There's nothing better than a tender pork rib with crunchy crackling during the festive season. Pair this with deliciously roasted figs and a rich port gravy to create an irresistible dish.
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1 pork loin – 5/6 rib joint
Salt rub – flavoured sea salt, fennel seeds, olive oil, and garlic
12 fresh figs – with a cross cut into the top and fanned slightly
12 thyme sprigs
Truffle honey
1 bay leaf
60g butter
1 shallot – diced finely
1 thyme sprig
350ml port
450ml chicken stock
Serves 5-6
- Combine flavoured sea salt, fennel seeds, olive oil and garlic into a pestle and mortar and crush to create a salt rub.
- Just before roasting score the skin of the pork loin and rub over the salt rub.
- Roast the pork loin in a roasting tray towards the top of the Rayburn top oven until the skin is crackling, golden and crispy.
- Remove from the oven and add the figs. Make a cross at the top end of the fig to create a fig ‘flower’ and top each one with a sprig of thyme and drizzle with truffle honey.
- Return the roasting tray to the Rayburn top oven set on the lowest setting to warm through for 10-15 minutes.
- To make the gravy: melt 30g butter with a dash of oil, cook the shallot with the thyme and bay leaf on the simmer side of the Rayburn hotplate, without colouring.
- Add the port then move to the boiling side of the Rayburn hotplate and reduce the liquid by 1/3 before adding the stock; reduce further until you have a thicker sauce consistency.
- Take off the heat, cool slightly. Before serving whisk in the remaining butter.
