My Friend Chef Jason Dowd and I made a Porchetta Roast in the test kitchen one day after talking about it for a week. I watched as he rubbed the meat down with a blend of seasonings that included fennel pollen. Here is a great video from LuckyPeachTV that shows how Italy's Best Porchetta is Made.

"Vito's Norcineria was established a century ago or so in Marino, a small town a few kilometers south of Rome. There, he makes a mix of classic salumi, sausages, and prosciuttos, along with some more esoteric stuff that has grown out of his obsessive desire to research and perfect his craft: coppa di testa without testa, Arnad-style lard, and three kinds of salumi made from three different breeds of local pigs (some of whom are raised for him by an acquaintance who regularly blood-tests the animals to confirm the purity of their pedigree)."

Of course you could go to you local butcher and ask them for a pork loin roast with belly attached make sure the skin is on as well. The skin becomes like pork cracklings and is delicious!

Here is a recipe from Forking Tasty that seems easy to follow!

After it is done you can carve it thin ans serve it with potatoes roasted in the oven or make some great sandwiches on Ciabatta with an Caper and Parsley Aioli. Here is a recipe from Kelsey Nixson, Food Network.

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Roast Pork Loin with Blood Orange and Red Onions

Grispelle

A reader reciently requested that I find a Calabrian fried treat drizzled wiht honey, and guess what, I found it! Grispelle is a yeast raised doughnut made with sweet potatoes and tradtionaly served during Christmas.  My thanks to Rosetta Costantino for sharing this recipe with us! Please check out her book My Calabria.

Breading for Calamari

There is nothing better than a large plate of beautifully light and crisp fried calamari!  My friend Peter use to be manager at Centro in Chicago and they featured a large portion piled high on a platter with lots of Parmesan and lemon.

The following breading for calamari is similar but I added a few ingredients for flavor and heat.

I soak the squid in milk so it is tender.  You may serve this with marinara sauce and lemon. 

Try this also with shrimp as well. Here is a link to ChefTalk regarding some often asked questions about frying calamari.

This is great for the Christmas Eve Feast!

Linguine Vongole is a very popular Naples pasta originated in the Campania region.  I find it prepared two ways, with tomatos or without.

Here is a recipe that is without and one with for your review.

About cleaning and eating clams

This recipe calls for live clams. Here are some important safety tips.

Never buy a clam that's open or cracked.
Never eat a clam that won't open after cooking.
Cook clams within 24 hours of purchasing.
Always brush clams clean before cooking.