Italian Food Recipes

Cassoeula is a traditional Italian recipe prepared in the winter period in Lombardia. It is traditionally prepared in the first day of November and in particular at my home this recipe is cooked in occasion of the Saint’s day. It is a laborious and high-calorie dish whose recipe changes from town to town. The main Italian ingredients used to prepare it are: Savoy cabbage that might be traditionally used after the first frost, the poor parts of pork such as stare ribs, sausages, rind, feet, ears and head and onion, carrots and celery browned in oil. As I said each town of Lombardia has its own recipe: in Como’s province the feet aren’t used but it is used the head of pork, in Pavia’s province only the stare ribs are used, instead in Novara’s province is used also the meat of goose. In the traditional recipe all ingredients are browned in butter but to make the recipe lighter the butter can be changed with the extra virgin olive oil as I describe in the recipe below in which I use carrots, celery, onion, stare ribs, sausages and rind of pork, with the addition of a tablespoon of tomato sauce. Traditionally Cassoeula is link with the feast of Saint Anthony abbot that is the 17th of January, the last day of the butchering of pork after which the poorer part of the pork are used to savour the Savoy cabbage that is the typical Italian winter ingredient. Cassoeula should be served hot and it is more delicious if accompanied with hot polenta.

INGREDIENTS (for 8 people):
3 Carrots chopped
2 Celery chopped
1 / 2 Onion chopped
4 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil
8 Stare ribs
8 Sausages
8 Pieces of Pork rind
1 Kg of Savoy cabbage
1 or 2 Tablespoons of Tomato sauce

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 2 hours

WINE: Barbera del Monferrato (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Place the extra virgin olive oil, the carrots, the celery and the onion in a large pan and let them brown for about 5 minutes.

Add the stare ribs and let them brown,

then add the pork rind

and after 5 minutes the sausages,

cook for about 10 minutes and then add the Savoy cabbage.

When the Savoy cabbage wilt add the tomato sauce,

mix all together, sprinkle with some salt and continue to cook for about 1 hour and 30 minutes. The savoy cabbege usually piddle but if neccesary add 1 glass of water.

Serve Casseoeula hot and accompanied it with soma hot Polenta.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This recipe is for a main course made of pork, ham and Emmental. Cooked in this way pork, that sometime can become dry, is very spicy and tender.

INGREDIENTS (for 2 people)

4 Slices of pork
4 Slices of ham
8 Small slices of Emmental
Salt
Pepper
50 g of Butter
A bunch of rosemary

PREPARATION TIME : 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Dolcetto d'Alba (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Cut pork in 4 slices, season them with salt and pepper only on one side. Then
put a layer with 1 slice of ham and another with 2 slices of Emmantal on this side of the slice.

Roll up and close with the help of a toothpick as a roulade.

Baste a pan, place in it the roulades and brown them on a low heat.
Pour red wine and let it evaporate on a high heat (for about 5 minutes).

Preheat the oven to 200 °C and when the roulades are browned add 1/2 cup of water and bake them for almost 20 minutes.
Place 2 roulades onto a platter, add a bunch of rosemary and serve.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!