Pork with Dried Fruit
All Recipes

Pork with Dried Fruit

Weekly

A festive Northern Greek dish of tender braised meat with apricots, figs, and prunes. Perfect for winter gatherings.

Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 1 hour
Serves: 4-6
❄️ Freezes Well

1Ingredients

  • 2 lbs pork shoulder (or chicken thighs), cut into 1-2 inch cubes
  • Salt and pepper
  • Ground allspice for seasoning meat
  • EVGE extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 red onions, sliced
  • 1 cup red wine
  • 2 tsp tomato paste
  • 1 cup pureed tomato (canned is fine)
  • 1 cup mixed dried fruit (apricots, figs, prunes)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4-5 whole allspice berries
  • 1/2 tsp whole peppercorns
  • For serving:
  • Basmati or jasmine rice
  • Toasted chopped almonds
  • Green salad

2Instructions

This is a variation of a wintertime dish served on festive occasions in northern Greece. The original recipe is pork with chestnuts and prunes — and if you find chestnuts, it is absolutely delicious! But this version with mixed dried fruit is wonderful too.

The sweet dried fruit paired with warming allspice creates something truly special for cold weather gatherings.

Preparing the Meat

  1. Season the meat cubes generously with salt, pepper, and ground allspice.

  2. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

  3. Brown the seasoned meat on all sides in batches — don't crowd the pan. Remove and set aside.

Building the Sauce

  1. In the same pan, sauté the sliced onions with a pinch of salt until soft, about 7-8 minutes.

  2. When onions are almost soft, add the tomato paste and sauté for about a minute, stirring constantly.

  3. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

  4. Add the pureed tomato, dried fruit, allspice berries, peppercorns, and bay leaves.

Braising

  1. Return the browned meat to the pot.

  2. Cover and cook until done:

    • Pressure cooker: About 8 minutes for chicken, 15 minutes for pork
    • Regular pot: About 40 minutes for chicken, 1 hour for pork

  3. If using whole pieces of chicken, when done, place the pieces under the broiler for a few minutes to brown and crisp the skin.

Serving

Serve over basmati or jasmine rice. If desired, top with toasted chopped almonds for crunch. A simple green salad on the side balances the richness.

Variations

With chestnuts: The traditional version uses roasted chestnuts instead of (or in addition to) the dried fruit. Add them in the last 15 minutes of cooking.

Chicken version: Use bone-in chicken thighs for the most flavor. The skin crisps beautifully under the broiler.

More festive: Add a cinnamon stick along with the other spices for an even more aromatic dish.

Make-Ahead

This dish reheats beautifully and is actually better the next day as the flavors deepen. Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Kali Orexi!

3Tips & Notes

A Note on Olive Oil

For authentic results, use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil — and don't be shy with it. Greeks pour, not drizzle.

Shop EVGE Olive Oil

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