Cassoeula
Photo: Remulazz · CC BY-SA 4.0

History

The cassoeula is first recorded in 16th-century Lombard farming manuscripts as a peasant November-to-February dish using the parts of the pig left after the main butchery: ribs, sausages, rind (cotenna), foot, ear. The slow braise with savoy cabbage (verza) is the canonical Milanese form, distinct from the Spanish ancestor cassola the dish takes its name from. The dish is served only between November (after the first frost, which sweetens the cabbage) and February. Trattoria Masuelli San Marco, Antica Trattoria della Pesa and Trattoria del Nuovo Macello serve canonical versions; Ratana modernises it with house-made luganega.

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Make it at home

Yield 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hr 30 minDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 600g pork ribs, separated into pairs
  • 4 luganega sausages (or other coarse pork sausage), 80g each
  • 200g pork rind (cotenna), scored and blanched 5 min in boiling water
  • 1 pig's trotter, halved (optional, traditional)
  • 1 large savoy cabbage, outer leaves discarded, shredded coarsely (about 1kg)
  • 1 large onion, finely diced
  • 1 carrot, finely diced
  • 1 celery stick, finely diced
  • 200ml dry white wine
  • 300ml chicken or beef stock
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, 30g butter
  • Sea salt, black pepper

Method

  1. Brown the ribs and the sausages in olive oil in a heavy casserole over medium-high heat, 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
  2. In the same pan, sweat the onion, carrot and celery in the butter for 10 minutes until soft.
  3. Return the ribs, sausages, pork rind and trotter (if using) to the pan. Pour in the white wine and reduce by half. Add the stock. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 1 hour 30 minutes, stirring every 30 minutes.
  5. Add the shredded savoy cabbage in three batches, stirring each batch in as it wilts. The cabbage will more than fill the pan; let it shrink, then add the next.
  6. Continue simmering uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the pork is falling-tender, the cabbage soft and silky, and the sauce reduced and rich.
  7. Rest covered for 10 minutes. Serve in deep bowls with polenta on the side and the crustiest bread you can find.

Tip from the editors. The cabbage must go in after the first 90 minutes of braising. Cabbage added too early disintegrates; added too late stays crisp.

Where to eat cassoeula

Cassoeula in Milan

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco ★ 4.5

€€ Lombard TrattoriaPorta Romana

Trattoria Masuelli San Marco in Milan's Porta Romana has cooked the Lombard canon since 1921, family-run by the Masuelli family for four generations.

OrderThe risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the ossobuco and the cassoeula in winter.

TipBookings open ten days ahead by phone. Cash and card; the wine list runs deep on Lombard producers.

Directions Book

Trattoria del Nuovo Macello ★ 4.6

€€ Lombard TrattoriaPorta Romana

Trattoria del Nuovo Macello in Milan's south-east has cooked the Lombard trattoria canon since 1927, near the old slaughterhouse. Located in Porta Romana.

OrderThe risotto alla milanese, the cotoletta alla milanese with bone in, and the ossobuco when on the carte.

TipBookings open one month ahead on the website. Lunch is the calmer service; Friday evening fills up first.

Directions Book

Ratana ★ 4.8

€€€ ItalianIsola

Ratana in Milan's Isola district is Cesare Battisti's modern Lombard kitchen, housed in a 19th-century railway building since 2009. Priced at €€€.

OrderThe risotto alla milanese with bone marrow, the cotoletta alla milanese and the ossobuco.

TipBookings open three weeks ahead. Lunch sittings 12:30 and 14:00; dinner from 19:30. The garden is the spot in summer.

Directions Book

Antica Trattoria della Pesa ★ 4.2

€€€ Lombard TrattoriaIsola

Antica Trattoria della Pesa in Milan's Porta Garibaldi has cooked the Lombard farmstead canon since 1880, set in the old grain-weighing house.

OrderThe risotto alla milanese, the ossobuco and the cassoeula in winter.

TipBookings open one week ahead by phone. The dining room has the original 1880 wood-panel interior; ask for a table by the window.

Directions Book

Trippa ★ 4.8

€€€ ItalianPorta Romana

Trippa in Milan's Porta Romana is Diego Rossi's offal-led trattoria, opened 2015 with cucina povera reimagined. Kitchen leans modern italian, offal.

OrderThe vitello tonnato, the trippa alla fiorentina and the mondeghili Milanese meatballs.

TipBookings open 60 days ahead on the website; sells out within hours. Walk-up bar seats open at 19:30 for early birds.

Directions Book a table

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