Recipe #71 - Pork Tenderloin with Fig and Onion Preserves

_______________________________________________________________________________

I was flipping through "Food" section in The Commercial Appeal when this recipe caught my eye. My parents had a few fig trees on their property that were overflowing with fruit this year. I had been wanting to do a recipe with figs, but hadn't found the right one. Until now.

Though looking back now, I think I could have found one with more ingredients and levels of flavor, because it didn't turn out very well in my opinion. However, I hadn't preserved anything on this blog, so it wasn't a total loss. Ultimately, it's what this blog is for - trial and error.

Preserves:
Caramelize the onions, cook in a large saute pan over low heat in the oil for about 2 hours or until very dark. Add garlic about halfway through the cooking. Or, you can add the onions and  garlic to a slow cooker and cook for about 12 hours. (Grease the inside of the cooker with vegetable oil spray before adding onions.)

To prepare figs, wash, remove stems and cut them in half. Add port and cook over low heat for 1 hour or perhaps longer, until most of the liquid is gone.

Combine the onion and the figs, season with salt and pepper, and pack in a 1-quart jar or 2 pint jars. Seal in a hot water bath or refrigerate.

To make tenderloin, season with salt and pepper and place in a shallow cover dish. Mix preserves, Worcestershire sauce and beef broth, and pour over. Cook covered at 275 degrees F for about 30 minutes, then uncover for 10 minutes, careful not to overcook the pork.

Remove pork and set aside to cool, and put pan sauce in a small pan to reduce slightly. Add a pat of butter to thicken if desired.

Slice pork and serve with sauce.

Rating: 4
Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
Preserves:
3 pounds onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced
6 cloves garlic, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil, optional
2 pounds figs
About half a 750-ml bottle port
Salt and pepper, to taste

Tenderloin:
1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup fig and onion preserves
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon butter, if desired

Recipe #38 - Pork Chops with Tropical Salsa

_______________________________________________________________________________

I thought I'd try two low calorie dinners from the Weight Watchers program this week. My father and mother have been off and on this diet for years with very successful results. I've always appreciated the idea of portioning and exercise that they promote to help lose weight. Over eating and inhaling large portions are a huge issue here in the US. Everything is "Super Sized" and "Fast Food". If we ate our food slower, the brain would get a chance to tell us that we are full before we overindulged. We need to train our minds and stomachs to realize we don't need as much food to be full.

"The core philosophy behind the Weight Watchers program is to use a science-driven approach to help participants lose weight by forming helpful habits, eating smarter, getting more exercise and providing support."

This first recipe was off of a recipe card from "Week 10" in the program.

Rinse pork chops and pat dry with a paper towel. Lightly coat the pork with olive oil. Then season on all sides with a basic meat tenderizer.

Grill or broil pork chops until cooked through. I broiled mine. About 18 minutes, flipping once about halfway through.

This was my first time preparing kiwifruit. They smelled so sweet! Though proved a little difficult to dice after the skin was peeled off. Slippery little suckers.

While pork is cooking, prepare the salsa. In a medium bowl combine kiwifruit, pineapple, cilantro, lime juice, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Serve pork chops with salsa. I also served long grain wild rice. (The recipe suggests cooked couscous though.)

The salsa was amazing! The pork chop was a little dry, but the juiciness of the salsa balanced out the dryness perfectly to where I barely noticed.

If I did this recipe over, I would leave the pork in about a minute less on each side and serve the recommended couscous as the side. The rice didn't pair as nicely as I had hoped.

Rating: 5
Time: 35 mins
Serves: 4
Per serving: 244 calories; 7 g fat; 2 g fiber
Weight Watchers Points: 5
Ingredients:
4 (4-oz) trimmed boneless center loin-cut pork chops
3 kiwifruit, peeled and diced
1 cup drained, canned, unsweetened crushed pineapple
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil for drizzling
Meat tenderizer of choice for seasoning