Recipe

February 2, 2016

Porchetta

Recipe: Stefano Faita and Michele Forgione

Porchetta is a celebratory spice-stuffed pork roast often served with rapini as a main course or sliced and tucked into sandwiches with roasted bell peppers and salsa verde. For the best flavor – and to save time when hosting – prepare this dish the day before you plan to serve it.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tbsp fennel seeds, crushed
  • 1 tsp dried chili flakes
  • 5 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 tbsp white wine
  • 6 tbsp olive oil + more for the outside of the pork
  • salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 5 to 6 lb. boneless pork shoulder

Directions

Yield: Serves 8 to 10

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Have ready about 6 pieces of butcher’s twine, each about one arm’s length long.
  2. In a small bowl, combine the thyme, rose- mary, sage, fennel seeds, chili flakes, garlic, white wine and 6 Tbsp of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside.
  3. To butterfly the pork, place it on a clean work surface. Set one hand on top of the meat. Using a very sharp knife, slice horizontally through the roast, being careful not to completely separate the 2 pieces. Gently open up the pork shoulder like a book. You may need to do this bit by bit, gradually pulling the meat open with one hand while cutting with the other. You want to have one big piece of equal thickness. Rub the herb paste evenly into the cut side of the pork.
  4. Using your hands and starting at one edge, tightly roll up the pork. Tie 6 pieces of butch- er’s twine around the roast to seal in the filling, then season the pork with salt and pepper, rub the outside lightly with olive oil and transfer to a roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 300°F and continue to roast until the meat is medium-well (the internal temperature reaches 155°F to 160°F on a meat thermometer), 1 1/2 to 2 hours. (To crisp the skin, remove the roast from the oven, and then preheat the broiler. Return the roast to the oven until the skin is golden, 3 to 5 minutes.)
  5. Remove the pork from the oven, cover it loosely with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Untie the roast and discard the kitchen twine, then slice the porchetta into rounds 1 inch thick.
Source:

Courtesy of Montreal Cooks: A Tasting Menu