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Cima alla genovese

17/11/2023

Cima alla Genovese is a typical dish of Ligurian cuisine, especially from Genoa. It is quite an elaborate preparation, but the result is a flavorful dish that encapsulates the culinary tradition of that region. Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

For the Cima:

  • 1 veal top (a cut of meat with a pocket, typical of Genoa)
  • Meat broth, as needed
  • White wine, as needed

For the stuffing:

  • 300 g of ground veal
  • 1 egg
  • 100 g of peas
  • 50 g of carrots, finely chopped
  • 50 g of onion, finely chopped
  • 50 g of grated parmesan cheese
  • 50 g of cured ham, diced
  • 50 g of mortadella, diced
  • 50 g of pine nuts
  • 50 g of pitted Taggiasca olives
  • 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs
  • Parsley, finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Nutmeg, to taste

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the stuffing. In a pan, lightly fry the chopped onion. When it becomes translucent, add the peas and carrots and stew with a bit of water for about 10 minutes.

  2. In a bowl, mix the ground veal with the egg, parmesan cheese, prosciutto, mortadella, breadcrumbs, pine nuts, olives, chopped parsley, salt, pepper, and a grating of nutmeg.

  3. Then add the peas and carrots fried with the onion to the stuffing bowl and blend the mixture well.

  4. Prepare the veal top by opening it well and sprinkling the inside with salt and pepper. Distribute the stuffing evenly inside, but without overfilling to avoid breaking during cooking.

  5. Sew the opening of the top with kitchen twine, forming a sort of well-sealed pouch.

  6. In a large pot, brown the cima on all sides to seal in the juices. When it is well browned, deglaze with white wine and let it evaporate.

  7. Add meat broth until it covers the cima and let it cook on low heat for about 3-4 hours. During cooking, turn the cima occasionally and if necessary add more broth.

  8. Once cooked, remove the cima from the pot and let it cool under a weight so that it retains a compact shape. Traditionally, it is served cold.

Trivia

Cima alla genovese finds its roots in Ligurian peasant cuisine, where nothing was wasted, and an effort was made to use every part of the animal. Today it is considered a real delicacy and is often served during holidays or special occasions.

Cima alla genovese