The recipe for traditional cassoeula

The cassoeula, what?

Let's start with the pronunciation, perhaps it is the most complicated thing to replicate perfectly, but once the obstacle has been overcome, the road becomes clear and clear, perhaps. Cassoeula is a typical Lombard dish, the product of cold and humid days, when you need to bring something hot, challenging and truly satiating to the table. It is used to recover energy, to rediscover the pleasure of being all around the table, remember times gone by and replicate a genuine and tasty dish.

The cassoeula is made up of cabbage and pork , the combo - which at first glance seems undemanding - is actually a whirlwind of calories that increase and settle on the rolls just by looking at it, but at the same time manages to be inviting like few others other dishes, even more so if it is accompanied by a firm and steaming polenta, straw yellow with golden reflections.

The cassoeula recipe

With or without the verzini ? Should cabbage be used or can I replace it? Over the years, various variations have tried to overthrow the classic version. More or less renowned chefs have tried to remove, add and replace some ingredients without however being able to replicate the same experience of a bite of the classic recipe. This detail is fundamental since the ingredients must be genuine and coming from organic farming, only in this way can we find flavors and aromas of times gone by, of when we were children playing in the courtyard waiting for our grandmother's call for the dish to be ready and steaming on the table. It is important to remember that cassoeula is a solution that lends itself to lunch, as it requires a good dose of willpower to avoid the sofa. In short, the advice is not to propose it as a meat recipe for dinner, unless you then make bubbles all over. the night!

Ingredients for traditional cassoeula

• 1 kg of pork ribs
• 1 kg of organic cabbage
• 150 g of pork rind
• 250 g of tomato puree
• 100g of pork lard
• 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 savoy cabbage
• 1 medium carrot
• 1 white onion
• 1 white celery
• ½ teaspoon fine salt

Traditional cassoeula recipe process

Prepare the ingredients for the sauté by finely chopping the onion, carrot and celery. In a pan, add the extra virgin olive oil and brown the sautéed vegetables. In the meantime, finely chop the lard and savoy cabbage with a knife, clean the pork ribs of excess fat.

Reduce the heat to low and add everything to the pan. When all the meat is well browned, add the tomato sauce and wait a few minutes, season with salt. Arrange the organic cabbage leaves previously beaten with a knife and blanched in boiling water in a pan.

Arrange the meat over the leaves and leave to cook over low heat for 40 minutes. Cover with a lid to prevent the steam from dispersing. If necessary top up with meat broth. Prepare your favorite side dish: yellow polenta is a must!

Tips for cooking cassoeula and beyond

If you have leftover cassoeula you can store it in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container. The cassoeula is perfect if accompanied by yellow polenta as it represents the perfect combo that inextricably recalls tradition, however it is possible to choose other combinations, equally valid but a little less traditional: mashed potatoes and roasted chips go well with a challenging dish, and they make both adults and children happy.

Recipes with pork and vegetables lend themselves to different variations that range from traditional ideas to regional recipes that are impossible to change. However, what is essential to remember is the authenticity of the raw materials which, to bring back a hidden memory, must be tangible and certain. Traditional farms offer this type of product which, in addition to beef, allows you to find other cuts of meat and animals bred following strict rules, after all this is how the PDO and PGI markings are obtained!