Roasted Pork with Savory Summer Compote
We’ve been eating a lot more meat than normal lately. Summer brings it out in me. Much as I love chopping vegetables in my kitchen, meat is so easy–throw a big hunk on the BBQ or in the oven and call it good. Please stay on the line, vegetarian and vegan friends. My roughage-loving self isn’t gone forever.
I had a pork loin the fridge, but no plan about how we’d eat it. Looking around, I found a lot of fruit that needed rescuing. Specifically, 8 apricots, 4 small peaches, one plum, and a couple handfuls of blueberries. Pork and fruit have always been keen on one another (pork chops and applesauce are BFF), so this wasn’t a stretch. Yancey deemed this little compote perfect–sweet with just the right touch of not-sweet.
After dinner, leaning back in our chairs, we thought of John and Jordan, who are getting ready to put their house on the market and working like dogs to clean, weed, and pack. I called and asked if we could bring leftovers so they wouldn’t have to worry about dinner. This may seem altruistic to you, but I’m a bottomless pit when it comes to affirmation and I knew I’d get some oohs and aahs. So I packed up sliced pork and compote, roasted fingerling potatoes, and some of this salad (minus the chickpeas, plus some little ribbons of fresh chard). And 4 slices of cake, which Jordan liked as much as I hoped she would.
Roasted Pork with Savory Summer Compote
Serves 6. You don’t need to use the sage and rosemary when you roast the pork, but I’m delighted to find uses for my runaway sage. Roasting the pork on top of it flavored it very subtly. And you can use any one of these fruits alone–you don’t have to combine as many different kinds as I did. You don’t need to use tapioca if you want to cook your compote a little longer or you don’t mind it a bit runnier.
1 4 lb. boneless pork loin
2 Tb. dijon mustard*
3 Tb. chopped fresh herbs (I used rosemary and oregano)
salt and pepper
sprigs of fresh sage and rosemary
1 finely chopped shallot
2 Tb. finely chopped fresh ginger*
1 Tb. vegetable oil
4 or 5 cups coarsely chopped fresh fruit–cherries, apricots, peaches, plums, blueberries, or a mixture of some/all
1/4 c. red wine vinegar*
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 ts. salt
1 Tb. quick cooking tapioca
For pork:
Preheat oven to 350. Salt and pepper the pork, and line a roasting rack with the sage and rosemary sprigs. Place the pork on top of the herbs, and place the rack in a large roasting pan.
Mix mustard, herbs, and more salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub mustard mixture over pork and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 145. It will rise to 150 after you’ve taken it out. Let rest for a few minutes before slicing it.
For compote:
In a medium saucepan, pour oil and let it heat over medium heat. Add shallot and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and sugar, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Add fruit and salt, stir, and simmer for about 20 minutes until fruit is thickening and bubbling. Add tapioca (if using) and cook for another few minutes until thick.
Serve pork slices with compote on the top and garnish with fresh rosemary, if desired.
(*=Kitchen Staples. I’m trying to be better about pointing these out.)
How funny. Two nights ago Jason and I did pork chops (one of the grocery stores had HUGE ones on sale) with a very similar rub: herbs, mustard, olive oil, garlic. Rosemary and sage, oh how I love thee.
That compote over your pork looks amazing! So glad you tried the salad too…it’s one of my favorites for sure!
Your compote sounds perfect with pork - yum! Nice job using up all the fruit in your fridge.
wish i lived a little bit closer, I promise i’d give you lots of affirmation if you brought me dinner!
good morning!
i couldn’t help but think while reading this entry this morning about how naturally sarah comes to this whole leftoverist thing..the first meal I shared with her mom, now quite a few years ago, consisted of a huge platter of her as always beautifully arranged food, shared on a boardwalk with lots of good friends to celebrate a birthday..but the thing that stands out in my mind after all this time, was the delicious pesto on some roasted baby reds …when pressed for the recipe, sarah’s mom finally confessed that she made the pesto from a leftover caesar salad and some herbs from her garden..so, it’s easy to see how sarah got here…leftoverness is in her genes!
thanks for the good reads and recipes…
cheers,
ellen
oh my gosh elenarain, I can’t believe you remember that! I also once made soup from leftover caesar salad, hoping nobody would ever know, and the quests ended up loving it and asking for the recipe. I was so embarrassed, i didn’t know how to tell them to take leftover salad, throw it into a pot and proceed to make soup. it is really why i have such a hard time giving people recipes,cuz i never do anything the same way twice, and my recipes all depend on what is on its way out in the fridge……..i know you understand!
I love it that you said “I’m a bottomless pit when it comes to affirmation.”
Me too.
But I love it that you would say so.
I so appreciate your candidness.
Me three on all accounts
What a beautiful dish! I love the bright color of the compote! I bet it tastes wonderful with the pork. Pork can sometimes come out really dry for me so I’m always looking for something besides applesauce to put on it.
Looks so good! And it was so nice of you to share your meal with your friends. It may be a love for affirmation, but it is also your generosity and care, and that makes the gift of food even more special.
hmmm. i attempted to leave a comment here days ago + just realized it didn’t make it.
all it said was how YUM the entire meal was! the pork was perfect (didn’t i even inquire as to HOW you got it so moist?), the compote to die for (i realize it was a garnish but i believe i ate equal parts compote + pork), the salad so simple + summery i plan on making it regularly (actually there’s a grocery store right across the street…), and the dessert–omg–LOVE!! it’s easy to be your cheerleader. thanks for sharing the bounty! it couldn’t have come at a better time. xo