Zuppa Canavesana: A Rich Piemontese Meat Zuppa Recipe

Eugene writes, "I am hoping that you can help me find a recipe. When I was a little boy growing up my grandmother live with us. She came from Torino, and she would make a casserole or at least it was in a big pan. She called it something like Zuppa puma tess, my spelling and Italian is probably not right. She would cook a pork roast and then in a large iron pot she would layer bread, cabbage, and pork...

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 pounds (750 g) turnips
• 1 1/3 pounds (750 g) Savoy cabbage
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 ounces (125 g) pancetta
• 4 ounces (100 g) cured lard (if need be use more pancetta, or prosciutto fat)
• 2 quarts (2 liters) simmering broth
• 12 slices toasted Italian bread
• Grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Preparation:

Continuing Eugene's note: "She would continue the process until the pot was full then she would pour the juice from the cooked pork over it and then she would bake it. I really loved it and I have been looking for the recipe."

I'm afraid I haven't found anything quite like this. However, I have found a couple of things that are close. First, Zuppa Canavesana.

The ingredients listed above will make enough to serve 6. Begin by washing the turnips and cabbage well. Slice the turnips and cut the cabbage leaves into this strips. Then, cut the pancetta and cured lard into strips too.

Sauté the fats and the garlic, and as soon as they begin to brown add the turnips and cabbage. Gently stir in the broth, cover, and simmer for a half hour.

In the meantime, preheat your oven to 360 F (180C). Take an oven-proof dish and lay out a layer of bread slices. Cover with a layer of cooked vegetables, abundant grated cheese, and repeat; pour the broth over it all and bake it in for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

Yield: 6-8 servings Zuppa Canavesana.

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