Porchetta With Bacon Food

PORCHETTA (AUTHENTIC ITALIAN PORK ROAST)

Steps:

• Open the piece of pork onto the butcher paper or clean countertop, skin side down.
• Sprinkle generously with the salt, then work the salt into the pork.
• Next, add the rosemary. We used fresh rosemary as I have a bush in my garden. Rub it and crush it between your fingers to release the oils.Add the freshly ground black pepper all over the porchetta. Now add the fennel pollen. Sprinkle evenly over the pork, but save a little of the pollen for after the porchetta has been rolled.
• Roll it tightly, but as you roll it, sprinkly some salt onto the unseasoned pork. Continue rolling until you reach the end.
• Keeping the seam side down, start tying the pork. Another pair of hands will make this part immensely easier. There's no need for fancy ties or sailors' knots, just wrap, double knot and cut.
• Repeat every few inches. The goal is only to keep the porchetta closed, so don't tie it too tightly, either. As you can see, ours is far from perfect, but unless you're serving the Queen of England, it won't matter.
• Turn the roast seam side up and add more seasonings, including the rest of the fennel pollen to the non-skin parts of the pork which are exposed (including the ends).
• Place seam side down on a rack on a roasting pan or baking tray. Cover the ends with aluminum foil and secure with toothpicks.
• Drizzle with olive oil and rub all over the skin with your hands. Sprinkle with more salt and rosemary.
• Preheat the oven to 400˚F (200˚C).
• Place in the hot oven when it comes to temperature and roast for 1 hour, then lower the temperature to 350°F (170°C) and continue to cook for about another 2 hours. Check the center of the roast when it reaches 170°F (76°C) remove from the oven. Take the foil off the ends and place on top of the porchetta, and allow to rest for about 10 minutes.
• Using a sharp knife, remove one or two of the pieces of twine. Cut into slices and serve on crusty Italian rolls, or bread, Italian style!

CHEF JOHN'S BABY PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Crush fennel seeds in mortar with a pestle for 1 minute. Add garlic, sage, pepper, rosemary, salt, red pepper flakes, and lemon zest; pound into a thick paste, 2 or 3 minutes. Add olive oil and pound until rub is evenly incorporated.
• Cut a slit 3/4 of the way through the center of the tenderloin, leaving 1 inch on each end uncut. Spread 1 tablespoon of the rub inside the slit; close up roast. Spread the remaining rub evenly over the roast. Wrap bacon strips around the roast, trying to keep seams on the bottom.
• Wrap roast in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place roast in the center.
• Roast in the preheated oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center registers 134 degrees F (57 degrees C), about 25 minutes. Let roast rest for 10 minutes and internal temperature rise to 140 to 145 degrees F (60 to 63 degrees C).

ALL PORK BELLY PORCHETTA ROAST WITH CRISPY SKIN STUFFED WITH GARLIC AND HERBS

Steps:

• Trim and square off the pork belly to fit in your pan.
• Place pork belly skin-side down on a large cutting board. Using a sharp chef's knife, score flesh at an angle using strokes about 1-inch apart. Rotate knife 90 degrees and repeat to create a diamond pattern in the flesh.
• Toast peppercorns and fennel seed in a small skillet over medium-high heat until lightly browned and aromatic, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle or spice grinder and grind until roughly crushed. Mix in 2 tablespoons salt, red pepper, minced herbs and garlic to form a dry rub.
• Season pork liberally with the salt/herb/garlic mixture . Use your hands to rub the mixture deeply into the cracks and crevices in the meat.
• Roll pork belly into a tight log and push to top of cutting board, seam-side down. Cut 12 to 18 lengths of kitchen twine long enough to tie around the pork and lay them down in regular intervals along your cutting board, about 1-inch apart each. Lay rolled pork seam-side down on top of strings. Working from the outermost strings towards the center, tie up roast tightly. Combine 1 tablespoons kosher salt with 1 teaspoon baking powder. Rub mixture over entire surface of pork roast.
• If roast is too large and unwieldy, carefully slice in half with a sharp chef's knife. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate at least overnight and up to three days. If desired, porchetta can also be frozen at this point for future use.
• Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F. Place pork in a v-rack set in a large roasting pan, or if cooking both halves at the same time, on a wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet. Place roasting pan in oven and roast until internal temperature of pork reaches 160°F, about two - three hours, basting with pan drippings every half hour. Continue roasting another two hours, until a knife or skewer inserted into the pork shows very little resistance asides from the outer layer of skin. Better to roast long and slow to ensure the fat melts under the skin. The temperature will reach up to 200 degrees and still be delicious.
• Remove pan from oven, and set roast aside. Carefully pour off the hot oil into an old coffee can or similar vessel. Let oil cool, and toss, or strain and save all the bacon fat for other recipes.
• Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Return roast to v-rack, and continue roasting until completely crisp and blistered, about 20 to 30 minutes longer. Watch closely so it does not burn. Rotate the roast to be sure the underside crisps as well if necessary.
• Total cooking time will be close to 5 hours or more, depending on the size of the roast. Alternatively, you can remove the roast from the oven and tent with foil for up to two hours before finishing it in a preheated 500°F oven.
• Tent with foil and allow to rest for 20 -30 minutes. Slice with a serrated knife into 1-inch thick disks and serve.

ORECCHIETTE WITH BACON, LEMON AND CREAM

Steps:

• Cook the bacon: Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat and add 1/2 cup water and the bacon slices. Cook until all of the water evaporates and the bacon becomes crispy, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a kitchen towel to drain, reserving the fat in a separate bowl.
• Make the sauce: In a large skillet, whisk together the heavy cream and sour cream. Season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Simmer the cream mixture over medium heat, whisking, until it thickens, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside.
• Cook the pasta: In a large pot, bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil and season with 1/2 cup salt. The pasta water should taste like seawater. Add the orecchiette to the boiling water and stir with a slotted spoon to make sure it does not clump or stick to the bottom as it cooks. Cook until the pasta is al dente (chewy but not hard or raw tasting), 6 to 8 minutes. Drain the pasta in a large colander, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water in case you need it to adjust the sauce.
• Finish the dish: Reheat the pasta sauce over medium heat until it simmers gently. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss to coat in the sauce. Remove the skillet from the heat and allow the pasta to rest for 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the bacon, some of the reserved bacon fat, an additional splash of lemon juice, chives and pasta water (if needed) to make a sauce that lightly coats the pasta. Serve immediately.

WEEKNIGHT PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Toss chopped garlic, chopped rosemary, fennel seeds, salt, and 1 tablespoon oil in a small bowl; season with pepper.
• Rub garlic mixture all over tenderloin (if you have time to do this in the morning, great; refrigerate pork until dinner). Scatter rosemary sprigs in a large baking dish and set tenderloin on top. Wrap bacon slices around tenderloin, tucking ends underneath so bacon stays put. Nestle halved heads of garlic around tenderloin and drizzle everything with remaining 1 tablespoon oil.
• Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of tenderloin registers 145° for medium, 40-45 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest at least 10 minutes before slicing.

PORCHETTA WITH BACON

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F. In 6-quart Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Add pork loin, top side down; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until brown. Turn; brown 3 to 4 minutes on second side. Transfer pork to cutting board.
• Add onions to butter in Dutch oven; cook 1 to 3 minutes or until onions just begin to soften. Increase heat to medium-high. Add broth; heat to simmering, then cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently to release onions and browned bits from bottom. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix garlic, herbs, salt, pepper flakes, fennel and lemon peel. Rub all over pork, then pile any remaining rub evenly on top. Place bacon slices over top. Place pork on top of onions and sauce in Dutch oven, then transfer Dutch oven, uncovered, to oven and roast 45 minutes to 1 hour or until bacon is crisp and meat thermometer inserted into center of pork reads 145°F.
• Transfer pork to clean cutting board. Cover with foil, and let rest until sauce is finished. Meanwhile, place Dutch oven over medium-high heat; boil sauce 10 to 12 minutes or until reduced to 1 cup. Use serrated knife to cut pork into 8 slices. Serve with sauce.

BACON WRAPPED PORCHETTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Open up roast so it's flat on cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Flattening roast to 3/4-in. thickness; remove plastic wrap. Season front and back with half salt/pepper/garlic salt.
• In a small bowl combine oil, mustard, garlic, remaining salt/pepper/garlic salt, and herbs; rub mixture into inside of roast. Roll up tightly jelly-roll style, starting with a long side.
• Wrap with strips of bacon and then tie several times with butchers twine.
• Place roast in deep baking pan lined with roasting rack. Pour water and wine in bottom of pan. Cover tightly with foil. Bake for 2 hours.
• Uncover and based with juices at bottom of pan. Continue baking 30-35 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and bacon is crispy.
• Let rest for about 10 minutes then transfer to cutting board. Remove twine and slice.