BOLLITO MISTO
VENETIAN POT-AU-FEU
This dish is also called carne lessa (boiled meat). It’s a traditional dish enjoyed at Christmas or on festival holidays, and is served in all good Venetian restaurants from autumn to spring. This pot-au-feu is traditionally presented on a trolley. The pieces of meat are kept warm in the stock and cut to order. The pot-au-feu below is served with three condiments. It’s real theatre!
SERVES 8 PREPARATION TIME: 30 MINUTES COOKING TIME: 31/4 HOURS
3 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
3 onions, studded with cloves
1 marrowbone
A few peppercorns
A handful of flat-leaf (Italian) parsley stalks
2 bay leaves
1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) blade or braising beef
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) breast of veal
1 large free-range chicken, or capon
1 musetto or 1 cotechino, or other suitable sausage
30 g (1 oz) coarse salt
Mostarda (candied fruit with mustard oil, available from delicatessens, ask for the Lazzaris brand)
SALSA VERDE
50 g (13/4 oz) crustless sandwich bread
125 ml (4 fl oz/1/2 cup) wine vinegar
50 g (13/4 oz) flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves
50 g (13/4 oz) celery leaves
50 g (13/4 oz) capers, rinsed
50 g (13/4 oz) cornichons
2 hard-boiled eggs
8 anchovy fillets
1 garlic clove
100 ml (31/2 fl oz) olive oil
Pour 6 litres (210 fl oz/24 cups) of water into a large pot. Add the carrot, celery, onion, marrowbone, peppercorns, parsley and bay leaves. Bring to the boil, season with salt, add the beef and return to the boil. Lower the heat to the minimum setting, skim the broth several times, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Add the veal breast and chicken and cook for 21/2 hours, regularly skimming the broth. Cook the cotechino or musetto separately, 2 hours for fresh sausage, 15 minutes for precooked sausage.
To make the salsa verde: Moisten the bread with the vinegar and let it soak for a few minutes. Put everything into a food processor, and process to make a salsa.
To serve, place the pot on the table, take out the meat and cut it up on a board in front of the dinner guests, then return it to the stock. Serve with coarse salt, mostarda, horseradish sauce and salsa verde.