Pork and Cabbage Stew

Ingredients

• 800 g Pork ribs
• 200 g Pork rind
• 1 whole Pork trotter
• 400 g Italian sausage
• 1.2 kg Savoy cabbage
• 1 medium Onion
• 1 medium Carrot
• 2 stalks Celery
• 40 g Butter
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 150 ml White wine
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
• 500 ml Meat broth
• 1 to taste Salt
• 1 to taste Black pepper

Steps

1. Thoroughly clean and scrape the pork rind and trotter, singeing them if necessary to remove any bristles.
2. Boil the rind and trotter in boiling water for about 15 minutes, then drain: this degreases and softens the tougher parts.
3. In a large pot, melt the butter with a drizzle of oil.
4. Add the finely chopped celery, carrot and onion and let them soften gently for a few minutes over low heat.
5. Raise the heat and brown the pork ribs and the verzini sausage pieces until golden on all sides, so they release their juices.
6. Deglaze with the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate, scraping the bottom of the pot to gather the cooking juices.
7. Add the boiled rind and trotter, the tomato paste, and cover barely with the hot broth.
8. Salt, pepper generously and let it simmer covered for about an hour and a half over low heat.
9. Meanwhile, remove the outer leaves of the Savoy cabbage, wash it and cut it into strips.
10. Blanch it in salted water for a couple of minutes, then drain.
11. Add the cabbage to the pot, stir gently and continue cooking uncovered for about an hour, until the cabbage has wilted and absorbed the flavors of the meat.
12. The cassœula is ready when the meat falls off the bone and the sauce is thick and creamy.
13. Adjust salt and pepper, let it rest a few minutes and serve piping hot, traditionally with polenta.

Tips

• Cassœula is even better made the day before and reheated: the flavors blend and the sauce becomes thicker.
• The rinds are essential: their collagen gives the dish its characteristic creaminess. Don't skip them for a lighter version.
• Choose a Savoy cabbage that has been touched by at least one frost: the cold makes it sweeter and more tender, as Lombard tradition demands.