Castello Banfi is a family-owned vineyard estate and winery in the Brunello region of Tuscany which over the past 20 years has played a fundamental role in the successful renaissance in the quality art of Italian winemaking.
With so much wonderful wine to hand, you could argue that it was only natural for Banfi to expand its gastronomic interests to include the opportunity of pairing its liquid offerings with some excellent food. Today you can choose between their elegant Ristorante with its frescoed walls and a cosy fireplace where you can enjoy light, Mediterranean-inspired dishes that showcase a bounty of seasonal local produce and the rustic Taverna with its vaulted ceilings and wooden tables where a range of more traditional Tuscan dishes is served.
Legend has it that this boneless pork roast got the name ‘Arista,’ used exclusively in Tuscany, when the Archduke of Tuscany held a gala dinner at which the Greek Patriarch was in attendance. After being served the dish, he exclaimed his delight with the Greek term ‘Aristos’, a praise of the highest calibre. The Tuscans changed the pronunciation a little but the meaning is there and the dish is truly exalted.
Ingredients
(serves four to six people)
1 pork loin – 700-800 grams;
2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil;
2 garlic cloves; 4 leaves of sage
4 sprigs of rosemary;
Peel of 1/2 lemon;
Pinch each fine salt and freshly ground black pepper;
1 glass dry white wine.
Preparation
Finely chop the sage, rosemary and lemon peel, mix with the salt and pepper, and rub into the pork roast – you can also make long but shallow incisions on the surface of the meat to rub the herbs into.
Place the roast in a baking pan with the olive oil (coat the pan and drizzle some on top of roast) and the garlic, and cook for about 1 hour on low heat – about 150-160°C.
Turn the roast and pour the wine over it. Increase temperature (to about 200°C) until the wine evaporates, approximately ten minutes. Remove from oven and let sit for a few minutes before slicing and serving with its juices.
