Pork with dried fruits
- apple juice – 100 ml
- pink pepper – 5-6 peas
- a mixture of dried apricots, prunes, dried apples, cherries and raisins – 300 g
- vegetable oil – 5 tbsp.
- starch – 1 tsp.
- salt, freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- pork shoulder – 1 kg
- lemon – 1 pc.
- rosemary – 3 sprigs
- Bring the apple juice to a boil. Wash the dried fruit, pour the hot juice over it, and let it sit for 30 minutes. Rinse the rosemary and separate the leaves.
- Using a grater, remove the zest from the lemon. Squeeze the juice from the pulp into a large bowl. Add the zest, vegetable oil, rosemary leaves, salt, black and pink pepper. Combine with the soaked dried fruit and apple juice.
- Wash the meat, place it in a bowl with the marinade, cover, and refrigerate for 5-6 hours or overnight. Turn the meat over several times during this time.
- Preheat oven to 200°C. Transfer the meat and dried fruit to a greased baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour.
- Remove the pork from the oven. Set aside some dried fruit for garnish, and pour the rest, along with the pork juices, into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in a small amount of cold water, pour it into the saucepan, and cook, stirring, for 2–3 minutes.
- Blend the sauce until smooth. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Slice the meat, garnish with the reserved dried fruit, and serve with the sauce.
Pork with dried fruits is a "set it in the oven and forget it" dish, yet incredibly sophisticated. Its magic lies in the marinade. Rosemary and lemon create a Mediterranean backdrop, while a mixture of dried apricots, prunes, cherries, and apples, simmered in apple juice, creates a sweet and tart "confit." Baked with the meat under foil, the dried fruits don't just soften—they release all their sugar and acidity into the meat juices, which then transforms into a thick, velvety, and incredibly aromatic sauce. Pink peppercorns add a subtle floral note to the ensemble. The end result is not just a roasted shoulder, but melt-in-your-mouth meat, with every bite tempting to dip into the dark, glossy sauce. Pork with dried fruits in the oven is a dish perfect for a leisurely Sunday dinner, sure to bring the whole family together.
Apricots and cherry tomatoes will add a richer, juicier color, flavor, and aroma to pork shashlik. Grilled apricots with a deliciously sweet crust, paired with the spiciness of chili and the tartness of cherry tomatoes, create a unique culinary twist that everyone will appreciate.
Oven-roasted pork is the perfect main dish for a holiday table. It doesn't require much attention, but it almost always turns out perfectly. The quality of the ingredients is crucial: buy chilled meat, never frozen! You can vary the spices and herbs for marinating according to your taste preferences, but we recommend juniper and coriander, as they add a very interesting flavor to the dish. Incidentally, while the pork is roasting in the oven, your family and guests will be enchanted by the magical aromas wafting from the kitchen, and by the time it's served, their appetites will be at their peak!
Oven-roasted pork is always a surefire choice. The dish is so delicious, juicy, and mouthwatering that even the pickiest of eaters will be delighted by the flavor combination of the golden-brown honey crust with subtle wine notes, paired with dried fruit.