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1
In a mortar with a pestle, grind the cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, and juniper berries to a coarse powder and rub the mixture well onto all the surfaces of the leg of pork, placing it, then, in a large, noncorrosive bowl.
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2
Heat the bottle of red wine to a point just under the simmer, adding the sage leaves and the rosemary.
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3
Cover the liquid; allowing it to steep for 30 minutes.
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4
Pour the infusion over the spiced pork, covering the bowl tightly with plastic wrap (a conceit not dictated in the original formula) and permitting it to marinate for 6 hours at cool room temperature.
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5
If you are a swineherd or a shepherd, a few hours under the shade of an oak tree seems just fine.
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6
Strain the marinade from the meat, reserving it and discarding any remains from the spices and herbs.
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7
Dry the pork with absorbent paper towels (conceit number two).
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8
Meanwhile, in a very large terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole, warm the olive oil with the butter, adding the pancetta and melting it in the fat.
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9
Add the onion and garlic, rolling them about in the fat and softening them to transparency.
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10
Remove the onion and garlic to a plate.
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11
In the remaining fat, seal the leg of pork, sprinkling on sea salt and permitting the meat to crust and take on deep color.
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12
The process takes at least 15 minutes.
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13
When the pork is sealed, remove it to a holding plate.
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14
Add the reserved marinade to the casserole, raising the flame, stirring, scraping at the residue for 1/2 minute before adding 1 cup of the additional red wine and 1 cup of the late-harvest wine along with the pork and the reserved onion and garlic.
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15
Over a low flame, bring the liquids just to the point of simmering, cover the casserole with a slightly skewed lid, and braise the pork for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reads 155 degrees.
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16
This is the point at which Mariuccia, the swineherds wife, ended her husbands recipe.
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17
I add the following steps, which detract not a whit from the rusticity of the dish, but serve to intensify its flavors.
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18
Remove the leg of pork to a holding plate and strain the sauce, pressing on and discarding the solids.
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19
Return the sauce to the casserole and, over a lively flame, reduce it for 10 minutes.
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20
Reacquaint the meat with its sauce, permitting the whole to cool completely, uncovered.
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21
Skim any accumulation of fat, gently reheat the pork in its sauce, removing it to large, warmed platter.
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22
Add the remaining 1/2 cup of wine to the sauce, heating it just to the point of simmering, pouring some over the pork.
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23
At table, carve the leg into thin slices, offering it with more of its sauce, chunks of good bread, and a jug of red wine.
