This is not one of the foods of my childhood (I don’t want to reimagine my childhood). This sandwich pre-dates LA’s invention of the food truck. Porchetta originated in Umbria where typically you will see a whole suckling pig (or part of one) spitted in back. The meat is sliced right off of the pig and handed to you on a crusty roll. I first tasted this in chilly, morning market squares and also outside of football stadiums in third division towns prior to going to sit or stand on a cold, concrete bench and watch two anemic teams kick a ball past their own players for 90 minutes with stoppage time added. I can’t tell you how much I love Rome or how much I miss it every day, but the origin is Umbria and not Lazio although on the outskirts of Rome you can find really great porchetta. Like Alberto Sordi I will be interred with an AS Roma scarf. <br /> <br />It literally took me years of work to get it right, but I finally figured out a good way to duplicate it at home without the entire Piggly Wiggly (who you might see smiling at you from the window of a butcher shop in Rome or Gubbio). One of the things I like about this preparation is that you get a toothsome bit of crispy skin with almost every slice. I’ve seen other recipes using pork loin and found them to be totally unsatisfactory. But a picnic shoulder works just mighty fine because you really need that crispy skin and unctuous pig fat. <br /> <br />Typically this is served without condiments (depending on where you happen to be). But I like to offer it to my guests with some salsa verde on the side. This is my “go to” dish when I have to cook for ten or twenty guests. - pierino <br />

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