Arista di Maiale con Pomodori e Finocchio, a flavorful recipe from Tuscany. Fennel, which grows wild in the Tuscan hills, imparts a light and refreshing flavor that seeps into the roast while cooking. Green Beans and Potatoes (Fagiolini con Patate) are a great side dish to the roast pork.
Yield: 4 servings
Time: 75 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 rosemary twigs, finely chopped
- 3 thyme twigs, finely chopped
- 3 oregano twigs, finely chopped
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 garlic clove, peeled
- juice and zest of 1 untreated lemon
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs (900 g) boneless pork roast, trimmed of excess fat and crisscrossed on top
- 1 cup (200 g) tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- 1 medium-size onion, about 1 cup (140 g), coarsely chopped
- 2 large fennel bulbs, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (240 ml) dry white wine
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
Preparation:
Chop rosemary, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves finely in a food mill. In a bowl, mix herbs, juice, and zest of the lemon together with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Make a rough paste out of it and set it aside.
Place pork roast on a cutting board and rub it all over with the herb mix. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat and brown pork roast on all sides. Transfer pork to a roasting pan, cover with aluminum foil and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375°F/190°C.
Add onion and chopped fennel to the saucepan and sauté until they start to soften about 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook it for 2 minutes longer over high heat. Lower heat and add chopped tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Continue cooking for about 5-8 minutes, or until tomatoes start falling apart.
Pour tomato fennel sauce around the pork roast and sprinkle it with fennel seeds. Taste for salt and pepper again. If the sauce seems too thick add a bit of water to it. Roast for about 45 minutes, basting it with the sauce once in a while.
Remove roast from oven and let rest for about 10-15 minutes. Slice meat and serve with the fennel tomato sauce.
