“It’s raining…” … figs?

by Linda Hopkins

Don’t you just love that song? “It’s Raining Men! Hallelujah! – It’s Raining Men! Amen! I’m gonna go out to run and let myself get Absolutely soaking wet!…” Good song! But unfortunately, it wasn’t raining men over here at my house, it was raining figs. My tree produces at least twice a year and it’s impossible for me to use them all, so the local birds feast well at the Hopkins’ house.

Three disclaimers for this post:

#1 – I didn’t use pork tenderloin. In its place – was a pork rib roast I had in my freezer. But I’ve written the recipe for tenderloin, so you use that, it’s quicker and easier than dealing with a rib roast.

#2 – I only made half of the onion and fig mixture, since there are only two of us.

#3 – Something is set wrong on my camera, so all the indoor pictures turned out with a nasty yellow hue. I tried to correct the problem in Photoshop, but the color isn’t quite right, sorry about that. You’ll just have to imagine better color.

The good news is that the birds and I ate well and enjoyed our figs. If you live nearby, give me a shout, and you can have all the Kadota figs you want… before the birds eat them all.

Pork Tenderloin with Caramelized Onions, Rosemary, and Figs

2 pork tenderloin, about a pound each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
24 mission and/or Kadota figs, quartered
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Generously salt and pepper the pork and leave at room temperature for about 12 minutes, while the oven preheats.

Heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the pork in the pan and sear on all sides, until nicely browned. Remove the tenderloins to an oven-proof pan, and place them in the preheated oven. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the tenderloins, reaches 140 degrees. Then remove from oven, tent with foil, and set aside to rest.

While the tenderloins are roasting, melt the butter in the same sauté pan over medium-high heat, add the onions and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir occasionally for about 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the sugar and balsamic vinegar, and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions are nicely browned and caramelized.