Arista (Roast Pork Loin)
- Cuisine: Italian
- Course: Main Course
- Features: Kid-Friendly
Summary:
The chopped herb mixture stuffed into slits in the meat gives this pork its Italian flavor. Faith Heller Willinger cooks hers on a spit roaster, allowing its skin to turn golden brown and crisp. But a skinless loin roasted in the oven tastes great, too.
Ask your butcher to bone a pork loin and reassemble the boned meat on top of the rib rack, tying it all together firmly with kitchen twine. A skin-on pork loin can be ordered through www.nimanranch.com.
8 to 10 servings
Ingredients:
- 6 medium cloves garlic
- 3 to 4 tablespoons rosemary leaves
- 2 teaspoons fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 4- to 5-pound pork loin, boned, meat reassembled on the bone and tied firmly
Directions:
Mince the garlic and rosemary together and combine with the salt and several grinds of pepper.
Insert a paring knife blade fully into each end of the pork loin. Working from both ends, stuff the slits with the garlic-herb mixture, reserving 1 tablespoon to rub on the outside of the meat. Let the meat sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour. (It can be prepared in advance, but let it come to room temperature before roasting.)
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a lightly oiled flat rack in a large roasting pan, then transfer the meat to the rack. Roast for 1 1/2 hours or until the internal temperature of the pork registers 140 to 145 degrees on a meat thermometer. Transfer the meat to a cutting board and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before discarding the twine ties around the roast. Cut the meat into 3/4-inch-thick slices, then cut each slice in half or thirds. Cut the bone section into ribs, if desired. Serve warm.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from Willinger's "Adventures of an Italian Food Lover" (Clarkson Potter, 2007).
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
