FRESH figs are a delicious fruit, sweet and mellow to eat when fully ripe and soft.

Their attractive shape and flavour make them perfect for desserts and also savoury dishes.

I like them in this marinade for pork, when the enzymes in the fruit help break down the meat and make it wonderfully tender.

You can buy fig jam, but homemade jam is easily achieved with the microwave recipe I've included here.

The jam recipe makes enough for use in both the marinade and as jam for breakfast.

These ribs get the perfect amount of sweetness from the fig jam.

A generous dose of ground ginger gives the ribs an impressive heat that's tempered by the richness of the cooked pork fat.

A little bit of apple juice thins out the preserves and provides just the tiniest bit of tartness.

This glaze is also really good on a pork loin roast.

If you do that, I'd add a little olive oil to it to compensate for how lean pork roasts can be.

The recipe serves two as a main course or four as a starter.

FIG AND GINGER GLAZED PORK RIBS

  • 5-6 pork spare ribs (about 1kg)
  • 3/4 cup fig jam (see inset recipe)
  • 1 tbspn ground ginger
  • 1 tbspn apple juice
  • 1 tspn salt
  • 1 tbspn finely chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper and/or aluminium foil.

First make the fig and ginger glaze.

Measure out your fig jam into a medium-sized bowl.

Add the ground ginger, apple juice and salt.

Whisk together with a fork to combine well.

The apple juice will help thin out the fig jam.

Be sure to break up any lumps of ground ginger.

The sugar in the jam will caramelise on the ribs, providing a beautiful finish as they come out of the oven.

Remove the ribs from the fridge and put them in a large snap-lock freezer bag.

Pour the glaze into the bag and over the ribs. Seal the bag well.

Move it around between your hands to coat the ribs with glaze.

Alternatively you can marinate the ribs in an appropriately sized dish, making sure to thoroughly coat the meat with the glaze.

Let the ribs sit in the glaze in the fridge for about an hour, or longer if you have time.

Remove the marinated ribs and arrange them on your prepared baking dish.

Spoon over any marinade that is left in the bag or the marinating dish.

Put the baking dish into the pre-heated oven.

Roast for about an hour or until the ribs have developed a lovely crust.

They're done when the meat comes away easily when pulled at with a fork.

Your final cooking time will depend on how meaty your ribs are.