Moroccan Fig Pork Roast Recipes

MOROCCAN-SPICED PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Butterfly the pork loin by cutting almost all the way through, starting on the thinnest side, keeping your knife flat and parallel to the cutting board. Stop about 1 inch from the opposite edge you started, so that the meat opens up like a book. A few more shallow cuts can be made if the pork is not opening up enough to flatten out, but do not cut all the way through, otherwise you'll end up with two pieces.
• Season the butterflied pork on both sides with kosher salt and let sit out at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes, or 2 to 3 hours in the fridge.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a roasting pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Pat the tenderloin dry with a paper towel.
• Mix cumin, coriander, ginger, black pepper, smoked paprika,cayenne, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and honey together in a bowl with a spoon. Spread about half of the spice mixture inside the butterflied pork, fold it back together, and spread the remaining mixture all over the surface. Use 3 or 4 pieces of kitchen string to tie the loin up every few inches, cutting off extra string.
• Toss potatoes, carrots, chile peppers, and onion with olive oil and salt in a bowl.
• Place the pork into the prepared roasting pan and surround with vegetable mixture.
• Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the loin reads at least 140 to 145 degrees F (60 to 63 degrees C), about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and turn roast over with tongs in pan drippings. Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Toss vegetable mixture in pan drippings and return to the oven to crisp up, about 10 minutes.
• Combine yogurt, mint, and garlic in a small bowl for sauce.
• Remove strings on roast. Slice, spoon pan drippings over, and serve with vegetables and yogurt sauce.

GRILLED MOROCCAN SPICED PORK TENDERLOIN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the coriander, cumin, chile powder, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, caraway, black pepper and oil, pressing out any lumps of sugar. On a baking sheet, rub the mixture all over the pork and let sit, covered at room temperature for 1 hour or refrigerate for 4 hours or up to overnight. Return to room temperature.
• Light a grill and oil the grates. Grill the pork over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until lightly charred and an instant read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 135°, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let sit for 10 minutes, loosely tented with foil before cutting into thick slices. Serve with warm grilled naan, haloumi and yogurt.

MOROCCAN SPICED RACK OF PORK

Steps:

• Combine the ras al hanout, salt and brown sugar in a small bowl. Score the fat of the pork in a cross-hatch pattern. Rub the ras al hanout mixture all over the pork and allow to sit overnight in the refrigerator.
• Put the pork on a rack and allow it to come to room temperature for about 45 minutes before putting it into the oven.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Put the apricots, sake, chicken stock, garlic, cilantro, lemons, carrots, onions and turnips in the bottom of a medium roasting pan. Put the rack with the pork in the roasting pan and roast until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F for medium, 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
• Transfer the drippings, vegetables and aromatics to a strainer set over a saucepan. Press the vegetables against the strainer to get as much liquid out of them as you can. Place the pan over medium heat, bring to a simmer and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low, add the butter and stir until melted. Keep warm over low heat and serve with the pork.