Pampanella Molisana (Spicy Roast Pork from Molise)

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If you have been following me on Instagram, you know that I recently went to Molise for the first time. (My 18th region out of 20!) What I found there was natural beauty, warm, extremely generous people, excellent food and ingredients, great wine, and… pampanella! What is pampanella you ask? It’s something you need in your life – that’s what it is! Pampanella is a spicy, luscious, rich, and utterly craveable roast pork dish from a town called San Martino in Pensilis. I am ecstatic to tell you about this unheard-of dish and share a recipe for this scrumptiousness. Spice and pork lovers rejoice!

Italy’s youngest region

Molise, for those of you unfamiliar, is Italy’s newest and second smallest region. (The Val d’Aosta being the smallest.) Up until 1963, it was a part of the Abruzzi, now separated into Abruzzo and Molise. It’s unfortunately off of many people’s radar (as is Abruzzo for that matter). However, it is worth a visit, especially for those that prefer less traveled spots.

When we decided to go to Molise, I contacted Lori De Sanctis from Molise Cuisine. I met her last year with Wendy from Flavor of Italy, both contacts from Instagram. I thought it would be nice to see her while we were there. A native of Montreal with Molisana origins, Lori resides in Italy where she does custom tours of the area. She is passionate and knowledgeable about the traditions, food, and wine of Molise. When we were deciding where to stay, she mentioned her town and that she had an apartment there that she rented out. Perfect!

San Martino in Pensilis

Her village ended up being a beautiful, small hilltop town named San Martino in Pensilis in the Campobasso province. There are approximately 5,000 residents. Small though it is, it has many local dishes, products, and wines. There are also splendid views of the valley below.

Of all the dishes I tried on my visit, my absolute favorite dish was pampanella. Wow! Upon tasting it on my first night there, I did a backflip inside. I felt like I’d discovered a hidden gem. Hardly anyone has heard of this dish outside of the area. Italian cuisine is full of such treasures. It blows my mind every time I encounter something like this. Why is such deliciousness hidden? Why aren’t these dishes more widespread? I think I may be one of the first people to write about pampanella in English. (I’m rather psyched! You’re welcome.)

What is Pampanella Molisana?

Pampanella is a slow-cooked pork dish that is completely covered in a mixture of sweet and hot ground red pepper, garlic, sea salt, and splashed at the end of cooking with a touch of white wine vinegar to perk up the flavors. That’s it. It’s simple and sublime. You can eat it as a main course, on a sandwich, add slices of it to an antipasto spread, or even add some of the chopped meat to a ravioli filling as I had on my first evening there (as served to me at the wonderful restaurant Vico Segreto.). You can eat it hot, warm, or cold (yes, it’s even good straight from the fridge). Pampanella is festive, delicious, spicy, and fun.

To avoid confusion, you might come across Pampanella Abruzzese or Pampanella Pugliese but they are cheeses and have nothing to do with this dish!

Some Pampanella history…

The history of pampanella isn’t exactly clear. (I read so much conflicting information that I won’t bother going into all of it…) Some sources believe that Pampanella Molisana originated in the late 1800s. To me, this makes sense since two of the main ingredients (the two different peppers) are from the New World. The first written mention of pampanella is contained in a Pugliese text from around 1800 called “La fisica Appula”, by the Franciscan monk Michele Angelo Manicone. The only tie between Pampanella Molisana and that of Manicone’s text is a similar cooking method. For Pampanella Molisana, you need to go to San Martino in Pensilis, the home of this delectable porky goodness. (Even though there are some areas of the Gargano area in Puglia and in other parts of Molise that make it.)

A pambanelle è ‘na specialità,
perciò nesciune ci’a po’ squerdà
e sole a San Martine a sanne fà.

An excerpt from a poem by Domenico Zurro where he states that only in San Martino in Pensilis do they know how to make pampanella!

The name pampanella comes from the recipe’s origins. While cooking, the pork is completely covered to keep the moisture in and to retain the bright red chili color. In the past, the pork was covered in leaves called pàmpini, Latin name pampinus, which is the word for grape leaves. Hence, pampanella. Nowadays, the pork is covered with moistened paper called carta paglia, which is similar to butcher paper or food-safe craft paper. (In the recipe, I provide a more accessible way to keep that meat moist and bright red.)

Chili pepper goodness

The chilies that are integral to the dish are local varieties. Lori told me that many people grow these peppers, sun-dry them, then grind them. Apparently it takes great skill to retain their beautiful red color. The sweet pepper used is called pepone whereas the hot chili pepper is called diavolillo. While I was in San Martino, it was rather difficult to get the exact names of the chilies from people. They seemed to know what chilies to use but not their names! Very interesting. As they are very hard to find outside of Molise, I’ll discuss substitutes below.

Pampanella nowadays

According to articles I read, pampanella used to be prepared in the home. Some think that pampanella was prepared by the wealthy due to the good cuts of meat used. Nowadays, there are a handful of butchers in town that specialize in pampanella. You can buy it to heat up at home and you’d best believe that I took some vacuum-packed pampanella home with me!! An organization called the Associazione Nazionale per la Denominazione Comunale dictates that butchers follow strict guidelines in the preparation of the dish. At this point, this is not an IGP or DOP product but I read in one article that they might be seeking that status. That would be pretty cool if pampanella achieved that recognition. I’ve never come across another dish like it in Italy.

One thing that amused me while I was there is that I saw that several pampanella delivery vans owned by the various butchers. Remember, there are only 5,000 people in town. Vans? Several? Bringing the people pampanella?! (Maybe they transport it out of town?) After you taste it, you’ll see why!

Party time…

In San Martino in Pensilis, there is a pampanella sagra (festival) every August (except this year due to Covid-19). Also, it was historically eaten at this crazy looking chariot race on April 30th called the Corsa dei Carri. Look it up. It looks nuts and is still a thing.

Ingredients

Pampanella is simple enough to prepare, but you are going to want to keep some things in mind:

The pork

Use a variety of pork cuts. The fun of the dish when you eat it as a group is that everyone has their favorite cuts – some like their pampanella fatty, others lean. Mix it up. I tested the recipe for 4 servings and still managed to use 3 different cuts of meat (I used ribs, pork belly, loin with the bone). If you do it for a large group, use more cuts, preferably with the bone.

Typically, the cuts used are prime cuts so no organ meats here. You can use the pork belly (obviously the best), pork shoulder, the neck, ribs, leg, etc., The butchers tend to use all cuts.

Once you’ve chosen your cuts of pork, you need to cut the meat into 1 1/2 cm (3/4 inch) slices down to the bone, keep the meat intact. It’s like you’re creating a book of pork. If you use ribs, you can cut them into individual ribs, I was successful with this.

After your meat is prepped and seasoned, you are going to fit the pieces very snugly together in your baking dish. There should be no excess space, we are not looking for caramelization (which would ruin the red color and achieve a different texture).

The spice

As I mentioned above, local peppers are used. Thankfully for the spicy component, ground cayenne pepper is a perfect substitute. I looked up diavolillo peppers and they look almost identical to cayenne peppers. In addition, they are exactly the same on the Scoville rating (30,000-50,000 SHU). They both have the same Latin name – capsicum annuum. Maybe they are the same or maybe they are cousins. Who knows… ground Calabrese pepper would work equally well.

The sweet

For the sweet peppers, we run into more problems. When testing I bought supermarket paprika in Bologna and also had two kinds of sweet ground pepper from San Martino in Pensilis. One was from the supermarket in San Martino and the other bag was a gift from a butcher in San Martino. There was no contest. The supermarket paprika was dull and rather flavorless, the Molise supermarket pepper was very good but the hands-down winner was from the butcher. The pepone powder had a bright red, gorgeous color and an incredibly complex and sweet flavor.

Basically, you need to find the sweetest, unsmoked paprika you can find. I would suggest buying from a spice vendor with a high turn around. To be successful with pampanella, you need to have the freshest ground red pepper available. Your dish will have more flavor and the reddest color. You are looking for RED, not rust-colored pepper. Do not use old paprika from your pantry. In the US you can try a company like Penzeys or go to an Indian market and get a big bag of paprika and chili powder there. I had the TRS brand of both chilies in my pantry and they had a lovely flavor. Note, pepone peppers are different from senise peppers from Basilicata and Calabria and the Abruzzese Peperone dolce di Altino.

How spicy?

I did a fair amount of research and the consensus was to start with 3/4 sweet pepper to 1/4 hot. Some use 2/3 sweet to 1/3 hot and others do 1/2 and 1/2. I suggest starting with 1/4 hot. That is what I did while testing and it was perfect. It is supposed to be hot but not painful. This is not extra hot chicken from Prince’s Hot Chicken in Nashville. (Oh, how I miss you…) Start with that ratio and customize it from there. Taste the mixture of the two chilies first before you put it on the meat and adjust it to your liking first. Make sure that you mix them thoroughly together or you might be in for an unpleasant surprise! Every batch will probably be different because every bag of chili powder that you use will taste different. Always taste as you go. Cooking 101.

Garlic

One of the most prominent pampanella makers in San Martino is the Macelleria Fratelli Muccillo. Lori took me by their shop one day and they explained to me how they make the dish. For the garlic, they use granulated garlic because everything they use has to be certified and from specific sources. It makes it easier for them to demonstrate meeting the requirements of the Associazione. I tested the recipe using granulated garlic in order to replicate their recipe but there are plenty of people that use minced fresh garlic. The powder is obviously easier but I will try fresh next time to see what I prefer. You choose. If you use fresh, make sure to use the best you can find and if there is a shoot growing, remove it.

The flavor of the garlic is not supposed to be overpowering. I lightly sprinkled the pork with the powder but did not cover the pork with it like you need to do with the red pepper.

White Wine Vinegar

A trick to perking up the flavors of a rather rich and fatty dish is to use a splash of white wine vinegar. Some add it at the beginning of cooking and others towards the end. I added my vinegar for the last 10 minutes of cooking. While testing, I did half of the pan with the vinegar and half without. I definitely preferred the meat with the vinegar. You don’t taste the vinegar but it adds a pleasant brightness and contrast of flavor.

Lastly

If you are interested in hearing about Molise. Wendy from Flavor of Italy interviewed Lori on her podcast. Give it a listen!

To serve pampanella as a main course, serve it with a nice tomato salad. The butcher suggested that acidic things like vegetables sott’aceto (canned with vinegar and oil) are a good accompaniment. My recipe for Zucchini alla Scapece al Forno would work really well too. If you would like to add it to your antipasto table, be sure to try my Calabrian Stuffed Eggplants to go with your spicy pork.

There are those that think that Pampanella Molisana is addictive like a drug. I firmly I agree with them. Enjoy the recipe! I’d love your feedback.

Pampanella Molisana (Spicy Roast Pork from Molise)

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Serves: 4-6 Cooking Time: 2 H 2 H

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.8/5

( 4 voted )

Ingredients

• 1 - 1 1/2 kg (2-3 lbs) mixed pork cuts, (such as pork belly, bone-in pork loin, neck, ribs, shoulder, leg, country ribs etc.,)
• sea salt, to taste
• granulated garlic, to taste (see note)
• 25 grams (1/4 cup) hot ground chili powder, such as cayenne chili powder
• 75 grams (3/4 cup) sweet paprika (not smoked)
• white wine vinegar, to taste

Instructions

1. First, prep your meat or have your butcher do it for you. Keeping the meat pieces intact, make 1 1/2 cm (3/4 inch) slices down to the bone. It's like you're creating a book of pork. If you use ribs, you can cut them into individual ribs. Set aside and find a casserole dish that will fit your meat snugly together and place the meat in there. (For this quantity of meat a square Pyrex dish should be sufficient, around 8-9-inches or 20-21 cm.)
2. Prepare your chili rub by mixing the two kinds of ground red pepper together well. Taste to see if you need to adjust your spice level. Set aside.
3. Next, sprinkle the meat entirely with sea salt. Don't overdo it but be thorough, season the top, bottom, and in between every layer of your little pork book.
4. Now, lightly sprinkle the pork with the granulated garlic, in the same manner, covering all of the meat. Don't use too much.
5. Lastly, cover every surface of the pork with your red pepper mixture. To be less messy, work on parchment paper and wear rubber gloves. Cover the outside, and in between every slice with your rub, pressing down lightly to help it adhere. Every last bit of pork inside and out needs to be covered in your red pepper mixture. After you have covered everything with the red pepper, shake off any excess and cover the pork in the rub again to ensure you don't miss a spot and have a nice thick layer of red pepper everywhere. Gently shake off the excess again. At this point, you can bake the pork right away or you can marinate it in the refrigerator from 2-3 hours or overnight. 
6. Once you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180 C/350 F. While your oven preheats, take the pork out of the refrigerator if you have marinated the meat.
7. Take a piece of parchment paper that will cover all of the meat in the casserole dish. Wet it completely and squeeze out any excess water. Cover the meat entirely with the parchment, tucking in the parchment all around the meat like you are tucking in a fitted bedsheet. Next, cover your baking dish entirely with aluminum foil. Place it in the oven. Set a timer for 1 hour and 50 minutes.
8. Once your timer goes off, sprinkle the top of the meat lightly with white wine vinegar. (Place your thumb lightly over the bottle spout to help you sprinkle the vinegar vs. pouring it on.) Cover the pork again and cook for another 10 minutes or until your pork is tender. The pork should remain bright red.
9. Serve hot, warm, or cold, as desired.

Notes

Some people prefer fresh garlic to granulated. You may try it with minced fresh garlic. If you want to make a big batch and save some for later, do not freeze it. Vacuum pack it and it should keep in the fridge for up to 3 months. To reheat, place the vacuum-packed pork in simmering water for 10 minutes.