P
Italian · Marche
Lonza di Maiale con Vino Cotto e Alloro Marchigiana
Vino cotto (cooked wine) — a Marche speciality made from must reduced by more than half to a syrupy condiment — is the defining ingredient of this pork loin braise. A tied pork loin is browned all over in olive oil and lard in a heavy casserole, then removed while the soffritto of onion, carrot and celery is built in the same fat. The loin is returned, surrounded by bay leaves and black peppercorns, then bathed in a mixture of vino cotto and white wine. The braise is covered and maintained at the lowest possible simmer for 90 minutes. The cooking liquid, enriched with the pork's juices and the vino cotto's natural sweetness, is reduced and mounted with cold butter as a sauce. The loin is sliced and served over soft polenta or boiled potatoes.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
1.2 kg
pork loin
tied
Your own market
30 ml
olive oil
Your own market
30 g
lard
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the soffritto
1 medium
onion
finely chopped
Your own market
1 medium
carrot
finely chopped
Your own market
1 stick
celery
finely chopped
Your own market
For the braise
100 ml
vino cotto
Marche grape must, reduced to syrup — not Apulian vincotto
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
200 ml
dry white wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
4
bay leaves
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
black peppercorns
whole
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the sauce
40 g
unsalted butter
cold, cut into cubes
Your own market
II
The Method
1
Heat the olive oil and lard together in a heavy casserole over a high flame. Pat the tied loin dry. Lay it in the fat and brown it on all surfaces without moving it prematurely. The crust is ready to turn when the meat releases cleanly from the base and is a deep, uniform mahogany. Remove the loin and set it aside.
2
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, carrot and celery to the same fat and cook, stirring, until the soffritto softens and the edges colour lightly. The vegetables should smell sweet and faintly caramelised, with no raw sharpness remaining.
3
Return the loin to the casserole. Tuck the bay leaves around it and scatter in the black peppercorns. Pour the vino cotto and the white wine over the meat. The liquid should reach roughly one-third of the way up the loin.
4
Cover the casserole tightly and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. This is where the dish lives or dies: the braising liquid must show only the occasional, lazy bubble at the surface — any vigorous boiling will tighten and dry the lean loin irreparably. Maintain this bare simmer for 90 minutes. Test by pressing the meat gently; it should yield with moderate resistance, not feel firm or springy.
5
Lift the loin from the casserole, set it on a warm plate, and tent it loosely. Rest for 20 minutes undisturbed — the internal temperature continues to rise and the juices redistribute through the meat.
6
Meanwhile, pass the braising liquid through a fine sieve into a small saucepan, pressing the soffritto firmly to extract all flavour. Reduce over a medium flame until the sauce is glossy and lightly coats a spoon. Remove from the heat entirely. Add the cold butter cubes one at a time, swirling the pan between each addition. The sauce should be smooth, glossy and emulsified, with no visible grease pooling on the surface.
7
Remove the string from the loin and slice it across the grain. Arrange the slices over soft polenta or boiled potatoes and spoon the mounted sauce over. The meat should be moist, yielding to the knife without resistance, and faintly pink at the centre.
From the canon — Polenta is the principal cooked grain preparation of northern Italy — from the Veneto through Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Polenta — The Correct Technique and Regional Variations →
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Artisan Marche vino cotto from a single estate, made from Montepulciano or Trebbiano must reduced over slow heat; loin from a heritage breed pork raised on traditional feed, tied to order by a butcher.
02
Estate — Reputable Marche-labelled vino cotto from a specialist importer; free-range pork loin of known provenance, with a visible fat cap to baste the meat during braising.
03
Market — Commercial vino cotto of confirmed Marche origin (check the label for 'mosto cotto'); a quality supermarket free-range pork loin, tied at home with butcher's twine.
04
House — The nearest available vino cotto — confirm it is grape-must based, not balsamic-derived; a standard pork loin trimmed of excess surface fat and tied securely before browning.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The browned crust is deep mahogany and releases cleanly from the casserole base without tearing.
◇Sound. The braising liquid produces only an occasional, slow bubble against the casserole wall — no rolling or rapid boiling.
◇Touch. The rested loin yields with moderate, even resistance when pressed — neither firm and springy nor falling apart.
◇Sight. The mounted butter sauce coats a spoon in a smooth, glossy film with no separated fat pooling on the surface.
◇Where it lives or dies. The braising liquid must hold at the barest possible simmer for the full 90 minutes — a vigorous boil at any point will tighten the lean loin beyond recovery.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Wine
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
GT's Synergy Organic Kombucha — Gingerade
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Non-alcoholic
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The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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