Grandma Menna’s Kitchen: Arista – Roast loin of pork

luglio 15, 2009

I can’t help it! We love meat, in Tuscany!

The most crystal clear example is the floretine T-bone steak, but there are lots of meat cuts typical of our region. An example? Arista, that is a common cut, used on mostly Sundays lunches, during winter and summer, is a traditional dish of Florentine cooking.

When there was the first ‘meet the parents’ and dad went for dinner at mum’s home, Aunt Silvana cooked a simple but delicious arista with green salad: you can easily see how it is a deeply rooted traditional family dish.

Mum’s arista is such a good dish, crisp and tasteful outside, tender and white inside.

When I think at arista, I remind one of my Greek lesson at high school. My teacher  – and Pellegrino Artusi tells you the same anecdote – told us that this dish was named arista in the 15th century in Florence. During a banquet held in honour of some Greek guests, this dish was served and it was so successful that they couldn’t stop from saying ‘arista, arista!’. Arista - the superlative form of the Greek adjective agathos which means good – was used to express a compliment of the highest kind

After such a presentation, what are you waiting for?

::::: ROAST LOIN OF PORK :::::

Ingredients (serve 6):

• pork loin with the bones, 1kg
• garlic, 1 clove
• sage, about 10 leaves
• rosemary, 1 spring
• extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 a glass
• white wine, 1/2 a glass
• salt & pepper

Preheat the oven at 200°C.

Remove the pork loin from the bone with a sharp knife.

Finely chop sage, rosemary and garlic, mix with salt and pepper, and rub into the pork loin. Place the loin back into the bones and tie it up with a string.

Place the meat into a deep pan and season with half of a glass of extra virgin olive oil.

Cook the meat in the oven for about an hour, turning often the loin to brown it everywhere. When it is crisp and roasted,  Add half of a glass of white wine and let it reduce. The pork loin is ready!

Remove the loin from the bone and slice the meat, season it with the remaining sauce and… good appetite!

You can serve the pork loin in several ways. During winter months, you can cook the meat with diced potatoes: they become savoury and delicious. In the summertime, instead, you can eat arista cold, like a whole roasted pig, thinly sliced and seasoned with extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

Don’t forget the bones!! They’re so delicious! Eat them with your fingers, as the Flinstones used to do!

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Posted in Family recipes, Main Course, Meat, Tuscan Recipes