Musetto Friulano con Brovada

Ingredients

• 1 (about 400–500 g) Musetto Friulano, fresh, not pre-cooked; pricked all over with a needle before cooking
• 500 g Brovada, fermented turnips, drained of excess liquid
• 1 Onion, finely sliced
• 30 ml Olive oil
• as needed Water, cold, to cover the musetto in the pot

Method

1. 1
   Prick the musetto all over with a fine needle — work methodically so no section is missed. Place it in a deep pot and cover with cold water. Bring to the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then reduce to maintain a barely trembling surface. Cook for 60–90 minutes. The musetto is done when it feels uniformly firm along its length when pressed with a finger through a cloth — there should be no soft, yielding centre.
2. 2
   While the musetto cooks, warm the olive oil in a heavy pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion and sweat until translucent and soft, without colour. Add the brovada with a little of its own liquid. Braise gently, stirring occasionally, until the brovada is tender and the liquid has reduced to a glossy, lightly sauced consistency. The dish lives or dies at this stage with the musetto's simmer: a rolling boil will rupture the casing and scatter the filling; only a gentle, sustained simmer keeps the cartilage-rich interior intact and yields the firm, gelatinous slice the dish requires.
3. 3
   When the musetto has finished cooking, remove it from the water and allow it to rest in the cooking liquid for 10 minutes off the heat. This rest period allows the cartilage to re-set. Lift out and place on a wooden board. The surface should feel taut and the sausage should hold its shape without deflating.
4. 4
   Slice the musetto thickly — each slice should hold together cleanly, showing a firm, gelatinous cross-section flecked with the spiced filling. If a slice crumbles, the sausage was cut too soon. Serve immediately alongside the hot brovada in a separate bowl, with crusty polenta on the side.