Italian Grill - Mario Batali [51]
Place the roast on the cooler part of the grill, cover the grill, and cook for 1 ¾ to 2 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 145° to 150°F. Transfer the roast to a carving board and allow to rest for 20 minutes.
While the roast cooks, make the sauce: Combine ¼ cup of the olive oil and the garlic in a medium pot and set over low heat. Halve the onions lengthwise, cut into ½-inch-thick slices, and add to the pot. Trim the fennel, reserving a few fronds for garnish. Cut the fennel lengthwise in half, then cut into ½-inch-thick slices and add to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions and fennel are very soft, about 15 minutes.
Add the milk, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until the onions and fennel are very tender, almost melting, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Transfer the onion mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the remaining ½ cup olive oil until emulsified and smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Carve the pork loin off the bone. Cut the bones apart and put them on a platter for those who want to gnaw on them. Cut the pork loin into ½-inch-thick slices. Pour some of the sauce onto another platter and lay the slices of roast on top. Garnish with fennel fronds and serve with the remaining sauce in a sauceboat.
Arista (the name means “the best”) is a celebratory Tuscan dish, sometimes made with a whole suckling pig studded with garlic and slowly spit-roasted. I like this garlicky pork loin roast, in the same spirit but a lot easier to do. Pork braised in milk is another regional classic, a specialty of Bologna. The milk used for braising becomes the sauce, and it’s delicious, but it inevitably curdles—if you just zap the sauce (my version includes fennel too) quickly in the blender or food processor, though, it smooths out, and it’s delicious.
PORK SHOULDER
BRACIOLE
SERVES 6
1½ cups toasted bread crumbs
4 ounces thinly sliced salami, cut into ¼-inch-wide matchsticks
½ cup freshly grated pecorino romano
1 bunch mint, leaves only, finely chopped
½ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
Grated zest of 3 oranges
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
Twelve ½-inch-thick slices boneless pork shoulder (about 2 ½ pounds)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 oranges, cut into wedges
COMBINE THE BREAD CRUMBS, salami, pecorino, mint, parsley, and orange zest in a large bowl and mix well. Add ½ cup of the olive oil and mix well with your hands or a spoon. Set aside.
Cut twenty-four 10-inch-long pieces of kitchen twine. Using a meat mallet, pound the pork pieces very thin. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Spread a thin layer of stuffing (about ⅓ cup) on each slice of meat. Starting from a long side, roll each one up like a jelly roll and tie with 2 pieces of the twine, making a little packet. Place on a plate and refrigerate until ready to cook.
Preheat a gas grill or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
Brush the rolls lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the rolls over medium-high heat and cook, turning occasionally, until deeply marked with grill marks on all sides, about 15 minutes. Turn off one burner if using a gas grill, and move the rolls to the cooler part of the grill; or move them to the cooler perimeter of a charcoal grill. Cover the grill and cook, turning occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 185° to 190°F.
Transfer the rolls to a platter and serve with the orange wedges.
Another variation on braciole, the stuffed rolls of beef, or veal, or pork Italians like so much. The orange wedges provide the sweetness that goes so well with beautiful grilled pork. Buy the best salami you can find for this—such as my dad’s (see www.salumicuredmeats.com).
PORK