Arnold Gatilao, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons.

It might have made more sense to call it arrosto (r0ast) or even arrostito (roasted), but the Italians call their delicious pot-roasted loin of pork aristà, tracing the name to a bunch (a bench?) of 15th Century Greek bishops.

The story goes that they were in Florence in 1430 for a conference to try to resolve the differences between the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox branches of the Christian church. During their stay, the bishops and their entourage were given the pot-roasted pork, a local speciality. They liked it so much that they complimented the chef by crying out ‘aristos’ which, as every schoolboy knows (or at least, used to know when classic languages were taught in schools) means ‘good.’ Aristocracy, for example, means ‘rule by the good.’ The cloth-eared Florentines, however, thought they said aristà and have given this pork dish that name ever since.

It’s a good story, but unlikely to be true: the dish was called aristà long before the Greek clerics’ visit. But try it at the Watermill during your creative week and we are sure you‘ll agree it’s a noble dish. Here is the recipe for aristà di maiale dal mulino.

Recipe from the Watermill cucina – Aristà di maiale

Ingredients

800 g to 1 kg of pork loin, rolled and tied with string
2 cloves of garlic
A few sage leaves
A sprig or two of rosemary
A glug or two if extra virgin olive oil
25 g of butter
Half a glass of white wine
A few tablespoons of milk
Salt
Black pepper
A small onion, a carrot, a sprig of celery

Method

1. Ask the butcher to de-bone the pork loin, roll it up and secure it with string.
2. Make a paste from the garlic, rosemary and sage and rub it over the pork loin.
3. In a heavy casserole dish, heat the olive oil and butter until they ‘foam,’ then sear the pork loin until it is browned all over.
4. Turn down the heat.
5. Finely chop the onion, carrot and celery and add, along with the white wine and a little milk.
6. Put the lid on the casserole and cook on a low heat for an hour or so, checking from time to time.
7. Let the meat rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. Cut in thickish slices and pour over the delicious gravy from the casserole. Green beans and roast potatoes are a good accompaniment. ‘Aristos, aristos,’ as the Greeks would say.

*As well as inspired tuition, warm hospitality, beautiful accommodation and stunning locations, one of the extra pleasures you’ll enjoy on a Watermill creative course is the food. We offer you delicious, home-cooked dishes, many of them Italian classics with a Watermill ‘twist.’ We receive many accolades for our food from our guests on our Watermill creative courses. Comments like ‘out of this world,’ ‘outstanding.’ ‘top notch’ and ‘fabulous’ abound.

Come and see (and taste) for yourself. You can read all about our creative holidays – painting, knitting and Italian language – by clicking here.

Enjoying lunch at the Watermill.

More recipes from the Watermill cucina

Remember to explore the other food blog posts and discover more Watermill recipes inspired by Italian classics and convivial meals, see the links below:

Gorgonzola soufflés
Succulent salmon with a spicy salsa
Tiramisù
Parmesan lollipops
Fennel baked in white wine and parmesan
Involtini di pollo
Panzanella

Our holidays