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!

Savoy cabbage is vegetable typical of the autumnal period that you can use to prepare many Italian second course recipes. One of the traditional Italian dishes, in which there is savoy cabbage, is Casseola. Casseola is a meat based recipes that my mother used to prepare at the begging of November. In this period savoy cabbage is an ideal Italian ingredients to cook recipes like this presented below. In this recipes savoy cabbage is the main ingredient that combined with carrots and speck allow realizing a delicious second course.



INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
600 g of Savoy Cabbage
3 Carrots
80 g of Speck
1 / 2 Onion minced
4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Donnas DOC (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Clean the savoy cabbage,

This is a typical Italian recipe from Marches. It is made of potatoes and Savoy cabbage with the addition of rosemary. The rosemary gives a particular and good taste to this delicious recipe that can be served as a side dish or as a vegetarian secound course.








INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
6 Small potatoes or 3 medium potatoes
800 g Savoy cabbage
2 Cloves of garlic
Rosemary
4 Slices of bread
4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
Salt

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 55 minutes

WINE: Bianco dei Colli Maceratesi (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Peel the potatoes and boil them for about 15 minutes.

In the mean time wash and clean the Savoy cabbage and cut it into strips. Then boil them for about 20 – 25 minutes.

When the potatoes are ready mash them.

Clean the garlic and place it in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil until it becomes golden.

Now add the Savoy cabbage and the mashed potatoes. Mix all together, sprinkle with salt and rosemary and let it flavour for about 5 – 10 minutes.

Place in a dish 4 slices of bread,

put on it the Savoy cabbage with potatoes and serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!