That’s a Spicy Roast

DEAR SOS: I’m hoping you can provide me with the following recipe from Piatti Ristorante in Thousand Oaks: roasted pork (maiale arrosto). This dish is marvelous.

SHIRLEY WILLCUTT Simi Valley

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DEAR SHIRLEY: This recipe uses a spice rub. The chef at Piatti, Bradley Bennett, recommends using an old coffee grinder or mortar and pestle to crush the spices. If you don’t have a mortar and pestle (and this should not be a point of pride) you can place the whole spices in a doubled plastic bag or between two pieces of wax paper, and either use a meat tenderizer, a rolling pin, a small hammer or a stone to pound the spices until they’re finely ground. It’s fun.

Roast Pork (Maiale Arrosto)

Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 1 hour 35 minutes plus 1 hour chilling

Serve with mostarda di Cremona, an Italian fruit relish flavored with mustard oil that is available at Italian markets and delis. Pimenton is available at specialty markets such as La Espanola Meats in Harbor City, (310) 539-0455, or from mail-order sources such as La Tienda, (888) 472-1022 or https://www.tienda. com. Sometimes it’s called smoked paprika.

1 tablespoon mustard seeds

2 teaspoons cumin seeds

1 tablespoon fennel seeds

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons juniper berries

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

1/2 tablespoon pimenton (Spanish paprika)

1/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (3-pound) pork loin or rack

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Finely grind the mustard, cumin and fennel seeds, the bay leaf, juniper berries, coriander, pimenton, brown sugar, salt and pepper in a spice grinder. Coat the pork with the spice rub. Refrigerate the pork for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Roast the pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, loosely cover with foil and set aside 10 minutes before slicing.

4 to 6 servings. Each of 6 servings: 414 calories; 874 mg sodium; 125 mg cholesterol; 22 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 41 grams protein; 0.54 gram fiber.