Tuscan Pork Roast-Arista alla Fiorentina

If at all possible, I try to leave the country for Thanksgiving-I have amazing memories of my mom roasting a turkey with Brazil-nut stuffing, home-made biscuits, Béchamel beans, candied sweat potatoes and more but it, frankly, tires me out even thinking about it.  If I can’t get out of town, I have taken to making simpler food and we have had a variety of different roasts, etc. over the years.  One of my favorite new recipes comes thanks (of course, to Ms. Mimi Sheraton, when she described a very simple way of roasting pork that includes rosemary.  We grow rosemary in our backyard so this seemed right up my alley.  The dish is called “Arista alla Fiorentian” and stems from an encounter with a visiting Greek Cleric who at it in 1430 and declared it “the best”.

Traditionally, this is eaten with white beans stewed with tomatoes but I think it can be served with anything a person should desire.  There are multiple recipes on line. I liked the Williams-Sonoma version as it included figs. In addition to the chopped rosemary, I rested the roast on a bed of rosemary in the pan (but I grow rosemary and had no shortage).  This result is a dish that smells WONDERFUL and whose taste is no less wonderful.  Not convinced?  Look closely at the left side of the picture-see the fork?  I took this dish over to our friends, the Clopines and I couldn’t even get them to wait long enough for me to take the picture before they tried to dig in.  I say this is a good way.  The smell was that compelling.