A Conscious Feast by Nicole Aloni

Photo courtesy of the awesome Manny Rodriguez

Even though spring is definitely on the verge, I’ll be making this simple, lush dish for another few weeks. It’s still pretty crisp here in Seattle.

Serve a dry Riesling with this

• Six, 1-inch thick organic, humanely raised pork loin chops, like those from Heritage Acres Farm
• All purpose flour, for dusting
• Salt and pepper
• 2 T unsalted butter
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 1/2 T minced garlic
• 1 med. sweet onion, sliced in 1/2-inch rings
• 1 c off dry Riesling
• 1 c. homemade chicken stock
• 1 T. dried thyme
• 1/4 c. fresh orange juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 c. chopped, dried Calimyrna figs, (about 6 oz)
• 6 oz. small, peeled carrots

1. Pre heat oven to 350
2. Season pork with salt and pepper and dust with flour. In a large Dutch oven or ovenproof 12-inch skillet, heat the butter and the oil over medium high heat. Brown the pork well on both sides, turning once, about 5 minutes per side.
3. Transfer pork to a plate, drain out all but 1 tablespoon of the fat. Reduce heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the wine and stock, increase heat to high and boil to reduce by half, about 12 minutes.
5. Add the thyme, orange juice, bay leaf, figs, and carrots and stir to mix. Return the pork to the pan and braise uncovered for about 30 minutes, until the meat is tender (145°).