Tender, succulent, easy, savory, inexpensive...what else?

On our recent visit to Italy I couldn’t help noticing how often pork was on the menu. Italians have really championed pork, and since coming home I’ve found myself craving a really good…arista? Or excuse me, is that an arrosto? And should I braise, or do I roast? I tried to clear this up in Lucca with our cooking-teacher-for-the-day, Sonia, but she avoided my question. And then I got sidetracked by cinghiale, another pork-related meat. Cinghiale is wild boar, and the preparations of it are just as spectacular.

Now that I’m free of the distractions of prosciutto, Aperol spritzes, wild boar salame and truffles, I have compiled the answers I got in Italy with a little research stateside and  have teased out the difference between arista and arrosto. Arista is two things at once: it is the Tuscan name for pork roast, particularly a style roasted with hot milk, and also the loin cut for roast pork, which has the ribs attached. Arrosto is more generically Italian for roasted meat. Arrosto di maiale is roast pork loin, while arista is roast pork, with the rib attached. Still, this didn’t solve my braise/roast question.

My research led me to my favorite Italian cookbook, a recent translation of the Italian tome, The Silver Spoon. This is the cookbook every bride gets a copy of, and occupies the same to-hand spot as that of the Joy of Cooking (or in my case The Fannie Farmer Cookbook) in the American kitchen. First published in 1950, it had never been fully translated into English, but in 2005 all 2,000+ recipes were not only translated but adapted for the American kitchen. Needless to say, I recommend it!

Weighty, with some slightly kooky translations, but well worth it as a basic Italian cookbook for just about everything

I’ve concluded that braising and roasting, though fundamentally different, come close together in this preparation of pork. The pork loin is thoroughly browned, and then cooked in its own juices — with a cover over it. Covering the roast takes it a side-step away from a straightforward roast, but it really isn’t moist-cooked, either. That will explain why my title for this recipe is:

Roasted & Braised Pork Loin with Rosemary and Mustard Jus | 6 servings

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pound pork loin roast, boneless
3 5-inch fresh rosemary sprigs
2 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, minced
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Break 2 of the rosemary sprigs into smaller pieces. Chop the leaves of the other rosemary sprig and set aside until needed. Tie up the pork roast, catching up the small sprigs in the string. You can also have the butcher tie the roast, and then tuck the rosemary under the string.

This was an organic roast from Whole Foods and still reasonable compared to beef

Cut 5 or six strings, depending on the length of the roast, and tie knots at 1-inch intervals -- triple the first loop before knotting it to get a good grab, and the string will hold tightly

Trim the string to about 1/2 inch

Easy enough to do at home

Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot and brown the pork on all sides until deeply colored, about 15 minutes.

Take the time to get it nicely browned on all sides

The deep color adds a caramel flavor to the cooking juices

Remove the pork to a plate and set aside until needed. Add the minced onion, garlic and chopped rosemary to the pot and wilt the onions for 3 minutes.

Mince the onions finer if you want less of an onion texture in the final sauce

Rosemary pairs so well with pork

Add the white wine and cook it down until mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.

Evaporate some of the wine before adding the pork back to avoid "boiling" the meat

The wine becomes flavor rather than liquid

Return the pork to the pan, cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, turning the roast from time to time while it cooks.

When the pork is done, remove it from the pot to a plate and cover loosely with foil to “rest.” Stir in the white wine vinegar and mustard and reduce the cooking juices another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve this delicious jus with the pork.

Cooking juices, or "jus," can be reduced, which heightens the flavor and thickens the texture, and makes just about the best sauce this pork can ask for

I forgot to say — this pork is even better the next day.

(I’ll alert The Husband, and he can make himself an SLL, or “Sad Little Lunch” out of it!)

Kelly McCune © 2010

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.

Grilled pork tenderloin, shown here with manaesh from my local Middle Eastern market -- it's a flat bread with zaatar (thyme, sesame, olive oil, salt) on top

Time to fire up the grill for the season. The charcoal one, that is. I use my gas grill all year round, but the charcoal grill gets a spring cleaning and makes its appearance right about now. I think it’s a daylight savings time issue — I don’t like to grill in the dark. I’d fixed up the grill, I had a lovely pork tenderloin in the fridge, and now all I needed was charcoal for my little Weber.

I headed out for some mesquite charcoal, which I buy at one of my neighborhood Middle Eastern markets. I am lucky to live so close to several of these small, family-owned markets. Well, it started with the charcoal, but then I saw freshly baked manaesh, and thought the salty thyme and sesame bread would go well with pork. That led to a trip to the deli counter, where I bought Greek feta (stuff the tenderloin, yes!) and fresh yogurt for a sauce of some sort. I decide the yogurt needed a kick, so I located the harissa — a solidly spicy chili paste from North Africa — and nearby were some lovely sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (of course, more for the stuffing!). I felt like I was in an episode of Top Chef, creating my menu as I trolled the aisles. Next to last I grabbed a bunch of fresh cilantro for the sauce. I got in trouble at the check-out, because there was a roasted nut mix, and I had to have that, too. To go with what? A beer, I guess.

Feta and Sun-dried Tomato Stuffed Pork Tenderloin | 3 servings

Pork tenderloins range in size from about 3/4 to a little over 1 pound. Typically one will serve three people, maybe even with a little bit left over. To serve any more than three people you’ll need more tenderloin. This is easy to put together while the grill is firing up.

1 pork tenderloin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces feta cheese
4 to 5 sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
Dried thyme
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon juice, about 1/4 lemon
1 teaspoon harissa, or to taste
Small pinch sugar
Small pinch salt
10 to 12 sprigs cilantro, leaves chopped, about 1 heaping tablespoon

Light a charcoal grill.

This tenderloin was exactly 1 pound, and it served three with one or two slices left over

Lay the tenderloin on a cutting board. With a small, sharp knife, cut a deep pocket into the rough side (rather than the rounded side) of the tenderloin. Take care not to cut all the way through the meat.

Start at the narrow end, working back toward the thick end

Sprinkle the inside of the tenderloin with salt and pepper.

It's almost like butterflying the tenderloin

Arrange thin slices of feta and whole sun-dried tomatoes inside the pocket. Sprinkle with dried thyme.

Arrange them close together so that every slice contains some "stuffing"

Fold the flap back over the top and secure with toothpicks.

I used three toothpicks -- they will be removed before you serve the tenderloin

Drizzle some of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes over the tenderloin and sprinkle both sides with salt, pepper and dried thyme.

There is a nice tomato-y flavor to the oil

Contrary to earlier assumptions, salting the meat before grilling does not dry it out -- what's important is to rest the meat after cooking, covered and for a good 5 minutes

On a preheated grill, cook the tenderloin 7 to 10 minutes per side, until a meat thermometer reaches 140°F.

Over mesquite charcoal, which gets hotter than briquets, the pork cooks quickly -- mine took only 7 minutes per side

Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In a bowl, mix together the yogurt, lemon juice, harissa, sugar, salt and cilantro. Set aside until needed.

Taste as you go to determine how much harissa is enough

Cover the meat loosely with foil and allow it to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the toothpicks and slice into 3/4-inch rounds. Serve with a dollop of sauce and have the extra sauce on the table.

And since it’s light outside, have that beer and those nuts. Hey, nuts are good for you!

Kelly McCune © 2010

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.