Chef Graziella
Arista alla Fiorentina
The roast pork of Florence: bone-in loin studded with rosemary and garlic, nothing more. This is the dish that earned its name from a Byzantine bishop who declared it aristos, the best.
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Maiale ai Peperoni
Created by
A Roman summer supper where sweet peppers cook until they nearly melt, mingling with strips of browned pork, white wine, and just enough tomato to bind it all together.
Main Dishes
Italian, Roman
Weeknight
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield4 servings
Romans cook peppers until they surrender completely. Not crisp, not al dente, but soft and almost jammy, collapsing into the oil and releasing all their sweetness. This is how my mother's generation understood vegetables: cooked fully, without apology, until they became something new.
The pork must be browned properly before it joins the peppers. Wet meat thrown into a crowded pan produces grey, chewy disappointment. Dry the meat. Heat the oil. Give each piece room to develop color. This is not fussiness. This is the foundation of flavor.
I use only a touch of tomato here, just enough to give the sauce body and tint the peppers. Americans want to add more. They think tomato sauce means Italian. But this is a pepper dish. The tomato supports. It does not dominate. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.
Peperonata, the pepper stew that forms the heart of this dish, belongs to the summer cooking of central and southern Italy, prepared when peppers flood the markets in August. Roman cooks added pork to transform a contorno into a piatto unico, a single dish that could feed a family on a hot evening when no one wanted to spend hours at the stove.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
boneless pork shoulder
Quantity
1 1/2 pounds
cut into 1-inch strips
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
sliced thin
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
lightly crushed and peeled
red bell peppers
Quantity
2 large
cored and cut into 1-inch strips
yellow bell peppers
Quantity
2 large
cored and cut into 1-inch strips
dry white wine
Quantity
3/4 cup
canned whole peeled tomatoes
Quantity
1 cup
crushed by hand
fresh rosemary
Quantity
1 sprig
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| boneless pork shouldercut into 1-inch strips | 1 1/2 pounds |
| extra virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons |
| yellow onionsliced thin | 1 medium |
| garlic cloveslightly crushed and peeled | 2 |
| red bell pepperscored and cut into 1-inch strips | 2 large |
| yellow bell pepperscored and cut into 1-inch strips | 2 large |
| dry white wine | 3/4 cup |
| canned whole peeled tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 cup |
| fresh rosemary | 1 sprig |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Large heavy skillet or sauté pan with lid, 12 inches
- •Tongs for turning the pork
Instructions
- 1
Season and dry the pork
Pat the pork strips completely dry with paper towels. Season generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Wet meat does not brown. It steams. This is the difference between silky pork and grey, chewy strips that disappoint everyone at the table.
- 2
Brown the pork
Heat two tablespoons of the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Add the pork in a single layer, working in batches if necessary. Do not crowd the pan. Let each piece sit undisturbed for two minutes until golden brown on the bottom, then turn and brown the other side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
If you crowd the pan, the meat will release its juices and stew instead of browning. Better two batches done well than one batch done poorly. - 3
Soften the onion and garlic
Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add the sliced onion and the crushed garlic cloves. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is completely soft and turning gold at the edges, about 10 minutes. The garlic should perfume the oil. When the onion is ready, remove and discard the garlic cloves. They have given what they have to give.
- 4
Cook the peppers
Add all the pepper strips to the pan. Season lightly with salt. Stir to coat with the oil and onion. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. The peppers will release their liquid, then begin to soften and collapse. They should become almost silky, losing their raw crunch entirely. This is not a stir-fry. The peppers must surrender.
Red and yellow peppers become sweeter as they cook. Green peppers remain slightly bitter. I use only red and yellow for this dish. The color is part of the pleasure. - 5
Add wine and tomatoes
Pour in the white wine. Let it bubble vigorously until reduced by half, about three minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes and the rosemary sprig. Stir everything together. The tomato should tint the peppers, not overwhelm them. This is a pepper dish with pork, not a tomato stew.
- 6
Return the pork and finish
Return the browned pork and any accumulated juices to the pan. Nestle the meat among the peppers. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 15 minutes, until the pork is tender and the flavors have married. Uncover for the last five minutes if the sauce seems too thin. It should coat the peppers and meat lightly, not pool at the bottom.
- 7
Rest and serve
Remove the rosemary sprig. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Let the dish rest off heat for five minutes. The sauce will settle into the meat. Serve directly from the skillet onto warm plates. Good bread is mandatory for the sauce. Once plated, invite your guests to put off talking and start eating.
Chef Tips
- •Pork shoulder has the fat and connective tissue to stay tender through cooking. Loin dries out too easily. Ask your butcher for boneless shoulder and cut it yourself into strips about one inch wide.
- •The garlic is crushed, not minced. You extract its perfume into the oil, then discard it. This gives presence without aggression, which is the only acceptable way to use garlic in most Italian cooking.
- •Do not substitute green peppers for all the red and yellow. Green peppers have a different, more bitter character. One green among three sweet is acceptable if you prefer, but the dish will taste different.
- •This reheats beautifully. In fact, Roman home cooks often make it ahead and serve it at room temperature on the hottest summer evenings.
Advance Preparation
- •The completed dish holds well for one day in the refrigerator. Reheat gently over medium-low, adding a splash of water if the sauce has thickened.
- •You may serve this at room temperature, which is traditional for summer in Rome. Let it cool naturally after cooking, never refrigerate and serve cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 350g)
Calories
605 calories
Total Fat
38 g
Saturated Fat
11 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
25 g
Cholesterol
120 mg
Sodium
620 mg
Total Carbohydrates
18 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
32 g
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