Pampanella Molisana

Spicy, garlicy roasted pork from Italy’s hidden-gem, the region of Molise

When my wife Jess & I went on our honeymoon to Italy, back in 2022, one of the foods on our “must try” list was Pampanella Molisana (from here forward, I’m just going to call it Pampanella). My exploration of the cuisines of our respective ethnic backgrounds started long before we actually got a chance to visit Italy, and with Jess’s Italian ancestors having come specifically from Molise & Abruzzo, I’d read about Pampanella quite a while before we got a chance to try the genuine article!

When I was reading about traditional Molisan dishes, it’s not hard to imagine why Pampanella caught my eye (yeah, that rhymes, big whoop, wanna fight about it?). I love spicy foods, I love garlic, and I love pork! So the description of: pieces of pork, covered in sweet and hot powdered chilis, garlic, and roasted until tender was right up my alley!

The name of this dish, Pampanella is though to come from the palm leaves that were originally involved in the cooking of the pork. It’s for this same reason that this dish shares a name with a fresh cheese from Abruzzo, which is traditionally served on a pampino, a fig leaf.

The exact history of Pampanella is hard to pin down, but it does seem to have originated in southwestern Molise, where it is still the most popular (along with some towns in the Gargano region of Foggia). And in southwestern Molise, there is one town that is the undisputed epicenter of Pampanella: San Martino in Pensilis.

San Martino in Pensilis

This town of about 4500 people, located about 20 minutes from the coastal resort city of Termoli, is home to a number of butchers whose business revolves almost entirely around the production and sale of Pampanella, to the point where they even have trucks to make home deliveries of Pampanella to people in the area.

When we visited San Martino in Pensilis, we were lucky enough to be treated to a meal of Pampanella, as well as a tour of the town (including Macelleria Muccillo, one of the Pampanella-centric butchers in town), all provided by the amazing Lori DeSanctis. Lori was born in area, grew up in Montreal, and then returned to run Molise Cuisine, where she organizes food & culture tours of Abruzzo & Molise, ranging from single-day cooking courses, to 10-day excursions all over the region. Jess & I had booked a cooking course & tour with Lori the previous day, in which we toured the Marinelli Bell Foundry (family owned for almost 700 years!) and cheese-producers Caseficio Di Nucci in Agnone, Abruzzo. After the tours, the matriarch of the Di Nucci family taught us how to make fresh pasta with a delicious fresh tomato sauce, and we had lunch with the whole family.

Jess doing a much better job making pasta dough than me

During the course of the day, while chatting with Lori, we told her that we were staying in Termoli, and were planning on visiting San Martino in Pensilis to get some Pampanella. Lo and behold, it turns out that Lori actually lives in San Martino and offered to meet us the next day for lunch! While enjoying some absolutely stellar Pampanella (and local wine), Lori let us in on some details about making Pampanella at home, advising us that the powdered hot & sweet chili peppers used to coat the pork were only really available in the general vicinity of San Martino in Pensilis, being grown and produced almost exclusively by locals.

We were able to procure a couple jars of both hot and sweet chili powders from a woman selling produce from a small stall, but obtaining more outside of Molise is close to impossible. The closest substitute is going to be paprika; I’d advise using Hungarian half-sharp paprika as a sub for the hot chili powders, and Californian paprika in place of the sweet chilis. Californian paprika has a more similar aroma to the deep, tomato-y flavor of the chilis in San Martino in Pensilis, than either Hungarian or Spanish sweet paprikas. You can use smoked Spanish paprika if you’d like, but the smoky flavor (which I do love) isn’t authentic to Pampanella in Molise.

Hot chili powder that we bought from a local in San Martino in Pensilis

The other secret to a proper Pampanella, that Lori let us in on, is the use of white wine vinegar to add some acidity to the otherwise rich & savory pork. This step, she said, more than any other, is essential to getting the proper flavor out of any batch of Pampanella. So don’t skip it!!!

Interestingly, the cut of pork used in your Pampanella isn’t really that important; the local butchers use all sorts of cuts to make Pampanella including the loin, belly, ribs, and shoulder. That being said, it seems that the fattier cuts are more popular, and my personal favorite cuts to use are pork belly and country-style ribs (which are actually meat from the shoulder and/or loin).

Pork shoulder, belly, and ribs

Finally, while in the recipe and (upcoming) video, I follow a standard cooking method of 350F (180C) for 2 hours, there are other variations that you could try out:

• 250F (120C) for 1 hour, remove the pan, re-cover with freshly dampened parchment, turn oven up to 300F (150C) and cook for 1 hour, drain liquid, remove parchment, drizzle with vinegar, turn oven to 400F (~200C) and cook for 30 to 45 minutes.

• 300F (150C) for 2 hours, remove, drain, drizzle, return to oven and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes.

As for how to serve Pampanella, thanks to its simplicity, you can serve it up an a variety of ways! As a sandwich, on top of a pizza, even on top of a risotto would be good! Or, you can just serve it up on its own with whatever sides strike your fancy!

However you decide to eat it, I think you’re going to love this street-food favorite from one of the least well-known and most underrated regions of Italy!

Yield: 6

Author: Loyd Mitchell

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Pampanella Molisana

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 20 M

The signature dish of San Martino in Pensilis, in Molise, Pampanella is delicious, slow-roasted pieces of pork covered in garlic, hot & sweet chili powders, salt, and drizzled with white wine vinegar.

Ingredients

• 2 - 3lbs pork (various cuts)
• 3 Tbsp sweet or California paprika
• 1 Tbsp hot or half-sharp paprika
• 2 - 3 tsp salt
• 3 - 6 cloves of garlic minced, or 3 - 6 tsp garlic powder
• 3/4 - 1 cup white wine vinegar
• Water as needed

Instructions

1. If your pork is in a solid piece, such as a large piece of pork belly, or shoulder, cut about 90% through the meat, in pieces about 3/4 inch wide, so that the pork is almost like a big, meaty book.
2. Line the bottom of a large roasting pan with parchment paper, and lay the pieces of pork inside the pan.
3. Salt the meat, making sure that you get salt on all sides of the pieces or slices.
4. If using fresh garlic, follow the same technique as with the salt, making sure to get garlic on all sides of the meat.
5. If using garlic powder, mix it together with the paprikas, and season the pork all over. The meat should be completely and thoroughly covered with this mixture. You may need to prepare more seasoning, depending on the size & shape of the pork pieces.
6. (Optional) Let the pork sit, refrigerated, for 1 - 2 hours.
7. Take several large pieces of parchment, dampen them with water, and cover the pork as tightly as possible, tucking the edges of the paper underneath the pork.
8. Put the pan in the middle rack of an oven preheated to 350F.
9. Cook for 1 hour & 45 minutes.
10. Remove the pan from the oven, remove the covering parchment, and drain off as much liquid from the pan as possible, being careful not to spill any meat.
11. Drizzle or pour over the meat with white wine vinegar.
12. Place the pan back in the oven, uncovered, and cook for another 15 minutes.
13. Remove from the oven and enjoy!

Notes

• Since Pampanella can be made out of most cuts of pork, it's a good idea to use a variety of pork, especially if you're cooking for a group, so everyone can have their choice of leaner or fattier pieces.
• Country-style ribs, pork belly, and loin chops are my personal recommendations.
• Pampanella can be enjoyed hot or cold, and is frequently eaten as much in sandwich form or as a topping for pizza, as it is on its own.
• Drizzling with a little more vinegar right before serving can add an extra pop of acidity.