I waited all winter long to find fresh figs at the market.

All winter.

I thought for sure I’d find them around Christmas time or even New Year’s.

Nope.

Oh, Colorado…

Needless to say, waiting all winter for fresh figs meant waiting months on end to create this mixture of amazingness over which I’d been stewing in my mind since last fall.

Without a fresh fig in sight, I decided to coddle the idea anyway, and create the dish with dried figs instead.

And, of course, it was delish!

By the way, for a little extra color – and because we LOVE Preserved Lemons any time of day – we also topped our portions with a tablespoon or two of honey-soaked Preserved Lemons (regretfully not pictured).

Rosemary Fig Pork and Parsnips

3 large parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs. Kerrygold butter, melted
1 Tbs. fresh rosemary, minced
sea salt and pepper

1 large boneless pork chop
juice of 1/2 lemon
sea salt and pepper

1/2 cup dried figs, chopped
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. raw honey
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
sea salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss the parsnips, butter, fresh rosemary and salt and pepper together in a ceramic baking dish. Roast, uncovered, for about 40 minutes, until the parsnips are soft and the butter has created a caramelized glaze over the veggies. Be sure to stir and toss every so often – and feel free to add EXTRA Kerrygold, if so desired.

Meanwhile, in a separate baking dish, season the pork chop with lemon juice and salt and pepper. Bake, COVERED, for about 40 minutes. (This can actually be done at the same time as the parsnips).

While everything is baking, toss the figs, olive oil, honey, rosemary, and more salt and pepper together in a small bowl.

Thinly slice the pork chop, serve over the parsnips, and top with the fig mixture, as well as honey-soaked Preserved Lemons. Trust me, it’s better that way.