Thursday, June 25, 2009

Arista - Tuscan Herbed Roasted Pork







From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...
A few weeks ago I was notified that my blog had been randomly selected as the winner of a Foodie Blogroll giveaway and that I would receive an autographed copy of Judy Francini's new book, Secrets from My Tuscan Kitchen. When the book arrived I spent an evening paging through it and selecting recipes I wanted to try. Arista - today's recipe - is a Tuscan pork roast similar to the Tuscan Pork Loin, already on my blog. I wanted to compare it to my own. A glance through the ingredient list left no doubt that the pork would be flavorful. A glance at the directions raised a concern. I thought the specified roasting time would produce a dry roast. I was right on both counts. The roast is wonderfully flavorful. It's stuffed with a mixture of garlic and rosemary and basted with wine and olive oil as it cooks. The recipe calls for an hour and forty minutes of roasting. That's way too long for our taste. I pulled the roast from the oven when my meat thermometer read 140 degrees F. At that point the roast had been in the oven for a bit over 60 minutes. I tented it with foil and let it sit for another 15 minutes before slicing it. It was wonderful. There is one other change I'll make the next time I prepare this. The roast is cut, book fashion, almost in half to create a bed for the herb rub. In the future, I cut the roast into thirds to create a larger surface for the herbs. I used a dry French vermouth and a good olive oil for basting the roast. I served it with Parmesan mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus. If you like well flavored foods, I urge you to give this recipe a try. It's easy to do and inexpensive in the great scheme of things. Manga!

Arista - Tuscan Pork Roast...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:

2-1/2 pounds boneless pork roast
3 whole cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
1 large branch fresh rosemary, about 1/2 cup
Kosher or sea salt
Fresh ground black pepper
Optional: sage, fennel seeds
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup white wine

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2) Remove rosemary leaves from branch an put on a cutting board. Top with garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper. If you are using sage and fennel seeds they should be added now. Chop finely.
3) With a sharp knife, cut pork in almost in half lengthwise. Rub inside of roast with herb mixture. Close and tie with string. Rub outside of roast with any remaining herbs.
4) Place in oven for 10 minutes. Baste with wine and olive oil. Lower heat to 375 degrees F. Cook for 1-1/2 hours, basting frequently. Tent with foil and let sit for 15 minutes before slicing. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

41 comments :

Ning said...

Oh wow! This must be deliciously fragrant and juicy!

My Little Space said...

That looks really tasty ! It's a wonderful main course to be served on table.

Bits said...

OMG! This is superb! So tender and juicy... hope I can have some now.

recipes2share said...

This is beautiful- so straightforward too. It reminds me of a recent dinner with some dear Italian friends...

Katy ~ said...

Oh, does this look divine! Beautiful presentation. Looks elegant.

Peter M said...

It's a simple enough pork dish but everything's done right...especially your stringing-up of the pork!

Martha said...

I'll put this on my list of "to tries"

Looks really good.

Anonymous said...

Bonjour Mary,
It is a happiness to scroll down your blog. Your nice pics make me salivate. Thank you for stopping by my blog and for your comments. See you another time :o)

Donna-FFW said...

Looks so moist and I love the rub flavors. And pretty simple to make, to boot. Perfect Mary!

Haden News said...

Oh this looks so good! I can't wait to try it!

Kim said...

Thanks for sharing the wonderful recipe. I am going to try this one. I just have to tell you, the pictures of your grandsons on your side bar are just precious! Have a great day!

pigpigscorner said...

Looks so delicious! I like how you sandwiched the herbs!

Culinary Wannabe said...

Looks like the perfect thing for a big sunday dinner. I'm glad you pointed out that pulling it out a bit earlier than specified worked well for you - there is nothing worst than overcooked, rubbery pork!

Maria said...

I love all of those herbs!

Thistlemoon said...

So glad to see that you are enjoying your book! That pork lookes awesome!

theUngourmet said...

Giveaways sure are fun! Your roast looks wonderful. I can imagine the flavor is fabulous. I do think your idea of cutting the roast into thirds would be a better one. I've never done a pork roast, I will have to try this one. Do you think I could cook this on my grill? If so, how would you recommend doing it?

RobinfromCA said...

Oh, that looks delicious and the rosemary must make your kitchen smell like heaven!

Robin@Miscellaneous Thoughts

The Blonde Duck said...

It looks superb.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Kim, this can be spit roasted on a grill but you'll have to use your grill manufacturers recommendations or a BBQ manual for the length of time it needs to spin.

Lori said...

It's a beautiful thing Mary. Or should I say Bellisima!! What a nice thing to make for guests!

NKP said...

Congratulations for winning a FB prize, so nice! Beautiful looking roast, so professional looking!

Deb in Hawaii said...

It looks wonderful, I love all the ingredients and it makes such an elegant presentation too.

Trish said...

Congrats on the 'win' and oh how wonderful to sit and browse a cookbook. What a great presentation on your blog today. Yum....thanks for sharing

Anonymous said...

Man, I love pork SOOOO much lately. This looks incredible. Must try. Your blog is so good.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Rebekka, thank you so much. I hope you'll join us on a daily basis. There's almost always something going on.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Laura, to the best of my knowledge, yes. There were two other people but they don't seem to be having problems now.

Selba said...

I haven't seen a wonderful roasted pork like this Tuscan herbed one for a long time! I wish I could have a plate of it with mashed potato :)

MyKitchenInHalfCups said...

That is beautiful Mary. Very interesting technique. I'm ready to try it soon; seems perfect for a summer time meal and leftovers too.

Diary From Africa said...

Mary, I'd LOVE to sit & your table one day & enjoy one of the wonderful meals which you prepare - this especially looks amazingly delicious ! Thanks so much for all the comments on my blog during my past month or so of trials and tribulations in South Africa, I appreciate them all & your support of my blog, too :) Have a wonderful weekend ....

Heather S-G said...

How great to win that cookbook! This looks absolutely amazing...and gorgeous, as always! Now, how far do we live from each other.....

a quiet life said...

i love these flavor combos, i also stuff mine in a baguette to cook, my most favorite food on the planet... well unless i see chocolate!

lk (healthy delicious) said...

this looks so moist and delicious! i love hoe the spices go inside rather than outside too.

Congrats on the "win" You can never have too many cookbooks. :)

SallyBR said...

I will have to make this dish soon, your post induce serious mouthwatering syndrome! :-)

test it comm said...

That pork roast looks perfectly browned and tasty!

Geli said...

Oh no! I must not keep on looking through your blog ... I get hungry!!

I need to share this with my daughter, she loves her pork, so she and her boyfriend can tinker with your wonderful recipe.

Chef Fresco said...

Looks so delicious! Nice photos too :)

Cathy said...

This roasted pork looks delicious, Mary. Thanks for the cooking tips. I finally managed to log onto your site so will do a little catching up on the comments. I've gotta get my damn computer in for repairs. Grrrr.

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Hi Mary,
questo è un cibo, che in casa mia preparo quasi tutte le domeniche !
Buonissimo.
Ciao Myriam :))

Big Dude said...

This goes on the try soon list.

Jackie said...

Hi Mary

how much sage and fennel seeds to use in this recipe, also, is that fresh sage or dried sage.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Jackie, the amount is generally to taste, but I've had great luck using a teaspoon of each. Do use the dried variety and if time permits lightly crush the fennel seeds.

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