Maiale al Latte

How it’s made

1. 01

   Pork, prepare

   Remove all but a thin layer of fat from the Pork. If your loin is already rolled and tied with string from the butcher / supermarket, then you might need to untie it to remove the fat. Roll as tight as possible and tie with as many lengths of string to keep shape as required.

2. 02

   Marinate

   In a dish roughly the same size as your pork loin mix 2 tbsp. of the vegetable oil, cloves, cinnamon, rosemary, garlic cloves (bruised), sea salt, peppercorns and the bay leaf. Coat the pork all over and leave to marinate from around 8 hours, turning occasionally. If it's not too hot, leave out of the fridge to marinate (room temperature).

3. 03

   Brown

   Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a heavy cast iron french oven, along with the butter. When the foam begings to subside remove the pork from the marinade and brown well on all sides.

4. 04

   Milk, add and cook

   In a separate saucepan bring the milk to boiling point, then pour slowly over the meat. Season with salt and pepper. Place the lid slightly askew and cook at a low simmer for 2 hours. Turn the meat over 20 minutes or so and baste. By the end of the cooking the milk should be a dark rich colour, and quite thick. Transfer the meat to a wooden board and wrap with aluminium foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes.

5. 05

   Sauce

   Pour remaining milk liquid into a pyrex glass jar and leave to stand for a few minutes. The fat should rise to the top, and you can skim that off. Add liquid back to the french over along with a 2 tablespoons of hot water and boil over a high heat for about 2 minutes. Scrape the bottom of the pan to losen the cooking residue. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

6. 06

   Carve

   Remove the string and carve pork into 1cm slices and arange on a warmed serving dish. Pour a little of the sauce over the top and serve the rest in a warmed sauceboat.

Originally published 24 December 2017 · by John Drummond