In Italy, porchetta is produced using a whole pig that is completely boned and seasoned with various spices according to local traditions. After joining the two edges of the carcass, it is bound with string and placed in a wood-burning oven for cooking. It is usually prepared for important celebrations and feasts.
There are two basic types of seasonings dictated by tradition. In southern Tuscany, it is flavored with rosemary. In Abruzzo, it is seasoned with wild fennel which gives it a fragrance and taste absolutely unmistakable.
I do not have access to a whole pig nor do I have a wood-burning oven, but throughout the winter months, my family feasts with a porchetta made from a pork shoulder. I pair the pork roast with oven roasted potatoes, fried peppers and an orange-fennel salad and we make our own celebration!
There are two basic types of seasonings dictated by tradition. In southern Tuscany, it is flavored with rosemary. In Abruzzo, it is seasoned with wild fennel which gives it a fragrance and taste absolutely unmistakable.
I do not have access to a whole pig nor do I have a wood-burning oven, but throughout the winter months, my family feasts with a porchetta made from a pork shoulder. I pair the pork roast with oven roasted potatoes, fried peppers and an orange-fennel salad and we make our own celebration!
Ingredients
1 - 5 1/2 to 6 lb. pork shoulder with skin on and boned
5 whole cloves of garlic - cracked and skin on
2 tablespoons of wild fennel pollen
2 dry red peppers chopped
2 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450°F. Place roast in a baking pan. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons of oil. Roast pork 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190°F, about 3 hours 15 minutes longer. Let pork rest 15 minutes. Best served warm.
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Paired with:
Fried peppers
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Oven roasted potatoes Semplicemente squisita! |
The foods you cook are beautiful. I want to prepare some of them. Taylor1945
ReplyDeleteTaylor1945 - Thank you for commenting.
ReplyDeleteElisa:
ReplyDeleteNot sure where you are located BUT here in Utah I have found that whole pigs ready for roasting are available from multiple sources by checking the Livestock pages of the classified ads on line. Now for the wood burning oven....that I don't know.
Novice here, but I am a heritage pork farmer and want to try. (I fell in love with the description, pictures, and stories of Italian porchetta, and think it's actually why I started raising pigs!) Please tell me more about these peppers so I get this right--- Can I get them at the grocery store, like, are they just red and green and yellow bell peppers, or some other type?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your help, I want to do you and my pigs proud!
CissyVaughn@yahoo.com
http://casa-giardino.blogspot.com/2011/03/hot-peppers-grow-few-and-heat-things-up.html
DeleteElisa: Thank you for the recipe. I bought the only pork shoulder in the store (weighing at 20 pounds, including the bone). And I have a (new) wood fire oven! Wondered if you have any idea at what temperature should I cook the pork? I still haven't decided whether to make 2 servings, after deboning, or trying to cook it as one serving. Appreciate the recipe!
ReplyDeleteSharlene - I would definetly make it into 2 servings. Frankly, I never used a wood-fire oven. Temperature should be around 350F. Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of pork registers 190°F. Good Luck and Happy Holidays.
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