Regional recipes: Bergamo Capù

Capù vs Nusècc: the valleys compared

The dishes are rolls of minced meat combined with traditional Bergamo cabbage or white herbs. Once upon a time the dish was devoid of meat since the places were poor and it was necessary to bring rich and abundant dishes to the table, it was important to respond to the needs of the place and find energy from what the land offered.

The recipes are very similar and allow you to leave room for imagination, perhaps adding a tasty side dish, or choosing to add a refined and particular cut to the 100% Italian meat. However, the perfect side dish is polenta, a great classic of the Bergamo valleys in its numerous and delicious variations. The difference between the two dishes is given by the secondary ingredients, so whether it is Capù or Nusècc doesn't matter - just don't tell a Bergamo native from the valley!

Brembana Valley and Nusècc

Today's Valle Brembana recipe is very rich in flavors and is proposed as a tasty, abundant and complete dish from a nutritional point of view.

Ingredients for Nusècc

• 250 g of minced beef
• 200 g of grated Parmigiano Reggiano
• 200 g of breadcrumbs
• 50 g of mortadella
• 12 cabbage leaves
• 1 fresh egg
• parsley, white pepper, nutmeg, salt and cinnamon to taste
• Fried: onion, carrot, celery, bacon, ripe tomatoes
• extra virgin olive oil

Procedure for Nusècc

First you need to prepare the filling:

Chop the mortadella and mix it with the minced meat. Using a bowl, add parmesan, breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, white pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Wash the cabbage leaves, blanch them in boiling water and spread them on the work surface, dry them carefully and using a spoon, place a stuffed meatball in the centre. Close the cabbage leaves like a package and seal them with kitchen twine.

The second phase is cooking:

Prepare the sauce using a non-stick pan: cut the onion, carrot and celery finely, when they have browned add the bacon, also cut into cubes. Raise the heat, add the Nusècc and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Lower the heat, add the roughly chopped tomato and 2 ladles of water, leave on the heat for at least an hour or until the water has evaporated. While waiting, prepare the yellow polenta.

Valle Seriana and Capù and the recipe as it once was

If Nusècc represent a rich dish, choosing to propose the recipe exactly like it used to be is a must! Here are the Capù made as per tradition: a particular dish that manages to be poor and tasty at the same time.

Ingredients for Bergamo Capù

• 12 cabbage leaves
• 2 eggs
• 2 cubes of butter
• 200 g of breadcrumbs
• 180 g of grated cheese
• parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Procedure for the Capù

Blanch the cabbage leaves in salted water, it only takes a few minutes. While they cool, prepare the filling. Mix grated bread, grated cheese, parsley, garlic, salt, pepper and nutmeg, when the mixture is smooth, add the 2 beaten eggs and two cubes of butter melted in a cup of hot water.

Spread the cabbage leaves on the work surface and place a stuffed meatball in the center. Close the leaves like a package and seal them with kitchen twine. Place the Capù in a bain-marie for cooking, adding a chopped onion to the pan. Leave to cook for at least an hour, remove from the heat and bring to the table. Polenta is perfect for filling cooking time and creating a complete dish.

Regional recipes and Italian meat

Italy is the undisputed homeland of DOP and IGP products, cured meats are an example that some vegetables and food and wine products follow suit. When it comes to Italian cuisine, it is necessary to use imagination and combinations because, thanks to these elements, creativity is free to indulge and bring excellent reinterpretations to the table.

Carne Genuina chooses to produce meat following traditional rules and offers the possibility of creating delicious dishes with unusual cuts of meat. Minced meat is the perfect starting point for creating a hamburger recipe and at the same time lends itself to taking on a nostalgic role by transforming into Nusècc. The quality of the raw materials is a pillar which, combined with imagination, offers the discovery of new flavours, tastes and risky and winning combinations. You need to try, nothing else.