Background: Back in the day when I worked on the streets of south Philadelphia, one of my favorite things to get for lunch was an Italian Pork sandwich.  My favorite spot was D’Nicks down near 10th and Oregon, where the sandwich was just sopping wet in an awesome gravy, the pork was super tender, with fresh provolone and hot cherry peppers. I use Amoroso rolls for this sandwich that we ship in from out East, our homemade vegetable stock, along with sauteed garlic spinach.

Ingredients:
1 lb pork shoulder
1 sprig rosemary
1 tbsp parsley
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups of vegetable stock (homemade if possible)
½  cup plus 2 tbsp Marsala wine divided
2 handfuls of fresh spinach
1 tsp local honey
1 shallot
½ tsp fennel seeds
½ tsp hot pepper flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
½  tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 Italian Rolls
6-8 slices of Provolone cheese

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F
  2. Put the pork shoulder, rosemary,1 clove garlic, stock, wine, pepper flakes, fennel, honey, salt and pepper into a Dutch oven and heat it up to just boiling. Remove from the heat.
  3. Move the Dutch oven into the oven and cook for 2.5-3 hours turning every 30 minutes hours until meat temperature is at least 145 degrees F. Pull the pork apart in the Dutch oven and mix with the gravy.
  4. Once the pork is near done, sweat the shallot and in olive oil in a non-stick pan, then drop is some marsala. Next add the spinach, remaining garlic, and salt and pepper and cover for about one minute. Remove the cover and cook until the spinach just wilts. (Broccoli rabe can be substituted for the spinach)
  5. Toast the Italian rolls on griddle or large pan with olive oil, plate, and place provolone slices on the bread.
  6. Using tongs place some pork on each roll and ladle some juices on top. Next add the spinach, then chop two hot cherry peppers and sprinkle on top. Cut in half and serve. Feel free to spoon on more gravy!