CARNE
MEAT
INVOLTINI ALLA PIAZZETTA
Frittata-Stuffed Meat Rolls
Serves 4 to 6
In Cilento’s Valle dell’Angelo, La Piazzetta, the only restaurant in town, exclusively serves hearty country dishes thoughtfully prepared by chef Carmela Bruno. In spite of Cilento being famous for its rugged coastline and pristine cerulean waters, most of this subregion of Campania is inland and populated with more grazing animals than people (the population of Valle dell’Angelo, for instance, is 156 and falling). Accordingly, the meat is culled from lean, free-range cows and, in this recipe, the herbs they graze on. Hold on to any leftover sauce and use it to dress pasta over the following days. I love it with ziti, rigatoni, or carrati (see this page).
4 eggs, beaten
½ cup finely grated Pecorino Romano
Handful of fresh mint, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound rump roast, cut into roughly 3-ounce slices
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 (28-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves
1 cup dry white wine
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, Pecorino Romano, mint, salt, and pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a small nonstick skillet over low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the egg mixture to the skillet. Using a wooden spoon, stir a few times, moving from the outside of the pan toward the center. When the eggs are set in the middle, gently flip the frittata (see Note), cover, and cook until the edges start to come away from the sides of the pan and the middle starts to rise. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the frittata to cool before unmolding, about 20 minutes. To unmold, run a heatproof spatula around the edges and underneath the frittata and slide it onto a serving plate. Slice into 6 roughly equal pieces (long rectangles the width of the meat slices).
Lay the slices of beef flat on your work surface and season with salt and pepper on both sides. Place one piece of frittata at one short end of the meat. Roll the meat around the frittata, forming a medium-tight involtino. Use twine or a couple of toothpicks inserted flush with the meat to keep the roll closed. Repeat.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the involtini and brown them on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove the rolls from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the garlic to the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it just turns golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and the basil. Season with salt. Bring to a simmer, then add the wine. When the sauce begins to simmer again, about 3 minutes, reduce the heat to low and return the involtini to the pan. The meat should be mostly covered by the tomato sauce. Cook, covered, until the meat is fork-tender, 1½ to 2 hours. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately, or allow the dish to rest in the refrigerator for up to 3 days to further develop the flavors.
NOTE The frittata is finished when it is neither wet nor wobbly and is cooked through without being dry or leathery.Flip the frittata by setting a small plate on top of the pan and using a gloved hand to carefully flip everything upside down, then slide the frittata, cooked-side up, right back into the hot pan.
SUSCIELLO
Eggs with Salami and Tomato
Serves 4 to 6
Many South Italy dishes fall into the category known as piatti di ricupero, which roughly translates to “dishes made from food scraps.” Generally speaking, these piatti pack maximum caloric impact and use up leftovers, a necessity back when most Italians worked labor-intensive jobs in fields and needed all the nutrition they could get. Susciello combines ends of salami and other cured meats with eggs in what could be characterized as a tremendously tref shakshuka. Some cooks scramble their eggs, while others leave them whole. I have taken the latter approach, but feel free to improvise. I like to serve it over slices of toasted Pane di Matera (this page).
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2½ ounces pancetta, diced (about ½ cup)
1 onion, roughly chopped
Sea salt
1 Italian sausage link, casing removed
2½ ounces soppressata, cut into ¼-inch rounds (about ½ cup)
½ (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
6 eggs
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the pancetta and cook until the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the sausage and soppressata and cook, stirring and breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, season with salt, and simmer until the sauce has reduced slightly and lost its raw flavor, about 15 minutes. If the sauce seems too tight or dry, add hot water ¼ cup at a time to loosen.
One at a time, gently break the eggs into the sauce, spacing apart, cover, and cook, basting the eggs with the sauce, until whites have set but the yolks are still runny, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
TRIPPA ALLA SCAPECE
Marinated Tripe with Herbs
Serves 4 to 6
In the Parco del Pollino, cows graze on broad pastures dotted with countless varieties of wild mint. Most of these animals are destined to produce milk for caciocavallo, a semi-aged, pear-shaped cheese, but a few are raised for their meat and, by extension, their offal. At Luna Rossa in Terranova di Pollino, chef Federico Valicenti, a champion of local ingredients, simmers tripe, then marinates it with wild herbs and vinegar. The dish, trippa alla scapece, uses a phrase related to escabeche, a pickling method typical of Spanish cooking. You can substitute book tripe for the honeycomb tripe if you wish. Serve the trippa either on its own as a side dish or as a sandwich filling.
1½ pounds honeycomb tripe, washed
¼ cup sea salt, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
⅔ cup white wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
¼ cup fresh mint or basil leaves, plus more for garnish
Place the tripe in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat. Drain and repeat. Drain again. Return the tripe to the pot and again add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat. Add the salt and simmer until the tripe is fork-tender, about 3 hours. Drain, rinse under cold water, then cut the tripe into ½-inch strips.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and mint. Add the tripe strips and toss well to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Serve garnished with additional fresh mint and drizzled with olive oil.
CAPOCOLLO AI FUNGHI
Pork Collar with Mushrooms
Serves 12 to 15
If you grew up Italian American, you’re probably familiar with capocollo (called “gabagool” in my native New Jersey) in the form of cured deli meat served inside Italian hoagies. In Italy, we eat plenty of cured capocollo, too, but it often appears roasted, especially in the mountainous villages of Calabria’s Parco Nazionale della Sila, where dozens of mushroom varieties grow in the region’s thick forests. This recipe uses pork collar that has been marinated overnight, then cooked slowly to break down the muscle and fat until they are exquisitely tender. If you don’t have a butcher who can provide the pork collar for you, feel free to substitute another fat-marbled cut like shoulder. This recipe admittedly makes a lot of pork, so either treat it as the centerpiece of a feast or plan to have leftovers, which make great sandwich fillings.
1 (4-pound) boneless pork collar or butt, skin removed
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Leaves from 8 springs fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fennel pollen or ground fennel seeds
1 pound oyster mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup dry red wine (I like Aglianico del Vulture)
Place the pork collar in a flameproof roasting pan. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, thyme, and fennel pollen. Using your hands, massage the marinade over the meat, distributing it evenly. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 200°F.
Redistribute the marinade over the meat evenly. Roast the pork collar until tender and the internal temperature reaches 125°F, about 2 hours. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, switch the oven to broil.
Return the pork collar to the oven and broil until evenly browned and the internal temperature reaches 140°F, 3 to 5 minutes, turning halfway through. Remove from the oven and set aside on a plate to rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
While the pork rests, set the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, working in batches as needed, and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the wine, stirring to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until the liquid has reduced by half. Season the mushrooms with salt.
Serve the pork collar sliced with the mushrooms and sauce spooned over the meat.
Warning: The following feature discusses pig slaughter, which might be offensive to some readers.
Until the mid-twentieth century, the winter pig slaughter was, with the exception of the grape harvest, the only food ritual carried out on a large scale in every Italian region. Lots of rural families would raise pigs and slaughter them at home between late November and early February, when frigid temperatures could aid in the preservation of the meat, blood, and offal. In some places, the precise day was chosen based on the lunar cycle, while in others, families would wait until their pig reached a minimum weight or the temperature dropped to freezing. In the weeks preceding the slaughter, pigs would be fed a rich diet of potatoes, apples, kitchen scraps, whey from cheese making, and wheat bran from milling.
In the second half of the twentieth century, Italy became an increasingly urban nation; the number of small-scale farms declined, and so did the custom of home slaughter. In the early 1990s, laws were passed forbidding the custom, mandating that it take place at an officially sanctioned slaughterhouse. The recipes and rituals related to the millennial tradition of home pig slaughter have largely vanished as a result. On the big day, women would wake up before dawn to boil water to be used to remove the pig’s tough bristles. Meanwhile, men awoke at dawn to sharpen knives. Before slaughter, the pig’s snout would be bound and its body restrained and either laid out on a slab or strung up by its back feet. Then its neck would be sliced and its blood collected in a bucket below. The blood was among the first foods to be prepared; it would be heated in a double boiler with cocoa, sugar, walnuts, pine nuts, and orange zest to make a delicious dessert called sanguinaccio. In 1992 the EU banned the sale of and use in food of pig’s blood, causing a seasonal specialty to virtually vanish from Italy; some cooks dedicated to their family traditions take the risk and illegally slaughter pigs at home or use contraband blood to make sanguinaccio.
The next steps were to boil off the bristles and remove the skin. The genitals were removed to be processed into grease for carpenter’s saws. Then the head was removed, followed by the bladder. After being washed, the bladder might be filled with lard or roughly chopped seasoned meat. The other organs would be harvested and then the women would commence the long process of cleaning the intestines in water spiked with lemon and orange juice or vinegar. After a hearty breakfast of sautéed lungs and livers, the men would rest while the women continued sanitizing.
The meat would then be rubbed with salt and orange halves and set aside to rest until the following day, when it would be broken down for whole muscle cures, sausages, and lard. Until the 1950s, most peasants didn’t do much mechanical grinding for their sausages and salamis, so everything was sliced by hand, salted, seasoned, and stuffed with fat into the intestine casings. Fresh sausages were for immediate consumption, while others would he hung to dry for aging.
Large muscle groups like capocollo (collar), pancetta (belly), guanciale (jowl), and prosciutto (haunch) would be salted and put away for months. Scraps would be cooked down to melt their fat for lard and cicioli, while the skin would be fashioned into gloves and shoes, the bristly hair into brushes, and the bones used to make glue or preserved in brine to use for future stock, one of the many ways the ritual of pig slaughter nourished South Italy throughout the year. Today these things, which were the norm for centuries, are precious novelties. Modernity might have its benefits, but traditions pay the price.
SPEZZATINO ALL’UVA
Pork Cooked with Grapes
Serves 6 to 8
The foothills east of the Apennines in Molise grow Tintilia, an indigenous red grape known for its low yield and pleasant notes of red fruit and spices. Each year, the majority of the harvested grapes are pressed to make wine, with the remainder reserved for jams and even savory dishes like this pork and grape stew, which is made only at harvest time. The slight sweetness of the grapes mingles beautifully with the savory pork and herbaceous notes of the bay leaves. Salt the pork 24 hours in advance.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder, salted (see this page) and cut into 2-inch cubes
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 cup dry red wine (I like Aglianico del Vulture)
2 bay leaves
4 cups pork stock or water
1 bunch of red grapes (I like Tintilia grapes), halved and seeded
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the pork, working in batches as needed, and cook, turning, until it is browned on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove the pork and set aside on a plate.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic and cook until just golden, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium, and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the alcohol aroma dissipates and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes, add the bay leaves.
Return the pork to the pan. Add enough stock so the meat is mostly submerged and season with salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1½ hours more, until the pork is fork-tender. Add the grapes at the 1¼ hour mark and continue cooking until they are tender. If the sauce becomes too dry, add a bit more stock (you may not need all the stock). Serve immediately.
CAPRETTO ARROSTITO
Country-Style Suckling Goat
Serves 6 to 8
In the vertiginous terrain of the central Apennines, goats graze on chamomile, rosemary, and a vast buffet of wild herbs. This dish, a sort of hunter’s-style roasted goat, would be at home on any country table in the spring, when kids are still suckling and their meat is tender and mild. Begin this recipe by marinating the goat overnight.
1 bone-in goat shoulder (about 4 pounds)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Leaves from 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1¼ cups dry white wine
¼ cup water
Place the goat shoulder in a flameproof roasting pan. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, and sage. Using your hands, massage the marinade over the meat, distributing it evenly. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day, preheat the oven to 200°F.
Pour the vinegar over the meat and redistribute the marinade evenly. Roast the goat for 2 to 2½ hours, pouring 1 cup of the wine over the meat and turning it halfway through. The goat is done when it is golden brown and pulls away from the bone easily. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, switch the oven to broil.
Return the goat to the oven and broil until evenly browned, 3 to 5 minutes, turning it halfway through. Remove from the oven. Transfer the goat to a cutting board and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Drain the goat drippings from the roasting pan into a clear container. Once the fat and juices separate, skim off the fat and discard. Set the pan on the stovetop over medium-low heat. When the pan is very hot, add the remaining ¼ cup wine and the water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the degreseased pan juices and cook until the sauce has reduced by half, about 5 minutes.
Cut the goat into thick slices and serve with the pan sauce drizzled on top.
U’ CUTTURIDD’
Lamb Stew
Serves 6 to 8
This Easter dish from the Murgia, the plateau straddling central Puglia and eastern Basilicata, is ancient shepherd food. The stew is called cutturidd’ d’ pecura vecchia in dialect in Basilicata, where it is made with mutton, and u’ cutturidd’ in Puglia, where it is made with suckling lamb. It was traditionally cooked in a pignata, a terra-cotta vessel that would be sealed with bread dough to steam the meat inside as it cooked, like a South Italian shepherd’s pie. This is a simplified version cooked in a pot on the stovetop.
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3½ pounds bone-in lamb shoulder or shank, salted in advance and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 onion, roughly chopped
Sea salt
1 peperoncino or 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 bay leaves
1 cup dry white wine
½ (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 quarts Brodo di Agnello (lamb stock; recipe follows) or beef stock
Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 bunch wild fennel, chopped (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the lamb, working in batches as needed to prevent overcrowding, and sear for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden brown on all sides. Remove the lamb from the pot and set aside.
Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the garlic and onion. Season with salt and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the peperoncino and bay leaves and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the alcohol aroma dissipates and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes, return the lamb to the pan. Add the tomatoes and enough stock so the meat is mostly submerged (you may not need all the stock). Season with salt. Cover the pot with the lid ajar and simmer until fork-tender but not quite falling off the bone, about 1½ hours. Add more warmed broth as needed to keep the lamb mostly submerged. Just before serving, stir in the parsley and wild fennel. Season with salt and black pepper. Serve at room temperature or reheated the next day.
Brodo di Agnello
Lamb Stock
Yields 4 quarts
A few lamb bones (ask your butcher to provide these), plus any trimmings from the lamb shoulder or shank
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 onion, halved
1 celery stalk, roughly chopped
Put the lamb bones and trimmings in a large pot and add enough cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over low heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface. Add the carrot, onion, and celery and simmer for at least 4 hours and up to 6 hours. Strain the stock, discarding the solids, and set aside until ready to use.
BRASATO DI BUFALA
Braised Buffalo
Serves 8 to 10
Most of Italy’s buffalo are located in Campania, where they are used to produce milk for mozzarella (see this page) and yogurt. Their dairy products (especially mozzarella) are transported all over Italy and beyond, while their meat rarely makes it out of the region and indeed is primarily consumed between Salerno and Cilento around Battipaglia, Paestum, and Capaccio. The most popular way it’s prepared in the area is as a stew, marinating the lean meat in wine, then simmering to slowly tenderize it. If you can’t get buffalo meat, substitute bison or veal. Whatever meat you choose, salt it in advance (see this page).
3½ pound chuck-eye or top blade roast of buffalo, bison, or veal, salted in advance and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 (750 milliliter) bottle dry red wine (I like Aglianico del Vulture)
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
5 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces pancetta or lardo (cured fatback), diced (about ⅓ cup)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
Sea salt
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
2 cups beef stock
Freshly ground black pepper
Place the buffalo, wine, bay leaves, cloves, rosemary, and garlic in a large, nonreactive bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days, turning once a day. Remove the meat, reserving the marinade.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. When the oil begins to shimmer, add the pancetta. Cook until the fat renders, about 10 minutes. Remove the pancetta from the pot and set aside.
Increase the heat to medium, add the marinated buffalo, working in batches and turning as needed, and brown all over, about 10 minutes. Remove the buffalo from the pot and set aside.
Add the onion, carrots, and celery and season with salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 15 minutes. Return the pancetta to the pot. Add the reserved marinade, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and simmer until the liquid reduces by half, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and the stock and season with salt. When the sauce begins to simmer, return the buffalo to the pan. The meat should be mostly covered by the sauce. Cover and cook until fork-tender, 2 to 3 hours, checking occasionally to be sure the meat is at least two-thirds submerged and adding water as needed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or allow the dish to rest in the refrigerator for up to 3 days to further develop the flavors.
NOTE For better searing, pat the marinated buffalo dry with paper towels before cooking in the rendered pancetta fat.
Italy imports more horsemeat—much of it from Eastern Europe—than any other country in the EU, and most of it is destined for Salento in Puglia and to southeastern Basilicata. Before industrialization, horsemeat was eaten out of pure necessity and was sourced locally. Peasants would slaughter their animals when they could no longer work and simmer their tough meat in tomato sauces to make dishes like pezzetti di cavallu, Salentine dialect for horse stew. Visit the trattorias of Salento, and you’ll find this dish is still on many menus, although field horses have long since been replaced by tractors.
If you visit the area around the Puglia-Basilicata border, you’ll find a number of dedicated horse butchers—look for signs in the window adverstising carne equina (horsemeat)—whose shops operate for retail orders during the day and as a restaurant counter at night. Places like Mimmo e Valeria in the village of Santeramo in Colle and Equineria da Mimmo in the town of Bernalda cut steaks to order for grilling over smoldering wood—just choose your preferred thickness and cooking temperature, just like you would for a beef steak. There are burgers, sausages, and meatballs, too, all made from horsemeat.
If you’re based stateside, the idea of eating horse for pleasure rather than necessity will seem foreign; in the US, Congress recently lifted the ban on horse slaughter, but currently no slaughterhouses process horses. Meanwhile, in the Italian south, there’s no stigma against eating horsemeat. Instead people embrace, rather than retreat from, their rural peasant origins, and in doing so preserve the flavors of the past.
POLLO ALLA POTENTINA
Potenza-Style Chicken with Herbs and Wine
Serves 4 to 6
Potenza is the capital of Basilicata, the remote region of my maternal ancestry. A few years ago, when my mother and I visited the area to dig up some old family records, we made a detour through the city solely for the purpose of gazing at the Ponte Musmeci, a reinforced concrete bridge and supreme achievement of Brutalist architecture that crosses the Basento River at the edge of Potenza. Most visitors to Basilicata don’t make it to this town—these days, they head to Matera or Bernalda, closer to the Puglia border—but we were glad we stuck around, and not just for the weird and wonderful bridge. Coincidentally, we encountered a procession for San Gerardo, Potenza’s patron saint and, by extension, the chicken dish that locals make for this holiday. Chicken might not seem like a festive ingredient, but it was once quite a precious protein, and to this day, potentini celebrate with it. Salt the chicken 24 hours in advance.
3 tablespoons pork lard or extra-virgin olive oil
1 whole chicken, salted in advance (see this page) and cut into 8 pieces
1 onion, halved and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices, crosswise
2 garlic cloves, smashed
Sea salt
1 teaspoon peperoncino or red pepper flakes
½ cup dry white wine
4 ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped
5 or 6 fresh basil leaves
Melt the lard in a large skillet over medium heat. When the fat shimmers, add the chicken, skin-side down, and cook, turning once, until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to prevent burning. If the chicken skin sticks to the bottom of the pan while browning, do not force turning or flipping—it will release from the pan when it is ready. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Reduce the heat to low. Add the onion and garlic, season with salt, and cook until the onion is soft and translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the peperoncino and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the wine, increase the heat to medium, and scrape up any browned bits from the sides and bottom of the pan. When the alcohol aroma dissipates and the liquid has nearly evaporated, about 3 minutes, add the tomatoes and basil. Season with salt.
Return all the chicken pieces except the breasts to the pan and add enough water to cover it halfway. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes, until the chicken is tender but not falling away from the bone and the sauce has reduced but is not dry. Return the chicken breasts to the pan. Cook on low until the internal temperature of the breast reaches 145°F, about 5 minutes more. If the sauce becomes too dry, add a bit more water. Serve immediately.