Figgy Pork

My parents visited the wine country in Sonoma earlier this fall and brought me back a jar of dried fig compote from the girl & the fig.  I looove figs.  I've been saving this jar until I could find something really special for which to use it.  I didn't want to just spread it on bread like it was some pedestrian jelly.  I wanted to use it on something more exciting.  But after looking at it sitting in my pantry for two  months, I finally decided to just use it.  Since pork lends itself so well to sweet sauces, I decided to use the compote with pork chops.  I looked at a few different recipes for inspiration, and came up with the following.    I suspect you could tweak it a bunch of different ways and still come up with something equally tasty.  The key here was the fig compote.   It was definitely a keeper recipe.   And, the ingredient amounts listed below are mostly approximations -- I did this one mostly by sight rather than by measuring utensils.   

Pork Chops with Fig Compote

(makes 4 servings)

4 bone-in pork chops

2 tablespoons olive oil

kosher salt 

fresh ground black pepper

1/2 cup diced onion

1 garlic clove, minced

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup chicken broth

pinch of dried thyme

1 jar (about 1 cup) dried fig compote 

 

-- Season pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper

-- Heat large heavy skillet over medium high heat.  Add olive oil and swirl to coat pan. 

-- Sear pork chops on each side until just golden brown, turning only once. 

-- Remove to a platter and keep warm

-- Reduce heat, add onions and saute for about 2 minutes

-- Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute

-- Pour the red wine into the pan to deglaze and scrape up browned bits

-- Cook one minute, then add chicken broth, thyme, and fig compote

-- Cook over medium heat until sauce thickens

-- Return chops to the pan to warm and cover in sauce

-- Serve chops with sauce spooned over top

My Achilles heel is pork.  For some reason I have a lot of trouble not over-cooking it.  Chops, especially the thinner cuts, just cook so much faster than I anticipate.  So if you have this tendency at all, I would recommend that when you remove your seared chops from the pan, leave them a little undercooked.  They'll cook more once you return them to the pan.  

Lastly, this is a fast recipe, perfect for weeknights.  I served it with some roasted blue and red potatoes and some zucchini rounds sauteed in olive oil and seasoned with fleur de sel.   

Note:  Since posting this, I've created a new variation on this recipe to make an orange-y pork.  Instead of deglazing with white wine, I use orange juice.  And I replace the fig compote for about a cup of orange marmalade.  All of the rest stays exactly the same.  I love the combination of citrus with pork, so for me, this is an even tastier recipe.