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1
Bring a very large stockpot — large enough to eventually hold all meats — to a full rolling boil with enough water to submerge the meats entirely. Add the aromatics: carrot, celery, charred onion, parsley, peppercorns, bay leaves, and coarse salt. Lower the gallina into the already-boiling water. The surface proteins must seize immediately to seal flavour within the bird rather than dissolving it into the water. Reduce at once to the barest simmer — occasional, slow bubbles at the surface, never a rolling boil.
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2
After 30 minutes of simmering the gallina, lower the lingua into the same pot. The water must still be at a full boil at the moment each new piece enters — raise the heat briefly to restore the boil before each addition, then return immediately to a gentle simmer. This is where the dish lives or dies: every cut must meet boiling water on entry; cold-start meat surrenders its flavour to the broth and arrives at the table pale and vapid.
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3
After a further 30 minutes (60 minutes from the start), add the punta di petto. Skim the surface of any grey foam with a ladle. The broth should be trembling and clear, not turbid and churning.
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4
After a further 30 minutes (90 minutes from the start), add the codone, reale, and muscolo together. Continue the gentle simmer. Thirty minutes later (2 hours from the start), add the testina. From this point all cuts require 90 minutes further — total elapsed times are: gallina 3 hours, lingua 2.5 hours, punta di petto 2 hours, codone/reale/muscolo 90 minutes, testina 90 minutes. All cuts converge at service simultaneously.
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5
Test each cut for doneness individually. The lingua is ready when a skewer meets no resistance through the thickest part and the outer skin peels away cleanly. Remove the lingua, peel it while hot, and return it to the broth off the heat to rest. The gallina is ready when a leg pulled at the joint yields with gentle traction and the juices run clear.
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6
Test the remaining beef cuts: the punta di petto should yield to firm thumb pressure without springing back; the muscolo should be tender to a skewer through the thickest point of the shin. Remove all cuts to a warm covered platter or holding vessel with enough broth ladled over to keep them moist. Taste the broth and adjust salt.
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7
Strain the cooking broth through a fine sieve. Reserve separately from the meats. Serve a cup of the broth as a first course — as Zuppa Pavese or plain — before the meats arrive. Carve each cut at the table or at a sideboard: the lingua in thick diagonal slices, the punta di petto across the grain, the gallina into joints, the remaining cuts in generous pieces. Present all three condiments alongside: salsa verde in a bowl, mostarda di Cremona with its syrup, and cren grated fresh over each plate.