Porchetta with Broccoli Rabe Salsa Verde, Chicories & Giardiniera by Chef Chris Cosentino
Porchetta with Broccoli Rabe Salsa Verde, Chicories & Giardiniera
Chef Chris Cosentino
6-8
Chef Chris Cosentino’s porchetta is a holiday-worthy centerpiece: pork belly rolled tight with garlic, fennel, rosemary, and orange, slow-roasted until tender, then finished hot for shatter-crisp skin. Rich and deeply savory, it’s balanced with a bitter, citrus-bright broccoli rabe salsa verde, raw chicories for crunch, and a sharp house giardiniera that cuts through the fat. Serve family-style or carved thick at the table—an old-world roast sharpened for winter entertaining.
Ingredients
- 1 pork belly, skin on (about 7½ lb / 3.4 kg)
- Pork brine (recipe below)
- 18 g kosher salt
- 20 g black peppercorns, toasted and ground
- 17 g fennel seeds, toasted and ground
- 34 g Aleppo pepper
- Zest of 1 orange
- 15 g rosemary, finely chopped
- 10 g oregano, finely chopped
- 10 g fennel fronds, finely chopped
- 60 g garlic, crushed to a paste
- 100 g white wine
- 50 g extra‑virgin olive oil
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- 448 g broccoli rabe, blanched
- 224 g extra‑virgin olive oil
- 8 g chili flakes
- 8 g Aleppo pepper
- 10 g kosher salt
- 5 g black pepper, ground
- Zest of 1 lemon
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- 2 heads chicory (Castelfranco, Chioggia, or similar)
- Extra‑virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
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Vegetables
(About 3–3½ lb total) - 2 cups pearl onions, quartered - 3 celery ribs, sliced into ½‑inch pieces - 1 medium cauliflower, small florets - 3–4 carrots, small dice
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- 4 cups apple cider vinegar
- 4 cups champagne vinegar
- 6 Tbsp kosher salt (≈85 g)
- 1½ cups sugar (≈300 g)
- 1–2 dried Calabrian chiles, torn
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 Tbsp coriander seed, toasted
- 2 tsp fennel seed, toasted
- 2 tsp black peppercorns, toasted
- 6–8 thyme sprigs
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- 3 gallons water
- 454 g kosher salt
- 1 lb onions, julienned
- 1 bunch rosemary
- 1 bunch thyme
- 1 bunch parsley
- Orange peel
- 8 bay leaves
- 20 g black peppercorns
- 20 g fennel seeds
- 20 g coriander seeds
- 5 g Instacure #1
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Large Oval Roaster
Provisions Stainless Steel Mixing Bowl Set
OvenBond Half Sheet Tray
ProBond Professional Clad 8qt Stock Pot
ProBond Professional Clad 11in Skillet
Directions
- Score & Brine
- Score the pork skin in a tight crosshatch, cutting through the skin but not deeply into the fat. Submerge in cold pork brine and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Dry
- Remove from brine, rinse lightly, and pat dry. Place uncovered on a rack in the refrigerator.
Make the Paste
- Grind toasted spices in a mortar and pestle. Add garlic and crush to a smooth paste, then stir in Aleppo, orange zest, herbs, white wine, and olive oil.
Roll
- Lay the pork skin‑side down. Rub the paste evenly over the meat, roll tightly, and tie every 1½–2 inches. Season the exterior with salt and black pepper. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
Roast
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Roast porchetta on a rack set over a pan with a little water in the bottom for 2–3 hours, until tender.
Crisp
- Increase oven to 425°F (220°C) and roast 10–15 minutes, until the skin is deeply crisp.
Rest & Slice
- Rest 20 minutes. Remove skin if desired and slice porchetta thickly.
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Blanch broccoli rabe in well‑salted water until just tender; shock in ice water. Squeeze dry and hand‑chop into thin rings. Mix with remaining ingredients. Refrigerate until needed and bring to room temperature before serving.
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Tear into bite‑size pieces and dress lightly with the giardineria, extra virgin olive oil salt & pepper just before serving.
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Tie spices and thyme in cheesecloth. Combine all pickling ingredients, bring to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes, then cool completely. Submerge vegetables and refrigerate 3–4 days before serving.
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Toast spices. Combine all ingredients with 1 gallon water, bring to a boil, and simmer briefly. Pour over ice to cool completely, add remaining cold water, and submerge pork belly for 24 hours.
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Slice porchetta generously. Spoon broccoli rabe salsa alongside, scatter chicories dressed with the giardiniera for bitterness, crunch and acidity. Serve immediately.
