Basilicata — the maiale al forno con melanzana is a summer preparation associated with the Potenza and Matera provinces. The preparation times the main summer aubergine harvest with the pork that is available year-round from the Lucano pork tradition.
Maiale al forno con la melanzana is the summer pork bake of Basilicata — pork shoulder or ribs baked in a wide terracotta dish with sliced aubergine, dried peperoncino, dried oregano, and olive oil. The aubergine absorbs the pork fat during roasting and becomes silky and slightly caramelised; the pork renders and becomes crispy on the outside; the peperoncino flavours the fat throughout the dish. It is a preparation of great simplicity — four main ingredients, a hot oven, and time — but the result is deeply satisfying. The combination of pork and aubergine is specifically southern Italian and is found in Basilicata, Calabria, and Sicily.
Maiale al forno con la melanzana from the oven has the aubergine collapsed and silky, dark with absorbed pork fat and caramelised at the edges. The pork is golden-brown and deeply savoury; the fat has rendered and mixed with olive oil into a pool at the bottom of the dish that is the best part for bread-mopping. The peperoncino warmth runs through everything. It is a preparation of extreme simplicity and considerable pleasure.
Slice aubergine into 1cm rounds; salt and leave to drain 30 minutes. Rinse and pat dry. Cut pork shoulder into large bone-in pieces or use pork ribs. Season pork generously with salt, black pepper, dried oregano, and dried peperoncino. Arrange drained aubergine slices in a single layer in a wide terracotta or ovenproof dish. Lay pork on and among the aubergine. Drizzle generously with olive oil. Roast at 200°C for 45 minutes; reduce to 170°C and continue 30-40 minutes until pork is deeply coloured and the aubergine beneath is soft and slightly caramelised in the rendered pork fat.
Terracotta is the ideal vessel — it distributes heat evenly and retains it, cooking the aubergine gently from below while the pork roasts above. A few cherry tomatoes added with the aubergine in summer provide acidity that the dish benefits from. The peperoncino should be dried Lucano peperoncino (dried whole and crumbled, not commercial chilli flakes) for the correct flavour.
Not salting the aubergine first — unsalted aubergine is very bitter and absorbs excessive oil; the salting and draining step is essential. Pork not deeply coloured before reducing temperature — the initial high heat is what produces the caramelised crust on the pork. Too little olive oil — the aubergine needs significant oil to roast properly; the final dish should not be dry.
Slow Food Editore, Basilicata in Cucina; Patience Gray, Honey from a Weed