(12) Porchetta Sandwich @ RoliRoti

Nommmmm times a lot. This sandwich is unreaaaaal. Pork loin, wrapped in pork belly, stuffed with herbs. They had me at the word pork. And also the words loin, belly, and herbs. Oh myyyyyy. It's ridiculously mouth-watering. Bundled in a toasty, yeasty, fluffly hunk of bread and sprinkled with bitter arugula. Yikes. And the pork! Oh, the pork! It's crispy, juicy, tender, herbaceous. Yowza.

Porchetta Sandwich @ RoliRoti. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Porchetta @ RoliRoti. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson.

Check out these porchetta-making-sandwich-slinging-machines! Scope how he carefully soaks the bread with the juices - atta boy! Doing, it, right. Nom nom nom nom. There is always a 50+ person line, but they are so darn efficient and streamlined that you won't wait more than 10 minutes until there is a sandwich in your mouth. Promise.

(12) Porchetta Sandwich @ RoliRoti from Kendra Aronson on Vimeo.

Is this not the most beautiful thing you've ever laid eyes on? Look at them birds rotating and them potatoes soaking up their drippings! It's mesmerizing, really. I could watch it all day long. It's hypnotic. If I were to ever get hypnotized, I'd want this rotisserie truck to do it to me. Mmmmmmm.

Rotisserie Chicken @ RoliRoti from Kendra Aronson on Vimeo.

Cross sections of sandwiches are one of my favorite things in life. I'm being totally serious, whenever I come across a really great cross-section of a sandwich I can't help but smile real big. Another thing that makes me smile is the blog Scanwiches. Some awesome dude scans cross-sections of sandwiches, "scans of sandwiches for education and delight." - so simple, so rad, (why didn't I think of this??!?!?!?!) > buy his book here.  Another interesting concept is deconstructing sandwiches - this girl has taken it upon herself to eat signature sandwiches from across the nation and design posters. Stately Sandwiches,  so fun! Follow along here.

Porchetta Sandwich @ RoliRoti ($9.50)
available @ many Farmer's Markets in the Bay Area
Thursdays = 10:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. @ San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer's Market
Fridays* = 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. @ Blue Bottle in Oakland (*1st & 3rd Friday of the month)
Fridays** = 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. @ San Francisco Gift Center (**last Friday of the month)
Fridays*** = 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. @ San Jose Willow Glen (***every other Friday)
Saturdays = 8 a.m. - 2 p.m. @ San Francisco Ferry Building Farmer's Market


PORCHETTA (via 7x7)
Serves 10 to 12

1 tablespoon finely minced lemon zest

5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 tablespoons fennel seeds, toasted and lightly crushed

4 dried bay leaves, crumbled

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons pinot grigio or similar dry white wine

2 pounds boneless pork loin

1 pork belly (about 5 pounds), with fat and skin on

1. Place the lemon zest and juice, garlic, rosemary, toasted fennel seeds, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and pinot grigio in a small bowl, and mix until a crumbly paste forms.

2. Working with a sharp knife, cut back the fat of the pork loin, making sure not to cut into the loin meat. Rub the pork belly inside and out evenly with herb paste. Put the pork loin inside the pork belly, and then tie the roast crosswise at 2-inch intervals with butcher's string. Make sure you use an even tension when tying so that the porchetta will cook evenly. Cover the porchetta with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 24 hours to let it absorb the flavor of the herb paste.

3. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

4. Place the porchetta on a rack in a roasting pan, seam side up. Bake the porchetta for 30 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking the porchetta until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thicket part of the meat registers almost 140 degrees, 1 to 1 1/2 hours longer. For the past 5 minutes of cooking, place the porchetta under the broiler to crisp the skin, rotating the porchetta until it is golden brown.

5. Remove the porchetta from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Then remove and discard the string, and the carve the porchetta into 1/2-inch slices.