Recipe: Pork sirloin braised with white beans, rosemary and sage

It swells with wine and a blush of tomato, and travels as far way from the sweet, smoky, ketchup-laden American version as a dish can go without being expatriated. The herbal assault happens on three fronts: first as a dry rub, and then in a fresh pesto, half of which is cooked with the pork, and the rest swirled into the sauce at the end for a final olfactory onslaught.

Servings
4-6

Precook
15 minutes

Slow cook
6 hours on low in a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker

At the end
5 minutes

Ingredients
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
3 large cloves garlic, 2 halved and 1 minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 1/2 pounds boneless pork sirloin, rolled and tied
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 cup dry white wine
1 can (about 15 ounces) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, drained
2 cans (about 15 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts