Tuscan Recipes - No.17 Arista alla Toscana ai Profumi del Sottobosco con Fagioli all’Olio di Frantoio

This is a typical Tuscan dish most often served as a second course

Serves: 4

30 minutes preparation + 1 hour cooking

INGREDIENTS

• 800g rack of pork
• 50g dried mushrooms
• 80g carrot
• 80g celery
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 150g dried beans
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon chopped sage
• 2 cloves of garlic
• black pepper to taste
• ½ cup white wine
• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 250g meat sauce
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 sprig rosemary
• water to taste

1. Soak the beans in water for at least 12 hours. After this time, cook them.
2. Tie the pork saddle with food string. Tie it tightly so that it does not loosen during cooking.
3. Chop rosemary, garlic, sage and fennel seeds, add salt and freshly ground black pepper to the mix.  Prick the meat with a fine-blade knife, insert the mix in these holes. This seasoning will give fragrance to the meat internally, too.
4. Pour oil into a large casserole and braise the pork meat on a low heat, taking care to turn it round occasionally. While it is cooking, add some white wine and evaporate. Remember to use the boiling broth to wet the pork meat as it is cooking.
5. In a large casserole, soften the chopped garlic by frying slightly in oil, then add the beans that have been soaked. Season with salt and pepper, cover with water and cook.
6. Lightly fry the vegetables in oil, add chopped dried mushrooms, chopped parsley and some white wine.
7. Add brown cooking liquid, season to taste with salt and pepper, cook for 5 minutes.
8. Slice the pork saddle, arrange on a plate and pour both sauces over the slices, the one with the beans and the one with the mushrooms.

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