Quick Date Night Recipe- Porchetta

So today I am going to share a recipe that is close to my heart: porchetta. Porchetta reminds me a lot of childhood meals, as it was something my Chinese mother picked up from a certain Italian mother-in-law in a past life. Traditionally, porchetta is made with the tenderloin. There is hardly any fat, which means the trick to a proper porchetta is keeping the meat nice and juicy. Luckily, pork tenderloins don't require too much cooking time, and the chances of forgetting this delicious roast while it's baking off in the oven are slim to zero. The aromas of garlic and fennel seed will fill your apartment or house with some savory flavors of Italy. When this roast is thinly sliced, it also makes one hell of a great sandwich.

So why porchetta as a date night dinner? Yeah I know there's an emphasis on garlic here, but I don't trust a person who doesn't appreciate garlic. Might as well nip that potential failed relationship in the bud, right? Above-all, it's basically an idiot-proof recipe. There are no elaborate cooking times, you don't need a lot of specialty ingredients, you can cook it on the grill or in an oven, and it can go with whatever sides you fancy. When the roast comes out, it is also pretty visually appealing. I am also very attracted to people who are capable of putting out a comfort dish like this- one that would even make your mother proud of your dating judgment.

-Porchetta Roast
1 pork tenderloin
Whole fennel seeds
Fresh ground black pepper
Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt
Olive oil (regular, not XV)

Kitchen twine

The first decision is, to marinate or not to marinate? I'll give you a few options. First, I'd give the green light for a little bath in a salt-pepper-garlic-brown sugar brine for a few hours if you have some basic brining skills. If that's above your skill level, then I'll give you a secret of mine: bottled Italian dressing. It's really my go-to marinade for white meats. Just put the pork in a big freezer bag or a dish, coat it with the dressing, and let it hang out in the fridge for anywhere between 30mins to just a few hours. When you're ready to cook, then just rinse the dressing off under the faucet and you're ready to go. Another direction you can go is buying one of those marinated pork tenderloins. I would stick to something along the lines of "garlic and herb" or "rosemary and garlic." Lastly, you could forgo a marinade completely. If you chose the "naked" route, I would just make sure that you really form a good seasoning crust on the outside of the pork. My mother usually makes it without a marinade and it turns out fine, especially if you let it cook in its own juices when it is wrapped in foil on the grill or in the oven.



The next step is tying the roast. I feel this is an important step because tenderloins lack that bone-in support and are so tender that they lose their shape without a little support. I have some kitchen twine on hand that I use specifically for these type of recipes. Basically, you just make a loop around one end, make a knot and then make some more loops all the way down the roast. I do some criss-crossing, but nothing really technical. My kitchen isn't the Cordon Bleu, okay? Your roast will still look great and your date will only really care about the final product (AFTER the strings have been cut and removed).

Lastly, it's time for the rub. Yeah I know a little rubbing usually comes before anyone gets tied up on a first date, but rules are meant to be broken- right? Anyways, coat your roast with a thin layer of regular olive oil so that your spices stick. I crank out a good layer of black pepper, kosher salt, garlic powder, and whole fennel seeds on my cutting board and then simply roll the meat on top of the seasoned board. If you marinated the meat, make sure you don't go super crazy on the salt. If it's one of those prepackaged marinated pork loins then I wouldn't add any salt to begin with. Remember to use good judgment when it comes to the salt balance, or to err on the side of a little less salt if you are unsure. If you did nothing to your roast, then you will need approximately soft-pretzel levels of salt to really penetrate all through the thick layer of pork. Also, if you purchased a garlic and herb-flavored loin, then I would skip the garlic powder AND the salt. Just roll it in fennel seeds and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees or get your grill up to medium-high. If baking the porchetta, I use a glass or metal baking dish with a little bit of water added so that all the juices get trapped and help to keep the pork moist. You typically don't need to cover it during the baking process. If you are grilling the porchetta, then wrap the meat in a few layers of foil and then place it right on the rack. Keep the lid on the grill.

Within 20-30 minutes your roast should be done. The meat should feel fairly firm. When you think it's done, take it out of the heat and let it rest for about 5 minutes, then poke it with a meat thermometer. It should have an internal temperature of 160 degrees. I don't check the temperature too quickly for two reasons 1) carry-over cooking time means the meat will still slightly rise in temperature even after you pull the roast off the heat and 2) a Pompeii of pork juices will erupt if the meat is still too hot and your contribute to drying your roast.



When the roast is properly cooked and then rested for about 10 minutes, you can cut the strings off and slice the pork. Make sure to spoon some of the delicious pan juice on the meat before serving. All of that fennel, anise essence is concentrated in there. The meat should be super tender, and the coarse ground black pepper should put a nice little heat in your mouth.



This is also the time to cast the supporting actors: roast potatoes, fresh vegetables, and/or a salad are safe bets. Uncork that bottle of white wine you have chilling in the fridge. What's that? You two are already on your second glass? Good job. You're learning quickly. Enjoy your company, pay attention, and be modest when your date complements your cooking chops. As for what to do after dinner ends- that's for another blog post...