Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast

(ugh, excuse the horrible photo, taken on my iphone since my other camera stinks, thought this might be better)

We eat a lot of chicken here in our humble Georgia Avenue home. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are just so easy, and there are seriously so many ways to make chicken! When it is brought to my attention that all we eat is chicken, I try to expand our menus a bit. Normally, I wait until I find some good deals on pork, and occasionally I'll stock up on steak and tilapia at Costo. One item that I always look for though are boneless pork loins. When I buy one, this is my go-to recipe for pork roast. I guess someday I should try something else, but this is SO good, and it makes the hubby happy:)

One thing I don't like about the recipe is that it is supposed to be roasted in a roasting pan, and I have not acquired one yet. It still turns out great, but makes me wonder what the difference would be (and it just furthers my 'need' for a roasting pan.)

Another helpful hint regarding the pancetta: I have normally found this by the 'gourmet' cheeses in the grocery store, but on my recent trip to Rainbow it was nowhere to be found. I ended up having the deli counter slice me some, and since I forgot how much the recipe called for I got 8 thin slices and it worked out perfectly.


Pancetta-Wrapped Pork Roast
Source: Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
8 large garlic cloves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (3 1/2 to 4-pound) tied boneless pork loin roast (I always use the pre-packaged one's in the meat section, about 3 pounds, and is not tied)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups dry white wine

Directions
Blend the garlic, rosemary, thyme, and oil in a small food processor, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the garlic is minced.

Sprinkle the pork roast generously with salt and pepper. Arrange the pancetta slices on a work surface, overlapping slightly and forming a rectangle. Spread half of the garlic mixture over 1 side of the pork and between the 2 loins that meet in the center of the tied pork roast. Place the pork, garlic mixture side down, in the center of the pancetta rectangle. Spread the remaining garlic mixture over the remaining pork. Wrap the pancetta slices around the pork. Place the pork in a roasting pan. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pour 1/2 cup of broth and 1/2 cup of wine into the roasting pan. Add more broth and wine to the pan juices every 20 minutes. Roast the pork until a meat thermometer inserted into the center registers 145 degrees F for medium-rare, about 1 hour. (since mine was only 3lbs it took about 50 minutes) Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Tent with aluminum foil and let stand for 10 minutes. Pour the pan drippings into a glass measuring cup and spoon off any fat that rises to the top. (I also did not do this, and did not use any of the juices. I feel the roast does not need the extra juice, but again, a roasting pan may change my mind.)

Using a large sharp carving knife, cut the pork into 1/4-inch-thick slices and serve with the pan juices.

Enjoy!