|
|
 |
 |
Bollito Misto
Boiled Dinner |
|
Ingredients
|
- 2 1/4 pounds beef -- the cut used in
Italy is shoulder; James Beard suggests beef brisket
- 2 1/4 pounds neck or breast of veal
- 1 1/4 pounds calf's head (though
required by tradition, this is becoming difficult to find;
should you choose not to include it, increase the beef and veal,
or add a pound of lean pork instead)
- A veal's tongue, weighing 1 1/4 pounds
- A chicken, weighing about 2 1/4 pounds
- A cotechino weighing about 3/4 pound
(a cotechino is a pork sausage, available in Italian
delicatessens; you can also use a zampone, which is a stuffed
pig's trotter)
- 2 carrots
- 3 ribs
celery
- 2 onions,
stuck with 2 cloves each
- Salt
|
|
|
Characteristics
|
|
Course |
SECOND
|
|
Preparation time |
2-3 hours
|
|
Difficulty |
Medium |
|
Recipe for persons |
8 to 10 |
|
Region |
Piedmont
Lombardy |
|
|
|
|
|
Preparation
|
|
How to make the bollito misto: Fill a large pot with water sufficient to cover the meat.
Lightly salt the water, add the vegetables, set the pot on the fire. Since
you want the flavor to remain in the meat, wait until the water comes to a
boil before adding the beef (the heat will seal in its juices). Reduce the
flame to a simmer, and after about an hour, add the breast of veal,
chicken, and calf's head (should you prefer not to use it, increase the
quantities of beef and veal, or add a pound of lean pork -- this isn't piemontese, but the emilians do it.)
In the meantime, set a second pot of
lightly salted water on the fire, bring it to a boil, and begin simmering
the tongue when you add the veal and chicken to the beef. If you are using
a fresh cotechino or zampone set it in a pot of cold lightly salted water
at this time (prick the cotechino all over, or loosen the string of the
zampone first) and begin simmering it. If you instead buy precooked
sausage, follow the instructions on the package.
The meats will be done when they are
fork-tender, this will take about an hour or slightly more from when you
add the veal and the chicken to the beef. Come serving time, the meats
should be arranged on a heated platter, sprinkled with a ladle of hot
broth, and carved at the table (cut the tongue and the cotechino or
zampone, into 1/2-inch slices).
Often bollito misto is well accompanied
by
salsa verde and/or
mostarda. |
BOILED DINNER
It sounds terribly obvious, and it is.
However, in the last century Crown Prince Vittorio Emanuele and his friends
would sneak off to Moncalvo, a town far from the stifling air of the Court in
Torino, to enjoy a rich, flavorful bollito misto: seven kinds of meat,
seven vegetables, and seven condiments.
Though seven kinds of meat may seem like a lot, the variety is important because
each compliments the others, producing a whole that is greater than the sum of
the parts. You should include beef, veal, pork, chicken, tongue, zampone or
cotechino, and feel free to add whatever other cuts of meat you feel might work.
The pieces should be from older animals, because they will be more flavorful,
and should also be large - this means that a good bollito misto is ideal
for a convivial meal with friends, or for when you want to make something that
will provide the wherewithal for several meals. In terms of cooking technique,
preparing a bollito misto
is straight forward: Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil and
add the beef, veal, chicken and vegetables (the hot water seals the meat; see
below for timing). To prepare the bollito misto, boil, separately, the tongue and zampone or cotechino,
assuming you choose to include them.
|
