History

Stuffed veal breast belongs to Parma's bourgeois Sunday kitchen: a cheap, fatty cut made grand with a filling of egg, Parmigiano, breadcrumbs and sometimes greens, sewn shut and roasted until sliceable. Gambero Rosso still singles out the version at Cocchi, and Osteria del 36 keeps it among its signatures. It is the dish to order where the menu is handwritten and the trolley still exists.

Common allergens: Milk, Egg, Gluten

Make it at home

Yield Serves 6Hands-on 45 minTotal 3 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 1.2kg veal breast with a pocket cut by the butcher
  • 150g breadcrumbs soaked in milk
  • 100g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
  • 2 eggs
  • 200g chard or erbette, wilted and chopped
  • Nutmeg, salt, pepper
  • Butter, a glass of white wine and broth for the roast

Method

  1. Mix the squeezed breadcrumbs, Parmigiano, eggs, greens, nutmeg and seasoning into a soft stuffing.
  2. Fill the pocket two-thirds full, then sew or skewer it closed; the filling swells.
  3. Brown the breast in butter, add wine, then roast at 160C for 2 hours, basting with broth.
  4. Rest for 20 minutes under foil before slicing thick.
  5. Serve warm with the pan juices, or cold the next day as Parma prefers in summer.

Tip from the editors. Do not overfill: two-thirds leaves room for the stuffing to expand without splitting the seam.

Where to eat punta di vitello ripiena

Punta di vitello ripiena in Parma

Ristorante Cocchi ★ 4.6

Trattoria€€€oltretorrenteSun-Fri 12:15-14:15, 19:15-22:00; Sat closed (Sat-Sun closed in June and July)

Ristorante Cocchi has fed Parma's bourgeoisie since 1925: anolini in brodo, the trio of tortelli and, from September to April, a serious bollito trolley.

Signature: Anolini in brodo, Trio of tortelli, Bolliti, Savarin di riso

Order: Anolini in brodo, then the boiled-meat trolley in winter.

Tip: The bolliti run September to April only. Book a day ahead for Sunday lunch, when Parma families claim most of the two dining rooms.

Viale Antonio Gramsci 16/A, 43126 Parma Book →

Osteria del 36 ★ 4.3

Trattoria€€centro-storicoLunch and dinner Mon-Sat; Sun closed; summer break mid-July to late August

Osteria del 36 traces its name to 1880, when wine here cost 36 cents a litre; chef Francesco Ziveri has run its Emilian kitchen in Parma since 1997.

Signature: Tortelli d'erbetta, Anolini in brodo, Punta di vitello ripiena

Order: Tortelli d'erbetta and the stuffed veal breast.

Tip: It closes from mid-July to around 20 August each summer, so check before an August visit and book for the small wine-lined room.

Strada Aurelio Saffi 26/A, 43121 Parma

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