Think of these pork and greengage skewers as a sort of Suffolk souvlaki … the tenderest meat, seasoned with citrus and oregano, combined with the sweet/tart juiciness of the plums. They’re almost self-saucing.
We’ve had a good greengage harvest this year and I wanted to experiment with this fleeting, seasonal plum in something other than the usual compotes, pies and crumbles. This savoury recipe hits the sweet spot.
You can use other small plums if you can’t get gages, preferably firm ones, although they need to be ripe enough to stone. I like the orange zest in the marinade, but you can just use lemon if you prefer.
You’ll need to build an hour or two into your timings for the meat to marinate (handy if you need to fire up the charcoal on a barbecue) but these kebabs don’t take long to cook. A leafy salad (I favour bitter leaves here) and some flatbreads or a herby grain pilaf are good on the side.
Pork and Greengage Skewers
Ingredients:
1 pork fillet/tenderloin, approx 500g
1/2 tsp ground coriander seed
Zest of 1/2 small orange
Juice of 1 lemon and a few rasps of zest
2-3 tbsp cold-pressed rapeseed oil (I like Hill Farm’s)
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves or 1 tsp dried
1/2 tsp salt
A good grind of black pepper
Method:
Trim the pork of any silvery skin tendons and cut into 4-5cm chunks. Place in a bowl with the remaining ingredients. Stir well, cover and marinate in the fridge for an hour or two. If you’re using wooden skewers, put them in water to soak so they don’t burn.
Just before you want to eat, halve and stone the gages and and add them to the bowl with the pork, tossing gently to ensure they’re slicked with the marinade, so they don’t go brown.
Once your grill, griddle pan or barbecue is hot, thread alternate pieces of pork and plum onto the skewers, pushing them close together so you can’t see the skewer between them. Optionally, season with a little more salt. Cook, basting with the leftover marinade, until the pork is done, a little charred on the edges but still juicy.
Oh, perfect for someone who has a greengage glut. Me, I missed them the one and only time they appeared in the market. Grrrr.
Oh, bad luck, although you could use other plums.
The Other Plums Are Available bit seems to mean those hard globes with no flavour coming from – er – dunno where. However, it’s a thought!
Oh, bummer. None in the garden you can scrump?
All over, in the frozen north.
Oh dear. Sorry. You could move to Suffolk but I think you’d miss your hills.
Gah, just as I pulled the last of my greengages from the oven roasted into spiced compôte!
Now opening browser to hunt for more!
Oh, I hope you find some, I’m not doing very well here!
Got some from Ocado, wonder of wonders. At least, I have them until they tell me they’ve been substituted with sweet potatoes or something equally bizarre.
Lol! Yes, some of the substitutions can be bizarre. Good luck!
Lovely use of the local fruit! Plums are fleeting here – we have none, then what seems like bushels of them all at once. Then, they disappear again.
Thanks, Dorothy, Yes, I usually freeze some of ours for a continuing supply!
Oh my god these look incredible! And that photo of them on your BBQ grill is perfection!
Oh, thanks, Mimi, I’m glad you think so as it was getting quite dark by the time I took the pic!
Delicious. Do you know, I’m not sure I’ve ever had a greengage (shocked face emoji). I’m racking my brains now…
Thanks. I recommend you seek some out – though it’s getting a bit late in the season in some parts now.