Braised Pork Loin with Prunes and Pears

It’s funny how something as ordinary as dinner can carry a story that stretches back thousands of years — across continents, cultures, and generations.

Take the humble pig, for example.

Long before it became the centerpiece of slow-roasted Sunday lunches or countryside cottage feasts, wild pig-like creatures were already roaming the swamps and forests of Europe and Asia — some 40 million years ago, according to fossil records. Their lineage winds through time like a well-worn footpath, eventually leading to two ancestors with names as earthy as their habitat: the East Indian pig and the European wild boar.

Somewhere around 9,000 BC in Southeast Asia, people began domesticating the East Indian pig. It was more than a practical choice — it was the beginning of a relationship between humans and food that would shape cultures for millennia. By 5,000 BC, these pigs had made their way to China. Centuries later, their descendants crossed paths with European wild boars, and around 1,500 BC, the foundations of our modern-day domestic pig were laid.

But this isn’t just a story about evolution. It’s a story about flavour and the beautiful contradictions that make a meal memorable.

In Catalonia, there’s a deep-rooted tradition of pairing savoury meats with sweet, unexpected companions: fruits, honey, wine-soaked raisins. It’s a culinary signature thought to have been influenced by the Moors, whose cuisine followed Islamic dietary laws — notably, a prohibition against pork. And yet, the legacy of their spices and methods found their way into pork dishes long after they’d left, leaving behind a taste for contrast and complexity.

That’s what makes this dish — Braised Pork Loin with Prunes and Pears — feel so timeless.

It’s more than just a recipe. It’s a quiet celebration of that long, winding journey: from ancient forests to rustic kitchens, from East Asia to the foothills of Spain, from sweet to savoury and back again.

The pork, tender and rich, plays against the mellow sweetness of pears and the deep, almost wine-like intensity of prunes. It’s bold and comforting, simple and sophisticated — a dish that honors the past while tasting entirely perfect in the present.

So the next time you cook it, take a moment between browning the meat and pouring the wine to think about just how far this meal has travelled. It’s history, served warm.

Ingredients
Pears
2 Medium ripe, firm pears
1 glass of red wine
50g sugar
1 stick cinnamon or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Pork
1.5 – 2lb boneless pork loin
salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1.5 – 2 glasses red wine
300ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
100g blanched almonds
4 cloves of garlic
1/2 tsp dried thyme (or 2 tsp fresh)
1/2 tsp dried oreano (or 2 tsp fresh)
12 pitted prunes
1/4 lb mushrooms, chopped into large pieces

Method
Pears
Peel and halve or quarter pears, core
Pour wine into a saucepan, add sugar and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer, add pears and cover. Depending on firmness of the pears, simmer for 7-10 mins until a sharp knife can easily slide in (before the pear falls apart!)
Set aside and let the pears steep in wine for at least 30 mins or until they are needed.

Pork
Rub surface of the meat with a bit of salt and pepper. Heat 2 tbsp of the olive oil in a large pot and brown the meat on all sides. Move the meat to the side adding the chopped onion. Saute onions until soft or translucent. Pour in the red wine, stirring to incorporate the browned juices and caramelized onion, while reducing liquid by half. Add 100ml chicken broth and bay leaf. cover and simmer for 30 mins.

Heat remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil in a medium to small pan, over moderate heat. Add the blanched almonds to toast them slightly, followed by the garlic. Sautee for a minute or two, but do not let the garlic brown. Add thyme and oregano and again sautee for a minute more before pouring in the remaining 200ml of chicken broth. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 mins. puree this mixture in a blender or food processor. Add mixture to simmering pot

Place prunes prunes in the pot, cover and cook for 20 mins more. Then add mushrooms and continue cooking for another 10 mins, salt and pepper to taste.

Remove pork loin from the pot, slice meet and serve with sauce, prunes and accompany each serving with sections of warm poached pears.