Infused with fig jam this pork recipe will surely sate the family’s appetite. Don’t forget, the trick to producing crunchy crackling is to rub the skin with a little oil and sea salt before cooking.
Serves 6
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
8 dried figs, roughly chopped
120g goat’s cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp pink peppercorns, drained and rinsed
3 slices sourdough bread, crusts removed, cut into 1cm cubes
1.8kg rack of pork (6 chops)
6 small apples, quartered
6 small pears, quartered
3 red onions, quartered
1 Preheat oven to 220C. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes or until soft. Cool. Combine figs, cheese, peppercorns, bread and cooked onion in a bowl.
2 Put rack of pork into a large roasting pan. Using a small sharp knife, cut a pocket against the bones into loin. Spoon fig mixture into pocket. Secure filling and rack by tying kitchen twine between every second rack.
3 Rub crackling with oil and sprinkle liberally with sea salt flakes. Roast for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 180C and cook for a further 30 minutes.
4 Remove roasting pan from oven. Add apples, pears and onions to pan, turning to coat in pan juices. Cook for 30-45 minutes or until vegetables are cooked and pork is cooked through. Transfer pork to a chopping board. Cover to keep warm. Stand for 10 minutes before transferring to a serving platter. Serve with apples, pears and onions.