Italian Pork Roast with Fennel, Garlic & Rosemary
Pair with Archery Summit Estate Pinot Noir
Serves 6
The pork is brined for 24 hours before roasting to make it especially juicy and flavorful. Have your butcher crack the pork bones so you can slice the roast into chops after cooking. Serve with mashed potatoes.
3 pounds bone-in pork loin, bones cracked
Brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
8 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
Two 6-inch sprigs fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon coarsely cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon coarsely crushed fennel seed (crush in a mortar or spice grinder, or with a rolling pin)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup chicken broth
Make brine:
Bring water to a boil, then add salt, sugar, garlic, rosemary and pepper, stirring until salt dissolves. Let mixture cool completely, then add pork. (If you put the pork in warm brine, the meat will be too salty.) Weight with a plate to keep it submerged, then refrigerate for 24 hours.
Remove meat from brine and pat dry. Preheat oven to 425°F.
In a bowl, combine olive oil, fennel and rosemary. Rub all over the roast. Season lightly with salt and generously with pepper. Roast in a roasting pan for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F and continue cooking until internal temperature reaches 145°F, about 1 hour more. Set roast aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
Pour off fat in roasting pan. Add chicken broth and ½ cup water to pan and set pan over moderate heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any flavorful bits stuck to the pan. Strain pan juices through a sieve into a saucepan and reduce over high heat for a minute or two to concentrate sauce slightly.
Cut pork between the bones into chops and transfer to dinner plates. Spoon a little sauce over each chop.
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