Roast pork with fennel & figs

Bizarre sounding combination? Perhaps, but it works. And it's totally simple.

Get whatever cut of pork you like. I was after something on the bone but couldn't find one I liked, so I used a boneless rolled roast. Cut some slits in the skin. For crispy pork skin, rub it down with lemon juice first. Don't use the bottled stuff. Actually grab yourself a lemon and juice it. Then rub the lot down with salt, making sure you get some salt into any cuts in the pork skin. 

Place the pork in a roasting pan, throw in some dried figs, quartered fresh fennel and unpeeled garlic cloves. The quantities aren't all that important so long as you make sure you've got enough for everyone. Drizzle the fennel and figs with some olive oil and season with some salt & pepper. You can also drizzle some lemon juice on them. Don't oil up the pork or it won't go crispy. Cook covered, and then uncover and let the pork skin crisp up. You might need to take your veg out so it doesn't burn. Turn the heat up and watch it crackle.

This is really good served with roast veg and gravy, or just pan juices. Don't be put off if you've never used fennel either. It has such a delicate flavour that goes well with the sweetness of the figs and the saltiness of the pork. You probably couldn't transfer the combination to beef or lamb, but it could work with a nice fish, like barramundi. 

Oh, and excuse the slackness over the last couple of weeks. I've joined the ranks of people with a dose of winter flu, so toast has played a pretty major role on the menu. Not really blog-worthy though...