INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

If among the tens of thousands of dishes that constitute the recorded
repertory of Italian regional cooking, one were to choose just a
handful that most clearly express the genius of the cuisine, this one
would be among them. Aside from a minimal amount of fat required to
brown the meat, it has only two components, a loin of pork and milk.
As they slowly cook together, they are transformed: The pork acquires
a delicacy of texture and flavor that lead some to mistake it for
veal, and the milk disappears to be replaced by clusters of  delicious,
nut-brown sauce.  Note: The cut of meat specified above includes the
rib bones to which  the pork's loin is attached. Have the butcher
detach the meat in one  piece from the ribs and split the ribs into two
or three parts. By  having had the loin boned, you can brown it more
thoroughly, and by  cooking it along with the bones, the roast benefits
from the  substantial contribution of flavor the bones make.  Another
cut of pork that is well suited to this dish is the boneless  roll of
muscle at the base of the neck, sometimes known as Boston  butt. There
is a layer of fat in the center of the butt that runs the  length of
the muscle. It makes this cut very juicy and tasty, but  when you carve
it later, the slices tend to break apart where the  meat adjoins the
fat. If you don't think this would be a problem, you  ought to consider
using the butt because of its excellent flavor and  juiciness. Should
you do so, substitute 2 pounds of it in one piece  for the 2 1/2-pound
rib roast.  Do not have any fat trimmed away from either cut of meat.
Most of it  will melt in the cooking, basting the meat and keeping it
from  drying. When the roast is done, you will be able to draw it off
from  the pot, and discard it.  Choose a heavy-bottomed pot that can
later snugly accommodate the  pork, put in the butter and oil, and turn
on the heat to medium high.  When the butter foam subsides, put in the
meat, the side with fat  facing down at first. As it browns, turn it,
continuing to turn the  meat every few moments to brown it evenly all
around. If you should  find the butter becoming very dark, lower the
heat. Add salt, pepper,  and 1 cup of milk. Add the milk slowly lest it
boil over. Allow the  milk to come to a simmer for 20 or 30 seconds,
turn the heat down to  a minimum, and cover the pot with the lid on
slightly ajar. Cook at a  very lazy simmer for approximately 1 hour,
turning the meat from time  to time, until the milk has thickened,
through evaporation, into a  nut-brown sauce. (The exact time it will
take depends largely on the  heat of your burner and the thickness of
your pot.) When the milk  reaches this stage, and not before, add 1
more cup of milk, let it  simmer for about 10 minutes, then cover the
pot, putting the lid on  tightly. Check and turn the pork from time to
time. After 30 minutes,  set the lid slightly ajar. Continue to cook at
minimum heat, and when  you see there is no more liquid milk in the
pot, add the other 1/2  cup of milk. Continue cooking until the meat
feels tender when  prodded with a fork and all the milk has coagulated
into small  nut-brown clusters. Altogether it will take between 2 1/2
and 3  hours. If, before the meat is fully cooked, you find that the
liquid  in the pot has evaporated, add another 1/2 cup of milk,
repeating the  step if it should become necessary. When the pork has
become tender  and all the milk in the pot has thickened into dark
clusters,  transfer the meat to a cutting board. Let it settle for a
few  minutes, then cut it into slices about 3/8 inch thick or slightly
less, and arrange them on a warm serving platter. Tip the pot and
spoon off most of the fat there may be as much as a cup of it being
careful to leave behind all the coagulated milk clusters. Add 2 or 3
tablespoons of water, and boil away the water over high heat while
using a wooden spoon to scrape loose cooking residues from the bottom
and sides of the pot. Spoon all the pot juices over the pork and  serve
immediately.  From "Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" by Marcella
Hazan and an  article in the Oregonian FOODday, 1/12/93, by Barbara
Durbin.  Posted by Stephen Ceideburg  From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster
collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
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Calories: 461
Calories From Fat: 264
Total Fat: 29.5g
Cholesterol: 122.8mg
Sodium: 202.4mg
Potassium: 781.6mg
Carbohydrates: 5g
Fiber: <1g
Sugar: 5.1g
Protein: 41.7g