Grilled sandwich cut in half and placed in a paper serving tray.

Porchetta Melt With Fontina Cheese, Roasted Pepper, Pine Nut Pesto, Fresh Arugula and Parmesan Crust

Recipe and Photo Courtesy of Pork Checkoff

Makes: 4 servings
Prep Time: 24 - 48 hours
Cook Time: 8 - 15 minutes

Ingredients:

pork loin (Whole, with belly attached)
12 tbsp unsalted butter
12 tbsp mayonnaise
16 slices bread (suggested bread is a roasted garlic bread but French will do)
butter
24 oz porchetta (sliced)
24 oz Fontina cheese
8 tbsp red pepper (and pine nut pesto)
2 cups arugula (packed)
4 cups Parmesan cheese (shredded, not grated)
1 lb ground pork
1 lb onions (sliced thinly)
1 lb fennel bulbs (sliced thinly)
1/2 cup fennel fronds (finely chopped)
2 tbsp fennel seed (toasted)
2 tsp fresh rosemary (chopped)
1 tsp fresh thyme (chopped)
1 tsp fresh sage (chopped)
1/4 cup beaten eggs
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp black pepper (fresh cracked)
1/2 tbsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tbsp lemon zest
24 oz roasted red peppers (cleaned and seeds removed)
1/4 cup garlic
8 oz white bread (or French bread, crust removed and cut or ripped into 1/2 inch squares)
1/2 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Directions:

In a large pot, sauté ground pork in a slight amount of oil until brown. Remove from pan.
Add onions and fennel to pot and sauté over medium/high heat until starting to soften. Add garlic and continue to cook until starting to slightly brown.
Add all remaining ingredients except eggs and cook for 15 minutes.
Remove from pan and cool.
Once cool, add beaten eggs and incorporate completely.
Trim the pork and score the rind. Unroll the roast so the skin side is down. Examine the belly portion and determine whether you need to trim away any of the top layer of fat. If the roast came without skin, turn it over and also trim away some of the fat from the top side if need be. How much you leave in place is a matter of personal preference. Ideally you want a layer just under 1/2-inch thick. If you’ve got a separate pork loin and pork belly, check that the outermost fat layer of the pork belly is less than 1/2-inch thick. If needed, trim it down.
Next, drape the belly (skin side up) around the pork loin (without tying it), just to get a sense of how it will fit. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but if it extends more than 1 inch over the ends of the loin, trim it down and save the trimmings for another use. If there’s a gap on the underside because the belly doesn’t reach all the way around, that’s fine.
Arrange the belly so it is skin side up on a stable surface and, using a box cutter, utility knife, or other razor-sharp knife, carefully (but firmly) score the rind in parallel lines about 1/2-inch apart, cutting through the rind and just into the fat (about 1/4-inch deep) without cutting through to the meat. The lines can go in any direction that appeals to you.
Flip the pork over and slightly “butterfly” into about half of the loin to allow stuffing.
Unroll the belly flap and sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over the belly and the roast, rubbing lightly so the seasonings adhere.
Spread stuffing evenly over the interior of the inside of the belly and into the loin.
Roll the flap around the loin. Secure the entire ensemble with kitchen string, tying loops at 1- to 2-inch intervals.
Season the surface of the roast lightly but evenly with salt and pepper, getting some into the score marks as well.
Set the roast on a tray or in a baking dish and refrigerate, uncovered or loosely covered, for 24 to 48 hours. Let the pork sit at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours before roasting.
Preheat the grill to 450°F.
Place the pork seam side down on a roasting rack in a sturdy roasting pan just large enough to accommodate it. Roast for 25 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (300°F convection). Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the roast registers 140°F to 145°F, another 3 hours or so, but it’s a good idea to start checking the temperature after another 2 hours.
Allow roast to rest for at least 25 minutes before carving.
Carve into 1/4 inch slices with a sharp knife.
In a food processor combine ingredients in the following order, processing until smooth after each ingredient: Garlic, salt and pepper, 1/4 cup pine nuts, red peppers, parmesan, bread.
SLOWLY drizzle in the olive oil until all incorporated.
Chop remaining pine nuts and fold into mixture.
Allow to chill for at least 2 hours before use.
Mix ingredients vigorously to completely incorporate, making sure there are no lumps.
Generously Butter one side of each slice of bread with the butter/mayo mixture. Be sure to butter to the very edges.
Place Parmesan cheese in a shallow pan or sheet pan. Press buttered side of bread into parmesan firmly so cheese sticks to the butter. Assemble each sandwich in the following order:
1. Spread about 1 tbsp of pesto on the unbuttered side of one slice of bread.
2. Lay 2 slices of fontina cheese on pesto.
3. Place approximately 1/4 cup of fresh arugula on top of cheese.
4. Top arugula with 3 oz of sliced porchetta.
5. Cover porchetta with 1 slice of fontina cheese.
6. Place second slice of bread, butter and Parmesan on the outside.
Heat griddle to about 340°F.
Place sandwiches on griddle and allow to cook SLOWLY. If your heat is too high it will burn the cheese and the inside will not be hot.
Once Parmesan is golden brown, gently flip and repeat until cheese is melted and hot. Do not move sandwich until Parmesan cheese has browned.
If the cheese browns prior to the inside being hot and cheese melting, turn burners on high, and place directly over the burner and allow sandwiches to finish.
Remove from heat and allow to stand for 30 seconds before cutting. Cut with a sharp knife and enjoy.