Rosie Makes Pig And Fig.

I have a plethora of figs at my disposal now, so I'm open to suggestions. The other night I decided to cook pork medallions with a reduced balsamic vinegar and fig sauce.

My ingredients for the sauce: 1 cup chicken broth 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 7 figs, chopped 2-3 TB honey fresh thyme, about a tablespoon fresh marjoram, about a tablespoon 3 TB unsalted butter, cut into bits s & p

Mr. Hawthorne sliced off most of the fat and cut the pork into 1 1/4 inch thick pieces.

Freshly ground salt and pepper go on the pork.

I coarse chopped my figs.

And I de-leafed my herbs. Thyme and marjoram.

Then I looked over and saw Dixie. She looked really cute lying on the sofa and since she rarely gets on the sofa I had to take a picture.

Sweet dreams, Dixie.

She's dreaming about chasing pigs.

I sprinkled some of the fresh herbs on top of my pork.

Heat your oven to 425 degrees and fire up the stove and an iron skillet.

When the pan is hot, add in ELBOO and LOLUB. (That's Extra Light Bertolli Olive Oil and Land o' Lakes Unsalted Butter!), heat to sizzling, and add pork.

I sprinkled a few herbs on top. As I've said before, leave the meat alone. Resist the urge to poke it around the pan. Cook without touching for about 2 minutes then, using tongs, lift a corner of the meat checking to see if it's well-browned and releases easily from the pan. If it isn't and doesn't, cook for another minute or two before flipping. Cook the other side for about 1 1/2 minutes, then transfer the skillet to the oven.

Roast for about 5 minutes or until internal temperature is 145 degrees.

Transfer meat to serving platter and tent with foil. Let it rest while you start on the sauce in the same skillet you cooked the pork in.

First I removed the herb stems and poured off any excess fat from the skillet.

I poured in about a cup of chicken broth ...

... and about 1/4 cup of Balsamic vinegar.

Cook over medium high heat, scraping up the goody bits, until the broth is reduced by 1/2.

Dixie has moved from the couch to her second favorite spot next to the door.

Dixie likes to have her picture taken. She's posing now.

Add in the chopped figs and 2-3 tablespoons of honey ...

... and about a tablespoon each of fresh thyme and fresh marjoram. Cook until the sauce is reduced by half.

Add in butter to enrich the sauce just a bit at a time ...

... and swirl it until melted.

Now Dixie has moved into her favorite spot - the kitchen underneath my feet. The aromas are calling her.

My sauce is ready and I'm ready to start on some greenery.

Broccoli.

I peeled the stem and chopped the broccoli into small pieces.

This went into my steamer, at a boil, cover on, for about 2 1/2 minutes or until the broccoli still has a crunch. You don't want broccoli olive green and mush.

You want it bright green and crisp.

Pour fig sauce over top of pork.

This is how you want your pork cooked. You want it slightly pink on the inside. This pork is juicy, tender, and full of flavor. Most people overcook pork. You do NOT want it gray and tough on the inside.

Cook it pink. And if you've been overcooking pork all this time and finally cook it properly, you won't know what you're eating. Properly cooked pork is a thing of beauty.

The fig sauce was a delicious complement to the pork. You've got the sweetness of the figs and the snappy tang of the Balsamic vinegar. Very good combination.

A little butter and lemon juice on the broccoli and you have a meal. A darn good one at that.