Though cooked on top of the stove, this is actually a roast of the type known in Tuscany as an arrosto morto. The recipe draws from Pellegrino Artusi, though he puts a couple ounces of bone morrow in the filling, and wraps the roast in 1/4 pound of lace fat. I instead used thinly sliced cured lard. If your butcher has lace fat, you may want to use it instead, or substitute the pancetta I suggest. This roast is also an excellent leftover. To serve 8:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 pounds boned pork loin, without much fat
- 1/4 pound lean veal
- 3 ounces prosciutto
- 3 ounces mortadella
- 2 ounces finely sliced lardo di colonnata (see note)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano
- An egg yolk
- Nutmeg, if you like it
- Butcher's twine
Preparation:
Note: Lardo di Colonnata is seasoned with pepper and herbs; omit the lard if you cannot find something along these lines, and purchase 2 ounces fairly fat pancetta, finely sliced, instead.
The recipe:
Sauté the veal in butter. Blend it to a paste with the prosciutto, mortadella, and a quarter of the lard. Transfer the paste to a bowl, work in the cheese and the egg, and lightly season the mixture with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Trim off all the excess fat from the loin, and make 7 or 8 deep lengthwise cuts, taking care not to cut all the way through the meat, so as to be able to open the slices like the pages of a book. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of the filling into each cut, until all is used up, then press the "pages" of the book back together, wrap the meat with the remaining slices of pancetta, and tie everything together with the string to make a roll. Place it in a pot, as is, and cook it over a very low flame, covered, turning occasionally, for about three hours. When the meat is done, transfer it to a platter and keep it warm, while turning the heat up in the pot if need be to cook down the juices (depending upon the quality of the pork, there may be quite a bit) . When you serve it, carve it perpendicular to the "spine" of the book, so each diner will have alternating pages of filling and pork. Spoon the dripping over it and serve it with spinaci rifatti. A wine? Brunello di Montalcino, or a hearty Chianti Classico Riserva.
The recipe:
Sauté the veal in butter. Blend it to a paste with the prosciutto, mortadella, and a quarter of the lard. Transfer the paste to a bowl, work in the cheese and the egg, and lightly season the mixture with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Trim off all the excess fat from the loin, and make 7 or 8 deep lengthwise cuts, taking care not to cut all the way through the meat, so as to be able to open the slices like the pages of a book. Spread a couple of spoonfuls of the filling into each cut, until all is used up, then press the "pages" of the book back together, wrap the meat with the remaining slices of pancetta, and tie everything together with the string to make a roll. Place it in a pot, as is, and cook it over a very low flame, covered, turning occasionally, for about three hours. When the meat is done, transfer it to a platter and keep it warm, while turning the heat up in the pot if need be to cook down the juices (depending upon the quality of the pork, there may be quite a bit) . When you serve it, carve it perpendicular to the "spine" of the book, so each diner will have alternating pages of filling and pork. Spoon the dripping over it and serve it with spinaci rifatti. A wine? Brunello di Montalcino, or a hearty Chianti Classico Riserva.
