Pork roast, or Arrosto di Maiale, is more traditionally found on the Italian dinner tables during the cold season, normally paired with a side of potatoes or sauté green vegetables. In this pork roast recipe the use of fresh herbs and white wine add great flavor and aroma.

Easy to prepare, pork roast is ideal also as main dish for the holidays, as an alternative to turkey or ham, and it can be served with any of the traditional side dishes.

Ingredients and Instructions:

• 2 pounds/1 kg pork loin
• 1 small onion
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 celery stick
• 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of fresh sage leaves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 cup of dry white wine
• sea salt
• black pepper, freshly ground

1. Set the oven at 350 F (180 C).
2. Finely chop the garlic, the onion, the carrot, the celery stick and set aside.
3. Mix the chopped fresh rosemary, sage and thyme with a good pinch of salt and pepper, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil; rub all of the mixture over the entire pork loin.
4. Pour the remaining olive oil in cast iron Dutch oven, lay the pork meat in it, and brown evenly on all sides over medium heat.
5. Add the chopped vegetables to the pot, stir and sauté until the onion becomes translucent. Turn the pork roast a few times while the veggies are sauteing, so the meat can absorb their flavor.
6. Add the dry white wine to the pot avoiding pouring it directly over the meat – we want to leave all those flavorful bits on it.
7. Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and roast (350 F or 180 C) for about 30 minutes.
8. Remove the lid and keep roasting the meat for another 30 minutes, or until done, basting the meat at least twice. The temperature of a roasting thermometer should reach at least 170 F (75.9 C)
9. Remove the pork loin from the Dutch oven and let it cool down for 5 minutes before slicing and serve.

*If a cast iron Dutch oven is not available, use a regular pot for this step, then transfer the meat, the vegetables and all the cooking juices to a regular roast pan at the end of step #5, just before moving it to the oven. For step #7, use aluminum foil to tent and seal tightly to the edges of the pan.

Wine suggestions: for an all-Italian dinner, pair this pork roast with Barbera, Sangiovese, Brunello di Montalcino or Nero d’Avola.

Buon appetito.

Cinzia Aversa, 2013