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1
Over a lively flame in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and soften the onion, carrot, and celery for a few minutes, until lightly golden.
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2
Add the salt, garlic, bay leaves, and rosemary, rolling the herbs about for a minute.
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3
In a mortar with a pestle, crush the cloves with the juniper berries, adding them to the pan with the wine.
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4
Bring to a gentle simmer, lower the flame a bit, and cover the pan with a skewed lid, permitting the liquid to barely simmer for 10 minutes.
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5
Cool the marinade.
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6
Place the pork in a noncorrosive bowl just large enough to hold it and its marinade.
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7
Pour over the cooled marinade, stirring the meat about.
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8
Cover the pork and marinade and leave it to rest for three days in the refrigerator, stirring the pork about in the marinade at least twice a day.
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9
Remove the pork from the marinade and set it aside.
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10
Strain the marinade and, in a medium saucepan over a lively flame, reduce it to one half its volume.
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11
Warm the olive oil in a large terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole and saute the pancetta lightly.
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12
Dry the pieces of pork on absorbent paper towels.
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13
Add them to the casseroleone or two pieces at a time, so that they do not touchand seal them well on all sides.
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14
As the meat is sealed, remove it to a holding plate and proceed.
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15
When all the pork has been sealed, add the onion and garlic to the casserole and soften it in the fat.
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16
Add the reduced marinade to the casserole, stirring and scraping up all the residue.
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17
Add the red wine and the pork and bring just to a simmer.
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18
Over a gentle flame, braise the pork, covered, its lid barely skewed for 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is nearly melting into its sauce.
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19
Remove the pork from its sauce with a slotted spoon and cover it to prevent its drying while you finish the sauce.
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20
Over a gentle flame in a small saute pan, heat the sugar, rolling it about until it melts and takes on a rich, golden color.
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21
Remove from the heat, and add the vinegar.
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22
Because the vinegar will be cooler in temperature, the caramel will seize.
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23
After a few seconds over a gentle flame, though, it will melt into the warming vinegar.
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24
Pour the caramel/vinegar into the sauce, blending the components and simmering the sauce for a minute before reacquainting it with the pork.
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25
The dish can rest for several hours or overnight or be served immediately.
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26
Some of its sauce can be used for pasta as a first course, if you wish, and the meat presented as a second course with nothing to distract from its lush flavor save great chunks of toasted country bread and jugs of the same good wine in which the pork was braised.
