Porchette - Italian Style Pork Roast With Fennel

Porchetta - Italian Style 

Pork Roast With Fennel

                                     serves 8 to 10

Trust me, this is the most delicious pork roast you will ever taste.  Absolutely, it is worth the time and effort or ingredients.  According to our instructor, the roast is so prized by the Italian people, they all lay claim to their community being the originator of the recipe.

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Ingredients:

2 1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons black peppercorns

1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper flakes

1 5 1/2 to 6 pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston

   Butt) - excess fat trimmed with thin layer left  

   intact.

8 large garlic cloves minced

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil - additional for

   brushing

1 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chicken stock

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Directions:

Toast fennel seeds in a small skillet  over medium-high heat until darker in color and fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes.  Shaking pan constantly  Crush seeds in a small grinder and cool.  Add kosher salt, peppercorns, and chili pepper flakes.   Grind to medium fine - not powder.

Rub garlic all over pork butt, then rub on the spice mixture.  Place pork in a baking dish loosely covered with waxed paper.  (Never used plastic wrap.)  Refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Oil baking sheet and place roast fat side up, in center of sheet.  Drizzle evenly with olive oil.  Roast pork 30 minutes.  Reduce oven to 300 degrees.  Roast pork until very tender and thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 185 degrees, about 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Transsfer roast to cutting board, let pork rest 30 minutes.  Pour all pan juices into a 2 cup measuring cup , spoon off fat.  Bring chicken stock and wine to a boil, reduce by half.  Add pan juices and whisk to blend, sauce will be thin.  Thinly slice roast, serve with sauce.

Served best as a sandwich, porchetta on bread! 

Tips shared by Mary Ann Vitalle:

Land O'Lakes butter has the least water content.  Plugra butter is second

For long term cooking a yellow or brown skinned onion is best.

San Marzano tomatoes are best NOT San Marzono style tomatoes.  Always buy whole tomatoes not crushed. 

Adding garlic as a whole clove creates a mellow flavor.  Garlic sliced thin adds enhanced garlic flavor.

Kosher salt has less sodium than all other salts.

Fond = the brown bits in the skillet with browning or

frying.

Swanson Chicken Broth is the chef's first choice or the Trader Joe's brand is second.

When using stone fruit in a recipe, treat with regular Sprite, not diet.  It prevents the fruit from turning brown.

Always toast nuts in a dry skillet before adding to a recipe.