Porchetta with Walnut and Baked Fig

Remove the pork loin from the net (which should be kept) and place it on the cutting board. Take a sharp knife and, with a steady hand, cut into the meat to a thickness of about half an inch and continue cutting in a spiral direction. Your aim is to create a long scarf-like strip of meat with a thickness of about half an inch. Using a meat mallet, gently flatten the pork

Finely chop your fresh herbs, set half aside and use the other half to rub into the top side of the meat, then season with salt and pepper.  Now open up your fig ball and gently remove around 15 individual figs from the ball. Starting from one end of the meat, you need to create alternating stripes of fig and then walnut across the width of your ‘scarf,’ equally placed along the length of the pork, at a distance of about two inches

Your next step is to carefully roll up your ‘scarf’ and then rub the remaining herbs all over the outside of the pork.  Re-use the net, if available, to hold the meat in place. Otherwise, using a string made from natural fibres, you need to wind the cord around your bundle and tie it up to hold it together

Place the porchetta in a well oiled, snugly fitting pan and sear the meat on all sides over a medium heat.  Add the white wine and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and add the pre-heated meat stock. Cover with a well-fitting lid and, on a low flame, allow the meat to cook for between an hour and one hour and twenty minutes. Transfer the pork from the pan to a cutting board; remove the strings and slice thickly

Once cooked, the pork loin is at its tastiest when still warm from the oven. Enjoy it with roast potatoes and a salad, or in true Tuscan tradition, place the meat inside an unbuttered bap and away you go!