Non-VegetarianToscana cuisine Main Course

Arista alla Fiorentina

Name: Arista alla Fiorentina
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 20 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Toscana
Ingredients: 1000 g Pork loin; 4 sprigs Fresh rosemary; 4 cloves Garlic; 1 tbsp fennel seeds; 45 ml Extra virgin olive oil; 120 ml Dry white wine; 10 g coarse sea salt; 5 g Black peppercorns

A classic Florentine roast pork loin perfumed with garlic, fresh rosemary, and fennel seeds. It is roasted until tender with a savoury, fragrant golden crust.

🇮🇹Italy· Tuscany

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 60 min
Total: 80 min
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 460 kcal

Ingredients

0 of 8 gathered

Servings

1000 g Pork loin — boneless, tied or untied, fat cap intact
4 sprigs Fresh rosemary — leaves stripped and finely chopped
4 cloves Garlic — peeled and finely minced
1 tbsp fennel seeds — coarsely crushed
45 ml Extra virgin olive oil — Tuscan fruity olive oil preferred
120 ml Dry white wine — such as Vernaccia di San Gimignano or Trebbiano
10 g coarse sea salt — to taste
5 g Black peppercorns — crushed or freshly ground

Equipment

•Heavy roasting tin
•Mortar and pestle
•Kitchen string
•Chef's knife
•Meat thermometer

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 460 kcal
fat: 28 g
carbs: 2 g
fibre: 1 g
protein: 48 g
calories: 460 kcal

Instructions

1
Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan) and grease a heavy roasting tin with a little olive oil.
2
Crush the fennel seeds, sea salt, and black peppercorns together in a mortar until coarsely ground.
3
Mix the chopped rosemary needles and minced garlic into the crushed spice mixture.
4
Make small, shallow incisions all over the pork loin using the tip of a sharp knife.
5
Rub the herb and spice paste thoroughly over the meat, pressing it firmly into every slit.
6
Tie the pork loin securely with kitchen string at 2 cm intervals to ensure even cooking.
7
Place the meat in the prepared tin and drizzle the remaining olive oil over the surface.
8
Roast in the oven for 30 minutes until the exterior begins to brown and turn fragrant.
9
Pour the white wine over the roast and continue cooking for 30 minutes until the centre reaches 65°C.
10
Transfer the pork to a warm board and rest loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes before slicing.

Chef's tips

Do not skip resting the meat; resting allows the savoury juices to redistribute through the loin. If you have bone-in pork loin, ask the butcher to chime the backbone while leaving the rib bones intact for extra flavour. Save the pan juices to drizzle over the carved slices.

Ingredient substitutions

fennel seeds → wild fennel pollen (finocchietto selvatico) for an even more authentic Tuscan aroma
dry white wine → light unsalted chicken broth with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Storage

Keep leftover sliced pork in an airtight container in the fridge with its pan juices for up to 3 days.

Reheating

Warm gently in a covered pan over low heat with a splash of wine or water, or serve cold at room temperature.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Overcooking the pork loin until it dries out completely; pull it out when the core reaches 65°C
•Skipping the fennel seeds, which are the signature flavour marker separating Tuscan arista from standard roast pork
•Carving the meat immediately out of the oven without resting, which causes all the juices to run out

Serving suggestions

Serve warm with roast Tuscan potatoes tossed in rosemary and garlicAccompany with stewed cannellini beans (fagioli all'uccelletto)Enjoy chilled leftovers sliced paper-thin inside crusty unsalted Tuscan pane