Name: Braciole alla calabrese (Rolled Pork Shoulder from Calabria)
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italy
Ingredients: 1 piece boneless pork shoulder or pork loin, 2½ pounds; ½ teaspoon chile pepper flakes; 6 black peppercorns; 1 can (28 ounces) plum tomatoes, chopped, with juice, or 1 can (28 ounces) ground or crushed tomatoes packed in purée; 8 cloves garlic, minced (about ¼ cup); 1½ cups dry red wine; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; ¼ cup lard or olive oil; ½ cup water, or as needed; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more to taste; ½ cup diced pecorino cheese; A few fresh basil leaves (optional); Pinch of sugar (optional); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs; 5 pancetta slices, about 5 ounces total weight

Preparation info

Serves
4

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

Italian Slow and Savory

By Joyce Goldstein

Published 2004

About

As with Sicilian farsu magru, in which the rolled stuffed meat is braised in tomatoes and wine, two separate courses are produced here: a rich meat-infused sauce for maccheroni for the primo and braised meat for the secondo. Sometimes called braciola alla brugia (named for the Brugi, an ancient people who lived in the area where the dish is now eaten), this specialty of the Calabrian town of Cosenza may also be prepared wit