For most of South Florida, the de facto pork sandwich is pan con lechón – Cuban bread and roast pig seasoned with vinegary mojo and sliced onions, then pressed. In Italy, primarily in Rome, that sandwich is made with porchetta, boned pork stuffed with aromatics – rosemary, garlic, fennel, pepper (black and hot) and salt – then wrapped up in its skin and slow roasted until the outside is crackly and the meat is juicy.
After a visit from the late Anthony Bourdain for his show, The Layover, Rome native Alessandro Toglia decided to take his porchetta talents to the U.S. and share his version of Rome. From his food truck, wrapped in images of the coliseum, he greets visitors with a warm “Welcome to Rome.” On his all-Roman menu, which includes cacio e pepe and supplí (risotto balls filled with mozzarella), the porchetta sandwich gets star billing. Slices of succulently seasoned pork and chunks of crunchy skin are generously piled on crusty bread. Toglia adds a creamy onion jam, not so typically Italian. You can ask for vegetables – cooked peppers or bitter greens, and provolone. We wouldn’t dare weigh in on whether it’s tastier than pan con lechón. But it’s worth seeking out in the interest of expanding porky horizons.
Look on social media for Porchettoni food truck’s whereabouts in Miami-Dade and Broward.
