I'm sure this would cause you to go to the store, so maybe for a later date.

Pork with Fig Sauce
Serves 4

8 1/3-inch-thick slices center-cut pork loin
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup minced shallots
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
6 fresh ripe figs, quartered
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon minced parsley

Preheat oven to 200F.
Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 pork slices and saute until brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to baking sheet. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to skillet. Repeat with remaining 4 pork slices. Transfer pork to oven to keep warm.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender, about 2 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons vinegar. Simmer until vinegar evaporates, scraping up any browned bits on bottom of skillet, about 1 minute.

Add chicken broth. Simmer until mixture is reduced by half, about 4 minutes.

Add figs and whipping cream. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and any accumulated juices from pork. Simmer until sauce thickens enough to coat spoon, about 2 minutes longer.

Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Arrange pork on plates. Spoon sauce over. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

My favorite recipe for a bone in pork roast is beyond simple.
Just salt and pepper and some crushed fresh garlic on the meat, 475 oven and pour half or more of cider in the bottom of the pan before putting it into the oven.
The cider and the meat juice mingle and make a nice base for a simple gravy....deglaze with chicken broth and thicken with flour.
I would make a sweet and sour red cabbage with apples, to go with.
I have no recipe, I wing it...chopped up red cabbage and red onion, yellow is OK in a pinch, and cut up apples, cider vinegar and brown sugar to taste....lots of both.
And how about roasting the sweet potatoes in the oven with the pork? Peel and cut into chunks, put into a shallow pan and toss with olive oil, and crush some garlic and add also....salt and sezchwan pepper. You could add some chunked up carrots to that too.
And a spinach salad with slivered red peppers and sweet onion and a tomato based French dressing.
Linda C

My favorite is this one from Cooking Light. I've left out the coriander seeds when I don't have any and I've used dried herbs in place of fresh and it's all good.

APPLE CIDER BRINED PORK ROAST

3 cups apple cider
3 cups water
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup salt
1 tbls black peppercorns
1 tbls coriander seeds
1 2 lb. Pork loin, trimmed
2 cups cider
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh sage
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until salt dissolves. Remove from heat, cool, and pour into a Ziploc bag or container big enough to hold the pork loin. Add pork, seal and let marinate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350, bring 2 cups cider to a boil over medium high heat. Boil until cider is thickened and reduced to � cup, about 15 minutes. Set aside. Remove pork from bag or container and discard brine. Place pork on broiler pan or baking dish and lightly coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining herbs and bake about 1 hour, until pork is done, basting twice with the reduced cider in the last 20 minutes of baking. Remove from oven, baste with remaining cider reduction. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Serves 8

200 calories per 4 oz. Serving, 6 grams fat

Annie

Thanks - they all sound good! I love the idea of figs, but I would have to go searching for them. Annie - that sounds fantastic, but I don't have time to marinate it, so I will probably save that recipe for the next time.

Linda - that sounds great, I will probably use your idea this time since I have everything on hand and it wont require too much time/effort on my part!

Thanks everyone!

Alexa

Maybe this is too close to what you usually do but it's my favourite roast pork recipe.

Pork With Herb Crust

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 (3- to 4-pound) racks of
-pork 3
-tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
7 garlic cloves -- minced
1/3 cup fresh basil -- Chopped
1/3 cup fresh thyme -- Chopped
1/3 cup fresh parsley -- Chopped
2 tablespoon pepper -- Coarsely Ground
1 1/4 cup butter (or margarine) -- cut up
-1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 can chicken broth
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon fresh sage -- Chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Rub pork with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Stir together garlic and next 4 ingredients; press onto pork. Place pork on a rack in a lightly greased broiler pan; cover bone tips with aluminum foil to
prevent burning.

Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into thickest portion registers 150max, I prefer 140-145 ! Transfer pork to a
serving tray.Cover and let rest while making sauce (even if you don't make the sauce let the pork rest for at least 10 minutes to redistribute juices and let the internal temp climb a bit more)

Pour pan drippings into a skillet.Add butter to drippings; cook over medium heat until butter melts.

Whisk in flour until smooth. Cook, whisking constantly, until caramel colored. Gradually whisk
in broth and next 3 ingredients; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thickened and bubbly.

Serve with 'pork. Garnish, if desired. Yield: 8 serving

Not really roasted (it's braised) but Pork Loin Braised in Milk from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking is simply wonderful. Not much fuss, either; after browning the meat in a little oil & butter, you add milk, salt and pepper and let the stuff simmer on top of the stove for a few hours.

Here is a link that might be useful: pork loin braised in milk, Bolognese style

My favourite is Sharon's Rack of Pork. Although I adjust the herbs. I like rosemary and sage rather than the thyme and basil.

Ann

The Pork Loin Braised in Milk, Bolognese Style recipe is outstanding. Looks complicated. Isn't. One of my favorite company dishes. Here is another favorite you really should try.

ROAST PORK SARONNO

3-pound loin of pork roast
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 tablespoons Amaretto di Soronno

Roast the pork in the usual manner.
Combine the next seven ingredients in a pan and cook over low heat 5 minutes. Blend cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of the mixture and add to the rest, stirring until slightly thickened. Stir in Amaretto and simmer 10 minutes. Half an hour before the roast is done baste it with 1/3 of the sauce. Roast another 15 minutes and baste again with 1/3 of the sauce. Roast another 15 minutes. Serve remaining warm sauce with the roast. Also, pan drippings with some of the fat removed make a flavorful gravy.

(Note: use the real Amaretto di Saronno in this recipe as the flavor of other types does not hold up in this recipe.)

Well, this is not fancy at all, but it's great for a workday. I take a boneless pork loin roast, put it in a crockpot with some garlic, onion, salt, pepper, maybe some smoked sweet paprika, a bag of fresh saurkraut and about a cup of peach jam (better if it's that peach jam for cold mornings) and let it cook all day.

This recipe calls for a boneless roast though I think it would still be delicious using your cut:

Roast Pork with Sagey Onions

4-pound boneless pork top loin roast (double)
Salt
Pepper
2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and quartered
1-1/4 teaspoons ground sage
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Gravy (recipe to follow)

Place pork roast fat side upon rack in shallow roasting pan. Sprinkle meat with salt and pepper. Do not add water. Do not cover. Place in oven and roast at 325 F. for 1-1/2 hours.

Fill a medium pan with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add onions. Cover and bring back to a boil. Cook until tender, 15 to 20 minutes; drain. Chop onions coarsely; stir in sage, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove pork and rack from pan; pour off drippings, reserving 1/4 cup. Mound onion mixture in center of pan and place pork on top. Continue to roast until meat thermometer registers 165 F., about 45 minutes - 1 hour.

Gravy
Mix reserved 1/4 cup drippings and 1/4 cup all-purpose flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat; stir in 2 cups water. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Source: Betty Crocker's Cooking American Style - A Sampler of Heritage Recipes, copyright 1976

Lori