I opened my cooking school in front of Florence’s Mercato Centrale in 1988. I had moved here in 1984 and took 4 years to really learn the language and study the local cuisine. When I arrived here I was pretty much an Italian food virgin. Like many people, Italian food of the 80’s was more a classic Italian American cuisine. Most of the recipes could trace their roots back to Naples and Sicily. The first time I had tasted modern Italian food was in San Francisco at Prego Restaurant, it was nothing like the “other” Italian food I had eaten. I was inspired.
When I arrived in Florence, I got it. There was no spaghetti and meatballs, no deep dish pizza, no cannolis. Instead I found Florentine local recipes. Regional recipes and their variations. I would hang around the market, listening to how people ordered their food. Butchers would share their recipes with their clients. The mercato was my cooking school.
My butcher Massimo Manetti shared his recipe with me for this pork tenderloin,. His father began working in the market when he was 13 and is now 80, one of the oldest vendors in the market. Massimo’s brother also has a stand and his sister a small grocery store near her dad’s stand. Massimo is the President of the merchant’s association in the Mercato Centrale.
This is a simple take off on a Beef Wellington sort of idea. But rather than using a raw dough to wrap the meat, you use a loaf of bread.This pork filet cooked in bread is pure simple genius. Butcher’s in Italy have some prepared items in their cases, which simply require cooking. They do all the preperation for you. This recipe is one I teach often as it is so simple to make and is so incredibly good.
This is another one of the recipes Massimo created. It is a rack of ribs, “frenched” and wrapped around a pork tenderloin.
One of the focal points of all the recipes is the “butcher’s blend” of herbs and salts. Each butcher has their own version. I call it Porchetta Salt. When I worked at Dario Cecchini’s in Chianti, he made his porchetta with chopped rosemary, garlic, fennel pollen, pepper and salt. My versions is sage, rosemary, garlic, salt. The Tuscan Trinity. Optional additions are fennel seeds or fennel pollen, chili flakes or even some citrus zest.
Making your Filetto di Maiale in Crosta
Preheat the oven to 350F/180 C
Prepare the herb salt. Rosemary, Sage, Garlic and sea salt. Today I kept it simple. Normally I also like to add fennel pollen, which is so good with pork.
I use the Italian mezzaluna knife to mince everything. I enjoy the rocking back and forth motion instead of a chef’s knife.
It looks like a lot of salt, but the salt absorbs all the essential oils from the herbs as you chop them and if you make a lot, also helps dry the herbs.
You need a loaf of bread to fit the pork tenderloin and a slice of pork belly ( pancetta) to go on top of the bread while cooking.
Cut the loaf in half and also remove most of the crumb from both sides and put herbs on both sides.
Rub the herbs all over the tenderloin as well.
Place the tenderloin on the bottom side of the bread and then place the top on top of the tenderloin.
Place the pork belly on top of the bread.
Use cotton kitchen cord to tie the loaf together and hold the pancetta in place. Rub the herb mixture on top and be sure the sides of the meat also have herbs.
Simply place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes.
The pancetta will be crispy and the bread golden.
Let sit about 10 minutes before cutting. Cut into thick slices. Remove the cotton strings. I like to eat the bread bits on their own and then the pork on it’s own. The bread is like the best garlic bread you will every have.
If you would like to serve with a little “gravy” saute a rosemary branch and a garlic clove in a little olive oil. When the garlic is golden, splash with a little wine. Salt to taste and let the wine reduce. Take a slice of butter and dip in a little flour. place into the pan and turn down the heat. Cook to thicken the sauce. Remove the rosemary and garlic before serving.
I have made so many similar recipes using this trick. Cooking a beef tenderloin of course, but also doing small versions using smaller sandwich size rolls. Once in class, we made a sundried tomato stuffed chicken breast with goat cheese inside a roll and baked. It was fabulous.
Be inspired. Experiment. Invite people over for dinner.
