THE OTHER WHITE MEAT:

SLOW-ROASTED PORCETTA (Adapted from "The Italian Country Table: Home Cooking from Italy?s Farmhouse Kitchens" by Lynne Rossetto Kasper)

Serves 6 to 8

In the Umbria region of Central Italy, spring haying parties always meant porcetta -- a whole young pig complete with crackling, seasoned with wild fennel and garlic, roasted over a wood fire. Today, find porcetta at stands at fairs all over Italy, serving up slices of roasted meat stuffed into crusty rolls -- not a bad idea for any leftovers from this roast.

Since whole pigs or small loins of pork with crackling are hard to come by, use the shoulder or butt roast, which has no crackling, but the succulence from its generous marbling makes a huge difference in this recipe. If you live in California, you might even find wild fennel growing nearby. If not, a blend of fennel seed, fresh fennel, and orange zest comes surprisingly close. Don't wait for the haying -- make this for Sunday dinner.

3- to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder or butt roast
1/2 teaspoon whole fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon dry rosemary
Zest from 1 small orange
1/3 cup finely minced fresh fennel bulb
1/8 teaspoon EACH salt and freshly ground pepper, plus additional for sprinkling on the roast
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup dry white wine

1. If possible, season the meat a day ahead. Put the fennel seeds and rosemary in a mortar or small bowl. To eek every bit of flavor from the orange zest, use a zester to shred it over the other seasonings. This captures its aromatic oils.

Pound everything into a coarse mixture, blending in the fresh fennel, 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper, garlic, white wine, and olive oil. Cut deep slits in the pork, stuff with the mixture, and rub a tablespoon or so of it over the meat's surface.

With cotton string, tie the roast into a compact cylinder at 1-1/2-inch intervals. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lightly cover and refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Set the roast in a 9 x 13-inch shallow pan. Roast 20 minutes, then pour the wine over the meat. Roast 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes more, basting with the pan juices. Add a little water if the juices threaten to burn. The meat's internal temperature should be between 130 degrees F and 140 degrees F.

3. Turn the oven up to 500 degrees F and roast another 15 minutes, or until the meat's internal temperature reaches 150 degrees F. Let the roast rest for 10 minutes at room temperature. Serve on a heated platter, carved into thin slices and moistened with the pan juices.

Pardon me, while I mop up drool. Posted by Orrin Judd at December 31, 2002 6:29 PM