Lonza di Maiale con Vino Cotto e Alloro Marchigiana

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg pork loin, tied
• 30 ml olive oil
• 30 g lard
• For the soffritto
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 stick celery, finely chopped
• For the braise
• 100 ml vino cotto, Marche grape must, reduced to syrup — not Apulian vincotto
• 200 ml dry white wine
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns, whole
• For the sauce
• 40 g unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

Method

1. 1
   Heat the olive oil and lard together in a heavy casserole over a high flame, so the combined fats reach a higher smoke point than butter and give you the fierce, dry heat the crust needs. Pat the tied loin dry, lay it in the fat, and leave it entirely undisturbed — it is ready to turn when it releases cleanly from the base and shows a deep, uniform mahogany on each surface. Remove the loin and set it aside.
2. 2
   Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrot and celery to the same fat, so the soffritto picks up all the caramelised residue left by the meat and carries that depth into the braise. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables soften and their edges colour lightly. They should smell sweet and faintly caramelised, with no raw sharpness remaining.
3. 3
   Return the loin to the casserole and tuck the bay leaves around it, pressing them close to the meat so their resinous fragrance steeps directly into the flesh rather than dispersing into open air. Scatter in the black peppercorns, then 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. 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, then test by pressing the meat gently; it should yield with moderate resistance, not feel firm or springy.
5. 5
   Lift the loin from the casserole, set it on a warm plate, and tent it loosely, so the heat already in the meat continues to travel toward the centre without the surface losing moisture to open air. Rest for 20 minutes undisturbed, allowing the juices to redistribute evenly through the muscle before you cut.
6. 6
   Pass the braising liquid through a fine sieve into a small saucepan, pressing the soffritto firmly so every bit of sweetness and body is surrendered to the sauce rather than lost with the pulp. Reduce over a medium flame until the sauce is glossy and lightly coats a spoon, then remove the pan from the heat entirely before adding the cold butter — working off the heat prevents the emulsion from breaking — adding the cubes one at a time and swirling the pan between each addition until the sauce is smooth, glossy and shows no grease pooling on the surface.
7. 7
   Remove the string from the loin and slice it across the grain. Arrange the slices over soft polenta or boiled potatoes, spoon the mounted sauce over, and serve at once. The meat should be moist and yielding to the knife, faintly pink at the centre.