Pork loin with onion and apricot – chatting to Billy can be expensive.

I was in our butcher’s shop recently, chatting to Billy. We were talking about pork, as you do. This got to Billy suggesting that I should try a pork loin, on the bone. He even offered to dress it for me. How could I say no. He had ‘broken a pig’ that day and the loin looked pretty spectacular. I was hooked. And, with nine people arriving for Sunday dinner, this looked like the joint to serve. I was excited.

I wanted to do something different. Pork with apple sauce? – Meh! Pork with prunes? – No thanks. Pork with green veg? – No thanks AND Meh! Then I thought of cooking Pork Loin with Onion and Apricot. I had not heard of it before and the flavours seemed right to me.

What a glorious combination. Particularly fine with the pork.

It was while I was carving through the skin and fat that it struck me, I had gone in to get enough beef for a stew. This was an expensive way to feed the hoards!

Don’t be horrified. You need fat to make crackling. We all love crackling.

I rubbed the salt into the flesh and tried not to think of the expense.

A good rubbing with salt, olive oil and then black pepper will prepare the skin.

This went into the oven at 230º C for 20 minutes. It then got another hour and fifteen at 190º C. With an hour to go, I added the onions. These had been roughly chopped.

Very tempting to crack off one of those crispy tiles of tastiness.

With 20 minutes left on the clock, the apricots went in. For the obsessive amongst you, I removed the stones and added twenty-two apricots. It would have been 24 but my niece who was ‘helping’ helped herself to a couple.

The apricots were a little on the hard side before going in. Perfect coming out.

I prepared some sweet potatoes and popped them in the oven at the same time.

I used sweet potatoes with sage as the side with this. Perfection.

I put the joint on my cutting board and let it sit for ten minutes. I used this time to separate the gravy from the pan.

A pig has ten ribs. Go on, count them.

The onion and apricot worked really well together. Perhaps there is a way to refine this for ‘fine dining’. However, it was pretty fine like this.

The pork fat combines with the carmelised onion and apricot to produce awesome flavours.

I suppose a pouring shot will be forgiven after all that….

I separated the pan juices and was left with fantastic gravy.

So, next time you have a crowd to please, perhaps after a Lotto win, give this a go. It is really excellent. Thanks Billy.