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Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes

Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale)

It's the ideal choice for a relaxed Sunday lunch and it's not difficult to prepare. Buy a good piece of meat, possibly organic and then enjoy the experience! Sometimes I like to preapare the roast joint before a picnic with the family; few slices in a bread roll and basted with the gravy, will make the picninc a real treat!
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 4
Calories 650 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Kilograms (2.2 lb) Pork leg joint
  • 4 Sprigs of rosemary (1 big and 3 small)
  • 5-6 Sage leaves
  • 1 Clove of garlic
  • 5 grams (1 tbs) Freshly ground black pepper
  • 10 grams (1/2 oz) Coarse salt
  • 1 Carrot
  • Half glass of extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Take some needles from the big rosemary sprig, enough to have a handful, and put them onto the chopping board.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Add the sage leaves.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Chop them together (finely).
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Put them into a mortar (alternatively a blender would do the job).
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Add the black pepper to the mortar.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Add the coarse salt.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Add the garlic, whole or chopped it is up to you.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Now, use the pestle to work in the mixture. Keep going until you have a very fine mix.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Take a sharp knife and cut under the fat layer so that you can lift it. Leave one side of the fat layer connected to the meat.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Then, do some cuts around the leg joint, about 3 cm (1 1/4") deep, as if you are making small pockets.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Fill the pockets with the mixture you have prepared.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • In my case, I have managed to do 8 cuts on the top and a couple of cuts on each side.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • With the remaining mixture, sprinkle the piece of meat...
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • ...and gently rub all around.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Cover the meat with its original fat layer.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Tie the joint again with its original elastic strings. If you buy the pork leg joint, usually it comes with these elastic strings or a net. If you do not have either of them, tie using normal string suitable for cooking.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Put some olive oil you have in the glass in the oven tray and slice the carrot making 5 mm (3/16") thick discs. Use the discs to make a carrot bed.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Add the joint and pour the rest of the olive oil over.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Put the tray into the oven at 180ºC (355ºF) and cook the leg joint for about 1 1/2 hours. At about half time, baste the joint with the gravy formed in the bottom of the oven tray.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • This is the final result. Note the lovely gravy that has formed in the bottom of the tray; do not waste it - it's all good!
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Slice the joint and place the slices on a plate. Can you see the cuts I have done before? You can still see the mixture I've put in the pockets (if you want this effect, the cuts have to be squared to the direction of the slicing).
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Baste the slices with the gravy.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • This photograph shows the slices accompanied with stir fried pachoi and some of the carrot from the tray.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes
  • Alternatively, you can accompany this dish with roast potatoes and sweetcorns or Italian polenta.
    Roast pork leg joint (Arrosto di maiale) | Meat Recipes

Notes

Buon appetito!
Federico Pezzaioli

Nutrition

Calories: 650kcal
Keyword Meat
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