Free-Range Pigs and Culinary Memories from New Zealand to Sicily
Travelling through the North Island of New Zealand on the way to Napier, we found ourselves slowing down every time we passed paddocks dotted with free-range pigs. These were not isolated sightings—pigs foraging freely across spacious pastures seemed almost commonplace. We returned to photograph a particularly lively group near Greytown, but a sudden burst of rain sent them scurrying into their ‘kennel’ for shelter.
One scene remains vivid in my memory even without a perfect photograph: a gentle sow lying calmly as her piglets climbed, tumbled, and chased one another with the playful abandon of puppies or kittens. I had never imagined pigs could be so spirited.
The photo below was taken in Mondello, close to Palermo in Sicily.
Sadly, when my thoughts turned to food, I did think that the pigs would be supreme in taste and tenderness; as cute as these piglets are, I know that eventually they will have to face the butcher’s knife. Quality meat is achieved through keeping pigs in a stress free environment, able to graze their whole lives and free to roam. The care and quality of life that appears evident for these pigs points to a more humane end than what is apparent for the live cattle or sheep that are being sent to brutal and cruel slaughters in some other countries.
A Sicilian Connection: The Nebrodi Black Pig
The last time I ate braciole like these was in Ragusa, at a relative’s country house—Sicily’s equivalent to a holiday home. We discussed il suino nero dei Nebrodi, the famed Sicilian Black Swine native to the Nebrodi Mountains. Small, black, and bristly, they resemble wild boar and continue to forage in wooded landscapes.
During that same trip, my partner and I had just returned from Monreale near Palermo, where we tasted exquisite salame made from Nebrodi pigs.
Around this time I was reading Carlo Petrini and immersing myself in the Slow Food movement; the Nebrodi pig, listed in the Ark of Taste, is a symbol of heritage animal breeds at risk of disappearing.
All of this—ethics, flavour, memory—comes together beautifully in a simple Sicilian dish.
Sicilian Recipe: Pork Chops Cooked in Wine (Bracioli di Maiali o’ Vinu)
Ingredients
- 6 pork bracioli (chops)
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 glass red wine
- 1 glass water
- 6 small sprigs fresh rosemary or oregano
- Juice of 2 lemons
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- (Optional) Olive oil, if the meat is very lean
Method
-
Prepare the chops:
Make a small incision in each pork chop and insert a sprig of rosemary or fresh oregano. -
Start the braise:
Place the chops in a single layer in a frypan with a little water and salt.
Braise uncovered until the water evaporates and the chops begin to colour. -
Add wine and spices:
Pour in the red wine, add the fennel seeds and pepper, and allow the wine to evaporate. -
Finish with lemon:
Add the lemon juice and serve immediately.
If the pork is very lean, mix a little olive oil with the lemon juice to make a light salmoriglio.
SALAMURRIGGHIU – SALMORIGLIO (Dressing made with oil, lemon and oregano)