Bollito Misto

Method

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1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil with the onions, carrots, celery, bay and peppercorns. Add the salt.

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2. Lower in the beef and the tongue. Bring back to a bare tremble — never a boil — and cook 2 hours.

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3. Add the chicken and cook 1 hour more, still at a tremble.

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4. Meanwhile prick the cotechino, put it in a separate pan of cold water, bring to a bare simmer and cook 2 hours.

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5. For the sauce, chop the parsley, anchovies, capers and garlic together very finely, or pulse briefly. Squeeze out the soaked bread and work it in.

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6. Stir in the olive oil a little at a time until the sauce is loose enough to spoon. Do not blend it smooth.

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7. Lift the tongue out, peel off its skin while hot, and trim the root.

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8. Carve everything at the table, moistening each plate with a ladle of the broth.

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9. Serve with salsa verde, mostarda and coarse salt.

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Chef’s Tips

• A tremble, never a boil. Boiling ruins both the meat and the broth.
• Cotechino cooks in its own water. It would grease everything else.
• Peel the tongue while it is still hot or the skin will not come away.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the usual stand-in when you are out of fresh garlic — it will not caramelise the same way, but it carries the flavour.

Pairing Suggestions

• Mostarda di Cremona
• Boiled potatoes
• Barbera

Storage & Reheating

Meats keep 3 days in a little of their broth. Reheat in the broth, never dry.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.