavy cream. I toyed with using the immersion blender to make a completely smooth sauce but opted for chunky/rustic. When I plated it, I wished I hadn't as it resembled a wet vomit. But anyway, only at this point did I add the raisins, and I also punched up the assertive flavors by adding another teaspoon of mustard and another tablespoon of chopped rosemary. I left it on LOW to meld for about ten minutes while the meat finished resting.

[Jenise]

Jo Ann, see what I mean about the vomit?

PorkRosemaryRaisin.JPG

It doesn't look at all like vomit to me. But, maybe I had to be there!

...see what I mean about the vomit?

Jenise, there's vomit and there's vomit. You dish is still in the green zone on the Spew-o-Meter. For vomit, it looks pretty damn delectable. And hey, who cares as long as there's enough wine? (Or if you're my corgi, "Who cares?")

Seriously, that's the kind of vomit I'd be proud to serve my family. Looks great! Figs+pork+herbs....mmmmmmm........

[Jenise]

...see what I mean about the vomit?

Jenise, there's vomit and there's vomit. You dish is still in the green zone on the Spew-o-Meter. For vomit, it looks pretty damn delectable. And hey, who cares as long as there's enough wine? (Or if you're my corgi, "Who cares?")

Seriously, that's the kind of vomit I'd be proud to serve my family. Looks great! Figs+pork+herbs....mmmmmmm........

All I can say is, the sauce looks uncomfortably similar to what Bob Marley (one of my cats) tossed in my lap last week after being given a can of Purina 'Chicken Pot Pie'.

You have no idea the amount of effort it's taking over here not to make a 14-year-old-boy-level joke.

[Jenise]

You have no idea the amount of effort it's taking over here not to make a 14-year-old-boy-level joke.

Hasn't stopped you before.

My boss wasn't in the room before