Catalonian Pork Tenderloin with Figs Recipe

"This is inspired from a traditional dish from Catalonia, the only region in Spain where fruit is cooked; everywhere else, fruit is served raw. The particular ingredients in this recipe is to serve a crowd of 16 as part of a buffet table, but it can easily be cut down to serve less. Note that the overnight marinating time has not been added to the overall prep. time."

Step by Step Method

Step 1

Place the pork tenderloins in a shallow baking dish. Place the garlic, oregano, rosemary, peppercorns, and coriander seeds in a mortar and pestle (or if you don't have a mortar and pestle, you can run it through a small spice electric mill or through a small food processor). In the mortar and pestle, pound the herbs and spices to release their aromas and the oils. Add the paprikas and olive oil and stir to mix. Pour over the pork tenderloins, making sure they are coated evenly. Cover and refrigerate to marinate overnight.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 400-degrees F. Place the figs in an even layer in a roasting pan, sprinkle them with 1 teaspoon of the salt, and drizzle with the honey and sherry vinegar. Roast until the figs soften slightly but still have shape and the honey starts to caramelize, about 2 minutes. Gently remove the figs from the pan. Pour the chicken stock into the pan, scraping up the browned bits. Set the pan over high heat and reduce slightly for 1 - 2 minutes, then pour over the figs.

Step 3

About 45 minutes before cooking, remove the tenderloin from the refrigerator. Preheat a grill or large saute pan to very hot. Season the pork tenderloins with the remaining 1 tablespoon of salt. Grill or sear on all sides, about 4 minutes per side. Place in the preheated oven to finish cooking, 6 - 10 minutes for medium (be careful to not overcook and take in mind the thickness of each tenderloin, some are thinner and some are thicker, adding variability as to the time spent in the oven). Remove from oven and let rest a bit before slicing the pork tenderloins on a slight bias (the resting period is to prevent all the juiciness from the tenderloins to run out like a river). Stir the cheese and almonds into the fig mixture and spoon over the pork. Enjoy!

Tips

No special items needed.

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ellie

This is so good and also not much work! Cut the recipe in half without any problems. Used the rest of my fresh figs making this and as I also grow oregano and rosemary -- this used some of the things I grow. I did not have sherry vinegar so used red wine vinegar but otherwise made as directed. Almonds were added to the figs but as it didn't say the prep or amount for the almonds I just added the whole almonds that I had on hand. Delicious! Thanks for posting!