Fig, Olive and Red Onion Condiment

RECIPE FOR THE HOME COOK AS FOLLOWS

cook­ing oil

1 tbsp bacon fat (we used Ben­ton’s smoked bacon fat)

sea salt

1 cup dried mis­sion figs, stemmed + cut into 6th’s

1 cup oil-cured black olives, pit­ted + quar­tered

1 red onion, medi­um dice

1 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

1 tsp cumin seed

light pinch of chile flake Alep­po

light pinch dried oregano

a few drops of sher­ry vinegar

In a cold sauce­pot, add both fats and onions and a pinch of salt. Cov­er and cook slow­ly over medi­um heat until it begins to caramelize, stir­ring occa­sion­al­ly. Add seeds and spices, stir and cov­er for about 5 min­utes more to toast the spices and fin­ish carameliz­ing the onions. Add orange juice to deglaze, scrap­ing the bot­tom of the pan to release any browned bits. Bring to a boil. Sim­mer for 1 – 2 min­utes to reduce slight­ly. Add olives and figs and a pinch of salt. Bring to a sim­mer. Remove from heat and let steep for 5 min­utes. At this point, add a few drops of vine­gar (you won’t need much) and taste. Adjust seasoning.

Use this condi­ment with grilled pork chops, sausages, slow cook­er pork shoul­der, pan-roast­ed duck breasts, lamb chops or even braised chick­en legs. Add some more tex­ture with a side of crusty bread or ket­tle-style pota­to chips! Also makes a nice addi­tion to your cheese, crack­ers and crusty bread.