Several years ago, I purchased a cookbook entitled Urban Italian by Andrew Carmellini. Favorite recipes from the cookbook include an eggplant agrodulce with the perfect balance of sweet from the honey and sour from the vinegar, a flavorful chicken marinated in a vinaigrette spiked with lemon, oregano, and red chili flakes, as well as a crispy, herb and spice crusted roast pork. These recipes inspire dishes often served for dinner in my home.

Last week, I purchased a Berkshire pork roast from Catalpa Grove Farm at Publican Quality Meats. I prefer to buy pork grown locally for quality and freshness and I often make a special trip to the butcher once or twice each week. To prepare this roast, I referred to the recipe for Pork Arrosto in Urban Italian. The pungent aroma of garlic, thyme, rosemary, sage, and fennel seed and pork filled the kitchen as it roasted in the oven.

Herb and Spice Crusted Pork with Roasted Potatoes

I hope the recipe for herb and spice crusted pork will encourage you to try one of the restaurants created by chef Andrew Carmellini the next time you visit New York. My husband and I dined at The Dutch on our last trip. The Dutch is a restaurant, bar, and oyster room located on Sullivan Street at the corner of Prince Street. We shared a variety of East Coast oysters to start, followed by an appetizer of truffled beef carpaccio and cauliflower with rye croutons and an entree of barbecued pork. For dessert, we enjoyed a crispy funnel cake with corn pudding and caramel.

In November, Andrew Carmellini opened a new restaurant named Little Park in the Smyth Hotel in Tribeca. Little Park offers a seasonal farm to table menu with organic vegetables, free-range poultry, and grass-fed meats from local farmers and ranchers . I look forward to dining at Little Park on my next visit to New York.