People don't often eat pork skins any more, but back in the days when famine was always lurking nothing was allowed to go to waste. And as is often the case with so-called lesser meats, the ingenuity people used in preparing them led to very tasty dishes. Cotenne e Verdure is a Sicilian recipe, and a testament to frugality. To serve 6 you'll need:
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds (900 g) fresh pork skins, flamed to remove bristles
- An onion, sliced
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 cup (250 ml) tomato sauce
- 2/3 pound (300 g) potatoes
- 1/2 pound (225 g) cabbage leaves (whichever variety you prefer)
- A pear, cored and diced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Boil the pork skins in salted water for two hours. When they are cooked, drain them and slice them into thin strips.
Peel and dice the potatoes. Coarsely shred the cabbage.
Sauté the onion in the olive oil in a large saucepan; when it becomes a translucent gold add the tomato sauce and the pork skins. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for an hour. Add the potatoes, cabbage, and pear, together with a ladle of hot water and the sugar. Check seasoning and continue simmering until the potatoes and the cabbage are done. Serve at once with a brisk red wine.
Peel and dice the potatoes. Coarsely shred the cabbage.
Sauté the onion in the olive oil in a large saucepan; when it becomes a translucent gold add the tomato sauce and the pork skins. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for an hour. Add the potatoes, cabbage, and pear, together with a ladle of hot water and the sugar. Check seasoning and continue simmering until the potatoes and the cabbage are done. Serve at once with a brisk red wine.
