1 pound pork tenderloin, scored
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fig preserves
4 cloves roasted garlic
salt and pepper

1. Combine honey, fig preserves and roasted garlic.
2. Season pork tenderloin with salt and pepper and cover with the honey fig mixture. Marinade for at least an hour.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. Place pork tenderloin in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, until the glaze starts to brown, about 10-15 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast until cooked through to the center, about 40 minutes. Allow meat to rest before carving.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and scored
1 teaspoon dried mustard
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup canned plum tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 ounces brandy
salt and pepper

1. Combine mustard, pepper, brown sugar and salt and rub pork with it. Refrigerate for a few hours, preferably overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
3. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Remove excess rub from the pork, add olive oil to the skillet and sear the pork on all sides, about 1 minute per side.
4. Remove pork from the skillet, pour in tomatoes and extra virgin olive oil and lay pork on top. Transfer to the oven and cook covered until pork is cooked through and tender, about 1 hour.
5. Remove pork from the oven and set aside tented with foil to rest.
6. Place the skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat, bringing it to a boil and reducing until most of the liquid has evaporated, mashing the plum tomatoes with a fork.
7. Add the garlic and brandy and cook for another minute to evaporate the alcohol. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a bit of brown sugar to achieve a sweeter taste, if desired.
8. Slice pork and serve on top of prepared sauce.

Makes 4 servings

4 medium pork chops
1 tablespoon cumin seed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

1. Lightly toast the cumin seed, then grind in a mortar and pestle. Combine with paprika, oregano and a generous amount of salt and pepper and rub pork chops. Refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove pork chops from fridge and bring to room temperature.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
4. Place a baking sheet in the oven and allow it to get hot. Rub pork chops with olive oil and add to the baking sheet. Allow to brown, then remove from the oven and turn them over. Return to the oven to finish cooking. Allow meat to rest before serving.

Makes 4 servings

3 pounds pork shoulder, trimmed
1 teaspoon dried papaya seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 medium onion, sliced
1 Scotch bonnet pepper, chopped

1 cup diced tomatoes and tomato juice
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Grind together the dried papaya seeds and peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, then form a paste with the olive oil, allspice, garlic and salt. Rub the pork shoulder with this mixture and marinade overnight.
2. Heat bacon fat with onion in a large pot over medium heat. Continue to cook the onions until they reach a deep brown color, then add in the Scotch bonnet pepper.
3. Move onions and pepper to one side of the pot and add the pork shoulder. Brown on all sides, then add the tomatoes and bay leaf.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce heat to keep a gentle simmer. Cook pork until tender, about an hour , then discard the bay leaf.
5. Remove the pork from the sauce and keep warm. Add the brown sugar to the sauce and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until it becomes thick.
6. Tear pork into small pieces and return to the sauce. Serve on top of cooked white rice or with pita bread.

Makes 6 servings

4 four ounce boneless pork chops
4 slices bacon
2 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper

1. Season bacon with plenty of black pepper and wrap a slice around each pork chop, securing with a toothpick.
2. Press rosemary into both sides of the pork flesh, rub with olive oil and season with a sprinkle of salt.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the outside of the pork chops to crisp the bacon, then brown both sides.
4. Add the chicken broth, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Continue to cook until pork is cooked through to the center, about 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound ground pork
3 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper

1. Combine pork, scallions, cumin, paprika, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.
2. Divide meat mixture into 12 equal portions and roll into balls.
3. Fry meatballs in an ovenproof skillet, then transfer to a 350 degree oven to finish, or simmer in the broth of Mexican Black Bean Soup.

Makes 4 servings

5 ounces salt pork, cubed
1 large onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups dried black eyed peas
1 bay leaf
water

1. Soak beans overnight with enough water to cover. Drain and rinse.
2. Heat a large pot over medium-high heat. Rinse the salt pork then add it to the pot, browning on all sides. Drain the excess fat, then add the onions, garlic and cumin.
3. Sauté until the onions are lightly browned, then reduce the heat. Add the beans, bay leaf and enough water to cover. Simmer until beans are tender, about 1 hour. Add more water as necessary.

Makes 6 servings

1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper

1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons onion, minced
2 tablespoons shallot, minced
1/2 cup sherry
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Make 1/2" slices in the top of the tenderloin at 1/2" intervals. Insert a sliver of garlic into each cavity.
3. Rub the pork with oil, then season with cumin, salt and a generous amount of black pepper.
4. Place pork in an ovenproof skillet and roast pork in the oven until a thermometer can be inserted into the thickest part of the meat and read 155 degrees.
5. Remove meat from the pan to a warmed plate and tent with foil.
6. Heat pan over medium-high heat and add the butter, onion and shallot.
7. Add the sherry and scrape as much of the bits from the pan as possible. Reduce the liquid by half, then add the chicken broth and lime juice.
8. Boil until the sauce is thickened and slightly syrupy in texture.
9. Remove the sauce from heat and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the sour cream. Either pour over slices of tenderloin and onto a plate with slices of pork on top.

Makes 4 servings

1 pound pork tenderloin, butterflied
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium leek, chopped
3 cups baby spinach, chopped
6 scallions, chopped
6 ounces goat cheese
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Melt butter with 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté leek until tender, then add the spinach and scallions, stirring until spinach has wilted. Remove from heat.
3. Add goat cheese, thyme and dill to the spinach mixture and season with salt and pepper.
4. Pound the pork flat with a mallet. Spread the spinach mixture over the surface of the pork, leaving about a 1/2" edge.
5. Tightly roll the pork up to form a cylinder, enclosing the spinach. Tie to secure with twine.
6. Heat a separate skillet over medium-high heat and add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Brown the pork loin on all sides and transfer to the oven to finish cooking. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes 4 servings

8 ounces (1 package) fresh Udon noodles
2 cups Chinese ginger soy broth (see Dinner Entry)
8 baby corn
1 stalk and leaves of celery, sliced
4 ounces pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
8 prawns, shelled and deveined
3 scallions, chopped

1. Bring broth to a boil in a sauce pan. Add baby corn and celery and boil for 1 minute.
2. Stir in pork and prawns and cook until pork is no longer pink, and prawns have turned pink.
3. Remove from heat and stir in the noodles, breaking up with a fork. Allow to cook for several minutes in hot broth.
4. Ladle into bowls and garnish with chopped scallions to serve.

Makes 4 servings