Crazy is as Crazy does.

Fact: My boss, Jason, is crazy.

Now don't worry, he's not like, "lock up in a padded room" crazy or "fire your employee for calling you crazy" crazy. He's just not quite like most people I know. Most people don't wrestle with pig legs in their basement to make homemade prosciutto, and most people don't smoke their own sausage, and they certainly don't confit their own duck legs. But, like I said, Jason is not like most people.

He, on the regular, shoves his iphone under my nose to show me magical meaty creations he's recently crafted. On occasion he brings in actual food for me, yum homemade pate. He always has these ultra fabulous and labor intensive food projects. Things that look like they should be pictured on the cover of Bon Appetit or Saveur.

Now I cook, a lot, like daily. And I like to cook things that several of my friends have classified as "fancy pants" or "what someone with no children can make" and I'm still stunned by what he's making. So I thought I would show you two recipes to illustrate the differences in our cooking styles. One is a recipe for Porchetta, something Jason makes like every 3rd Tuesday with the greatest of ease. The other recipe is a "porchetta style" pork dish, which is a touch easier for the average home cook, or for those of us who think we're more than average but then get brought back down to earth with the flash of an iphone.




Porchetta: (recipe below from Epicurious.com, though Jason likes Rick Gencarelli's of Lardo)
Serves about 12 normal people

1 5–6-pound piece fresh pork belly, skin on
1 (trimmed) 2–3-pound boneless, center-cut pork loin
3 tablespoons fennel seeds
2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced fresh sage
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
3 garlic cloves, minced
Kosher salt
1/2 orange, seeded, thinly sliced

Put belly skin side down; arrange loin in center. Roll belly around loin so the short ends of the belly meet. If any of the belly or loin overhangs, trim meat. Unroll; set loin aside.
Toast fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tip spices into a bowl; let cool. Finely grind spices in a spice mill and transfer to a small bowl, along with the sage, rosemary, and garlic; set fennel mixture aside.
Assemble porchetta according to steps 1-5.
Refrigerate roast, uncovered, for 1–2 days to allow skin to air-dry; pat occasionally with paper towels.
Let porchetta sit at room temperature for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 500°F. Season porchetta with salt. Roast on rack in baking sheet, turning once, for 40 minutes. Reduce heat to 300°F and continue roasting, rotating the pan and turning porchetta occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 145°F, 1 1/2–2 hours more. If skin is not yet deep brown and crisp, increase heat to 500°F and roast for 10 minutes more. Let rest for 30 minutes. Using a serrated knife, slice into 1/2" rounds.

To assemble:
1. Set belly skin side down. Using a knife, score the belly flesh in a checkerboard pattern 1/3" deep so roast will cook evenly.
2. Flip belly skin side up. Using a paring knife, poke dozens of 1/8"-deep holes through skin all over belly. Don't be gentle! Keep poking.
3. Using the jagged edge of a meat mallet, pound skin all over for 3 minutes to tenderize, which will help make skin crispy when roasted.
4. Turn belly and generously salt both it and loin; rub both with fennel mixture. Arrange loin down middle of belly. Top with orange slices.
5. Roll belly around loin; tie crosswise with kitchen twine at 1/2" intervals. Trim twine. Transfer roast to a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet.



"Porchetta Style" Pork Shoulder:
Serves 6

1/4 cup ground fennel seeds
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 1/2 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
One 6-7 pound, bone-in pork shoulder, skin removed and thick layer of fat scored
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup dry white wine

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a small bowl, mix the fennel, salt and pepper. Coat the pork all over with the spice mixture and set it in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Pour the olive oil around the pork. Roll the potatoes in the oil to coat and arrange them cut sides down. Roast until the pork is very tender and the potatoes are browned on the bottom, about 3 hours.
2. Transfer the roasted potatoes to an ovenproof serving bowl. Pour the white wine into the pan around the pork and continue to roast the pork for 1 hour longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 185°.
3. Let the pork rest for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, reheat the potatoes in the oven. Carve the pork into thick slices and serve on a platter with the potatoes.


Both of these recipes make for an elegant and impressive dinner. Added bonus, any leftovers are brilliant sandwiched between quality bread with a slathering of aioli!



As usual I have a wine in mind to pair alongside your Porchetta or porchetta-like meal. The Terre de Trinci Trinci Rosso from Umbria. This wine exudes very clean, fruity aromas of red cherry. The palate is nicely balanced with a fruity mouth matched by dry tannins and fresh acidity. Flavors are of red cherry, red plum, and bits of tobacco. It got enough body to match the richness of pork but not so heavy as to mar the porky flavor that you certainly want to enjoy. And as Porchetta is a traditional Umbrian dish, this makes it an ideal match.

I do fully intend to attempt the more laborious Porchetta recipe myself, from all I've heard, it's worth every ounce of effort. Plus I have to show Jason that I'm just as crazy as he is, or at least a close second.

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