The Jam Continues On
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My friend and I did some more canning this past weekend. Ms. S is a lovely lady from Minnesota with a grandma in Iowa who taught her about all things preserved. I am not much of a measurer (ala Gran Fran), Ms. S measures everything to a T.
Needless to say, our jam session was interesting, what with me just chucking all sorts of stuff in my pot, and her making sure to follow her grandma's instructions to the letter. Of course, Ms. S ended up with a lovely and perfect batch of strawberry jam, which was perfectly set and tasted great.
I ended up with more of a chunky sauce, best to accompany meats. It's not that mine tastes bad, on the contrary, it tastes great. But, it's really hard to classify it. The ingredients are simple enough: oranges, figs, sugar, water, pectin, sage and cinnamon. The end result is really flavorful, just not necessarily for spreading on one's toast.
Mostly, I'm here to boast about how I used my first jar. By spreading it over a pork loin, that was placed atop carrots and new potatoes for roasting. The jam melted into a wonderful sauce. It coated all the veggies and gave the pork a really nice sheen, not to mention the contrast of the sweet orange flavor with the meat.
The greatest part about working with Ms. S, was how we each approached our projects with such different attitudes. We acknowledged that though each of us had her own way, we could totally see the benefit to each of our methods. It's nice to find someone who is different from you, but who gets you so completely.
The recipe that follows is just for the pork loin. I want to refine the chutney recipe a bit more before I post it officially, so, for now, I will recommend that you use a nice orange marmalade instead.
Pork Loin, Carrots and Potatoes with Orange Jam
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Pork Loin
- 8-10 New or Fingerling Potatoes cut into quarters
- 2 large Carrots, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
- 3 sprigs fresh Sage, chopped coarsley
- 1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
- Oil for searing the meat
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Place a heavy-bottomed non-reactive oven proof pan on the stove over medium-high heat. When it is heated well, add olive oil to coat the bottom.
- Put the pork loin in the hot pan and sear on both sides, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.
- Once the meat is seared, pick it up with tongs and put the potatoes and carrots beneath in the pan, then put the pork on top of the veggies.
- Spread the marmalade, jam or whatever saucy goodness you are using over the meat, making sure to coat it thoroughly. It's also nice to get some of it on the veggies, so they get a little crispy and sweet while they cook.
- Sprinkle sage over the pork and add some salt and pepper.
- Place the pan in the pre-heated oven and cook for approximately 25 minutes.