Porchetta is one of the most infamous creations found all over Italy, popular in almost every village I visited. From Travestere in Rome to the Sunday food market in Arezzo – a tiny historic village hidden in the the depths of Tuscany, I found different variations – all recipes native to the region and all sublime.
Such is the fame of this dish, that they also have a day of ‘Porchettiamo’ – a new festival completely devoted to this ancient Roman dish. Crowds flock under a spring sky, in San Terenziano Italy to try different versions, from the local farmers recipe to the Michelin star chefs that attend this festival. I don’t blame them for this obsession – I certainly have one myself now!
From a friendly butcher, to a lovely local farmer and over coffee with a wonderful friend who is obsessed with Italian cooking, I felt this was the finest recipe to try at home…easy to assemble and made with such rustic flair – it is really my style of cooking!
This is one for slow cooking, so it’s perfect to pop in the oven in the morning and have it perfectly ready for serving by six in the evening!
Open up the belly of pork. On the meat side up, slice through the meat very carefully but not all the way through to the fat. This helps to open up the meat more and allow a better marination of flavours to reach into the cut.
Turn the piece over, so it is fat side up and gently score through the fat a cross hatch pattern, taking care not to cut through the fat completely. It’s quite a delicate task, so take your time.
Now pour over the entire kettle of boiling water, over the fat side, letting the water drain off. Pat it completely dry. This is very important, the fat must be completely dry as a bone!
Now turn the belly of pork over again, meat side up. Rub half the salt, pepper, minced garlic and oregano over the meat side. Scatter over the sage leaves and finish by rubbing over half the olive oil.
Next, repeat the same rub over the loin of pork.
Place the loin at one end of the belly of pork and gently roll this all up like a swiss roll. Secure and tie this roll tightly with butchers string, ensuring it is as neat as possible.
Finish by gently rubbing salt, oil and pepper all over the roll.
Next, take a large roasting pan and cover with foil. Scatter your fennel slices as your first layer, then add the carrots and the garlic ( cut side up ) and the wedges of pear. All these vegetables will act as a base for holding your porchetta. Place the porchetta in the middle of the roasting pan and pour the chicken stock, marsala and white wines over the vegetables.
Place in the hot oven for 15 minutes, until the skin starts to crackle and crisp. Keep an eye on this as you just want a golden brown colour….
Now reduce your heat all the way down to 100 degrees centigrade. Cover the porchetta and let this cook for 3 1/2 – 4 hours.
Just before serving, uncover the pork, turn your oven onto grill and crisp the skin back up.
Serve very thinly sliced with an assortment of the vegetables from the tray and a spoonful of the rich juices.
( Serve with either a Creamy Cauliflower Bake, Potato Dauphinoise, Roasted Beetroots and Stir Fried Red Cabbage )
No comments