Name: Porchetta-Style Pork Roast with Fennel and Herbs
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 160 min
Total time: 910 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1.5 kg boneless pork shoulder, skin removed (trim off excess fat); 1 tbsp fennel seeds; 2 tsp coarse salt; 1 tsp black peppercorns; 0.5 tsp chilli flakes; 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 2 tbsp rosemary needles, finely chopped; 1 tbsp thyme leaves, finely chopped; 1 unwaxed lemon (zest only); 1 tbsp olive oil (plus a little for the tray); 120 ml dry white wine; 70 ml chicken stock

Preparation

Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, until fragrant and darker. Leave to cool and coarsely crush in a mortar with the salt, peppercorns and chilli flakes.
Finely chop the garlic, rosemary and thyme, mix with the lemon zest, rub all over the meat and then press the spice mix on firmly.
Cover the roast loosely in a dish and chill for 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 230 °C, brush a tray with olive oil, place the meat on it fat side up, drizzle with the olive oil and roast for 30 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 150 °C and keep roasting until the meat is very tender and a meat thermometer in the thickest part reads 88 °C; for this smaller joint about 2 to 2.5 hours, but the core temperature is what counts.
Put the roast on a board and rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Pour the juices from the tray into a jug and skim off the fat.
Place the tray across two hobs, pour in the white wine and stock, bring to the boil and, stirring to loosen the browned bits, reduce by a good half over about 4 minutes. Stir in the skimmed juices; the sauce stays thin.
Slice the roast thinly across the grain and serve with the sauce.

Drink with it

White wine · excellent match
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi or Frascati, well chilled
In central Italy the usual glass with porchetta: acidity and a light bitter almond note cut the pork fat, and the herbal spice meets fennel and rosemary.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Red wine · excellent match
Young Sangiovese or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Cherry fruit and acidity keep the fatty meat fresh, and moderate tannins stand up to the roasted crust and garlic.
Pale lager · good match
Helles or pilsner, ice cold
Carbonation and fine bitterness cut through the pork fat and let the spices come through clearly.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
London dry gin · good match
London Dry gin as a gin and tonic over plenty of ice, with a lemon twist
Fennel seed, rosemary and citrus peel are echoed in the gin's botanicals, and carbonation and tonic break up the fat.
London Dry Gin: does it have to come from London?

Preparation

Toast the fennel seeds in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes, until fragrant and darker. Leave to cool and coarsely crush in a mortar with the salt, peppercorns and chilli flakes.
Finely chop the garlic, rosemary and thyme, mix with the lemon zest, rub all over the meat and then press the spice mix on firmly.
Cover the roast loosely in a dish and chill for 12 hours.
Preheat the oven to 230 °C, brush a tray with olive oil, place the meat on it fat side up, drizzle with the olive oil and roast for 30 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 150 °C and keep roasting until the meat is very tender and a meat thermometer in the thickest part reads 88 °C; for this smaller joint about 2 to 2.5 hours, but the core temperature is what counts.
Put the roast on a board and rest for 15 to 30 minutes. Pour the juices from the tray into a jug and skim off the fat.
Place the tray across two hobs, pour in the white wine and stock, bring to the boil and, stirring to loosen the browned bits, reduce by a good half over about 4 minutes. Stir in the skimmed juices; the sauce stays thin.
Slice the roast thinly across the grain and serve with the sauce.

Drink with it

White wine · excellent match
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi or Frascati, well chilled
In central Italy the usual glass with porchetta: acidity and a light bitter almond note cut the pork fat, and the herbal spice meets fennel and rosemary.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Red wine · excellent match
Young Sangiovese or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Cherry fruit and acidity keep the fatty meat fresh, and moderate tannins stand up to the roasted crust and garlic.
Pale lager · good match
Helles or pilsner, ice cold
Carbonation and fine bitterness cut through the pork fat and let the spices come through clearly.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?
London dry gin · good match
London Dry gin as a gin and tonic over plenty of ice, with a lemon twist
Fennel seed, rosemary and citrus peel are echoed in the gin's botanicals, and carbonation and tonic break up the fat.
London Dry Gin: does it have to come from London?

Porchetta-Style Pork Roast with Fennel and Herbs

Preparation

Drink with it

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi or Frascati, well chilled

Young Sangiovese or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Helles or pilsner, ice cold

London Dry gin as a gin and tonic over plenty of ice, with a lemon twist

This pairs well too.

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Fillet with Mushroom Sauce and Spätzle

Chicken Marsala

Poulet Rôti with Herbs and Potatoes (French roast chicken)

Rabbit in mustard and white wine sauce

Porchetta-Style Pork Roast with Fennel and Herbs

Preparation

Drink with it

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi or Frascati, well chilled

Young Sangiovese or Montepulciano d'Abruzzo

Helles or pilsner, ice cold

London Dry gin as a gin and tonic over plenty of ice, with a lemon twist

This pairs well too.

Bacon-Wrapped Pork Fillet with Mushroom Sauce and Spätzle

Chicken Marsala

Poulet Rôti with Herbs and Potatoes (French roast chicken)

Rabbit in mustard and white wine sauce