Thanksgiving Pork and Fig Roulade

This Thanksgiving we rented a house in gorgeous Sedona Arizona, joining two families together to make a feast crossing many continents and cuisines! Not big fans of the traditional turkey meal, we went all out with Asian and Mediterranean dishes. Here was my contribution to the table.

Mission figs, Prociutto and roasted red peppers filled a butterflied pork roast, tied in a roulade and sliced as a spiral. It's a great group project as extra hands really help with the rolling and tying as well!

1 dozen soft Mission figs

1/2 cup dry white wine

3 to 4-lb pork loin roast (about 10 inches long), butterflied and pounded to about 10x14-inches

1 red pepper, thinly sliced

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

5-6 thin slices prosciutto ham

2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

Roast topping:

2 Tbsp fresh rosemary (or thyme), minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sauce:

1/2 cup dry red wine

2 Tbsp butter

water as needed

Preheat oven to 375F. Heat grill to high.

Mix the figs and the wine in a small pot and cook down over medium-low heat until the wine has all been absorbed and you have a nice jammy substance. Set aside.

Roast the red pepper on grill until nicely browned. Set aside.

Lay out the butterflied pork on a clean work surface.

Season the pork with salt and pepper. Paint the pork roast evenly with the mustard.

Distribute the jammy fig mixture on top of the mustard.

Top with the prosciutto ham slices.

Distribute the spinach and red pepper about the roast.

Roll the roast up along the shorter side. Tie well with butcher twine. A second set of hands really helps with this rolling and tying operation!

Mix together the roast topping ingredients in a bowl. Season roast with topping and some salt and pepper to taste.

Roast the pork roulade until the internal temperature reaches 140F. Using a real-time digital thermometer is the best way to get the right timing for this. Remove from oven and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes. The temperature should rise to about 150F to be medium.

While to roast rests, add wine and butter to the drippings in the roasting pan on the stove top. Bring to a gentle boil, whisking often. Add a dash of water if necessary to form a nice sauce. Tip sauce into a serving boat, through a strainer if desired.

Slice the roulade to about 1-inch thick slices. Serve with sauce on the side.

Serves 8, and makes a great Thanksgiving meal.

Sedona on a snowy Thanksgiving day, 2019

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