Porchetta With Roasted Fingerlings Recipes

CRISPY ROASTED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Score the skin of the pork belly with an extremely sharp knife or a razor blade (or ask your butcher to do it). Poke the flesh side all over with the tip of a paring knife.
• Put the fennel seeds and peppercorns in a small dry skillet; toast over medium heat until very fragrant and a few shades darker, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool, then grind in a spice grinder. Mix the ground spices with the red pepper flakes, sage, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, orange zest, garlic and 2 tablespoons salt. Rub the mixture into the flesh side of the pork belly.
• Roll the belly up as tightly as possible and secure it with kitchen twine at 1-inch intervals. Rub the outside with the baking powder and 1 tablespoon salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 1 to 2 days.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Set the rolled pork belly in a large roasting pan and roast until the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 hours. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees F and roast until the skin is golden brown and crisp all over, about 20 minutes more. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

PORCHETTA PORK ROAST

Steps:

• Score skin and fat all over pork, taking care not to cut down to the meat.
• In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine fennel fronds, rosemary, sage, garlic, lemon zest, salt, fennel seed, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Pour in oil. Pulse or mash until it forms a paste. Rub all over pork. If using a boneless roast, tie with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.
• Remove pork from refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before you want to cook it. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and roast 35 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and cook an additional 2 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 180 degrees, which will give you sliceable, tender meat. (Bone-in roasts will take longer than boneless ones.)
• Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Make sure everyone gets some of the cracklings.

PORCHETTA (AUTHENTIC ITALIAN PORK ROAST)

Steps:

• Open the piece of pork onto the butcher paper or clean countertop, skin side down.
• Sprinkle generously with the salt, then work the salt into the pork.
• Next, add the rosemary. We used fresh rosemary as I have a bush in my garden. Rub it and crush it between your fingers to release the oils.Add the freshly ground black pepper all over the porchetta. Now add the fennel pollen. Sprinkle evenly over the pork, but save a little of the pollen for after the porchetta has been rolled.
• Roll it tightly, but as you roll it, sprinkly some salt onto the unseasoned pork. Continue rolling until you reach the end.
• Keeping the seam side down, start tying the pork. Another pair of hands will make this part immensely easier. There's no need for fancy ties or sailors' knots, just wrap, double knot and cut.
• Repeat every few inches. The goal is only to keep the porchetta closed, so don't tie it too tightly, either. As you can see, ours is far from perfect, but unless you're serving the Queen of England, it won't matter.
• Turn the roast seam side up and add more seasonings, including the rest of the fennel pollen to the non-skin parts of the pork which are exposed (including the ends).
• Place seam side down on a rack on a roasting pan or baking tray. Cover the ends with aluminum foil and secure with toothpicks.
• Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the skin with your hands. Sprinkle with more salt and rosemary.
• Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
• Place in the hot oven when it comes to temperature and roast for 1 hour, then lower the temperature to 350°F (170°C) and continue to cook for about another 2 hours. Check the center of the roast when it reaches 170°F (76°C) remove from the oven. Take the foil off the ends and place on top of the porchetta, and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, remove one or two of the pieces of twine. Cut into slices and serve on crusty Italian rolls, or bread, Italian style!

ROASTED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Using a sharp knife, slice open the butt, following the fat cap, until you are able to roll it flat.
• Make a paste with the olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs, fennel seeds and zest. Take half of the salt and sprinkle the exposed inside of the butt. Do the same with half of the black pepper. Pour the herb paste onto the butt. Spread evenly into the meat. Roll the meat up back onto itself creating a large pinwheel of pork and herbs. Secure the roast together using butchers twine. Sprinkle the outside of the roast with the remaining salt and pepper. Place the butt onto a roasting rack inside of a roasting pan.
• Place the butt into the oven and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the inside is 140 degrees F. Let cool and slice.

PORCHETTA-STYLE ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees with rack in center. In a food processor, combine garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, lemon zest, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3 tablespoons oil; pulse to a paste. Pat pork dry. On a rimmed baking sheet, rub pork all over with garlic mixture and wrap with pancetta, overlapping slightly; secure with twine at 2-inch intervals.
• Toss potatoes, onion, and lemon slices with remaining 3 tablespoons oil. Season with salt and pepper; scatter around pork. Drizzle with 1/3 cup water; roast, basting with juices, until pancetta is crisp and a thermometer inserted in thickest part of meat registers 138 degrees, 40 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; tent with foil.
• Return sheet to oven and continue to roast vegetables, tossing once, 10 minutes more. Remove strings from pork and slice. Serve, alongside vegetables, and drizzled with pan juices.

ROASTED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Make the brine. Fill a large pot with 1 gallon water. Add the garlic, fennel seeds, juniper berries, peppercorns and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, whisk in the salt and brown sugar and let cool to room temperature.
• Brine the pork. Put the pork belly in a large roasting pan and pour the brine over it. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours.
• Make the rub. Toast the fennel seeds, juniper berries and peppercorns in a medium skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Pulse a few times in a spice grinder until coarsely ground. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the nutmeg, thyme and garlic.
• Spice the pork. Remove the pork belly from the brine and pat it dry. Spread the rub on the flesh side of the pork belly, using just what adheres; you may have some rub left over. Put the pork belly skin-side up on a large rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate, uncovered, 24 hours to dry it out.
• Roll the pork. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. (If you have a convection setting, use it; preheat to 450 degrees F.) Flip the pork belly so it's skin-side down. Starting at a long side, roll into a cylinder.
• Secure the roll with kitchen string: Tie separate pieces of string around the roll, about 3/4 inch apart.
• Prick the pork all over with a skewer; this helps render the fat so the skin gets crisp.
• Roast the pork. Put the pork belly on a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet. Tuck 4 upside-down spoons around the pork to keep it from rolling around. Roast 30 minutes, using a baster to baste the pork with the drippings and rotating the pan every 10 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 350 degrees F (325 degrees F for convection) and continue roasting, rotating the pan every 15 minutes, until the pork registers 155 degrees F on a thermometer, about 1 1/2 more hours.
• Slice the pork. Let the pork rest 30 to 40 minutes, then cut off the string and slice about 3/4 inch thick.

ROASTED FINGERLINGS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, toss the potatoes with the garlic, rosemary and oil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Spread the potatoes out in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast until golden and cooked through, turning occasionally, about 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

PORCHETTA-STYLE ROAST PORK

Steps:

• Stir fennel seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until slightly darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer seeds to spice mill and cool. Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and dried crushed red pepper. Grind to medium-fine consistency (not powder).
• Place pork in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Rub garlic all over pork, then coat with spice mixture. Loosely cover pork with waxed paper. Refrigerate overnight.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with oil. Place roast, fat side up and coating intact, in center of sheet. Drizzle evenly with 2 tablespoons 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. Transfer pork to cutting board; reserve baking sheet. Let pork rest 15 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, pour all pan juices into 2-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat that rises to top. Place reserved baking sheet across 2 burners. Pour wine and broth onto baking sheet and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Boil until wine mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add degreased pan juices and whisk to blend. Pour pan sauce into small bowl (sauce will be thin).
• Thinly slice roast. Serve with sauce.

PORCHETTA WITH ROASTED POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and position rack in the lowest position.
• Toast fennel seeds in a small skillet over high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer to cutting board along with garlic, fennel fronds, salt, and pepper and finely chop together. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and stir in oil.
• Lay pork belly on cutting board, skin side down. Holding a large sharp knife parallel to the cutting board, split the belly in half, being careful not to cut all the way through the opposite end. Open the split belly like a book and spread fennel-garlic mixture all over. Place pork loin at the end of the skinless side of the belly, and tightly roll the belly around the loin, forming a roast. The skin should almost wrap the roast completely. Using butchers' string, tightly tie the roast at 1-inch intervals.
• Transfer the porchetta to a large roasting pan and roast for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pan from the oven and add the potatoes and rosemary. Season with salt and toss the potatoes in the pan juices to coat. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of roast registers 165°F and potatoes are tender, about 2 hours more.
• Let the porcetta rest for 20 minutes before slicing.