Zampone di Modena IGP con Salsa Verde

Ingredients

• 1 (approx. 1.2–1.5 kg) Zampone di Modena IGP, pre-packaged dried casing; whole
• 4 litres cold water, unsalted, for poaching
• For the salsa verde
• 1 large bunch (approx. 60 g) flat-leaf parsley, leaves only, coarsely chopped
• 30 g capers, salt-packed, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 4 fillets anchovy, oil-packed, drained
• 40 g stale white bread, crusts removed
• 30 ml white wine vinegar, for soaking the bread
• 2 eggs, hard-boiled, peeled
• 80 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Method

1. 1
   Place the zampone in a deep vessel and cover completely with cold water. Leave to soak for 12 hours. The casing must rehydrate fully; it should feel supple and yield when pressed.
2. 2
   Remove the zampone from the soak water. Using a thick needle or trussing pin, pierce the skin evenly in 15 to 20 places across its entire surface. The punctures must penetrate the casing without reaching the filling.
3. 3
   Wrap the zampone loosely in a double layer of cheesecloth and tie at both ends. Lower it into a pot large enough to accommodate it flat. Cover with fresh cold unsalted water. Bring the water slowly to 85 °C — a bare, occasional bubble at the surface, never a rolling boil. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: a full boil will burst the casing and drive moisture from the filling before the interior gelatin has converted, producing a dry, cracked result with none of the characteristic sticky richness.
4. 4
   Maintain the water at 85 °C for 3.5 to 4 hours, adjusting the heat as required. At 3.5 hours, press the casing with a finger through the cheesecloth — it should have distinct give but retain a degree of resistance; it must not feel completely soft or collapsed.
5. 5
   Turn off the heat. Leave the zampone undisturbed in the poaching liquid for 15 minutes. The interior firms slightly as it rests; cutting too early yields a loose, uneven cross-section.
6. 6
   Meanwhile, prepare the salsa verde. Soak the bread in the white wine vinegar until saturated, then squeeze out the excess. In a mortar, pound the anchovy fillets to a paste. Add the capers and pound coarsely. Add the bread, the hard-boiled eggs, and the parsley, and pound to a rough, textured sauce — not a purée. Work in the olive oil. The sauce should smell sharply of vinegar and anchovy, with visible herb texture throughout.
7. 7
   Lift the zampone from the liquid, remove the cheesecloth, and transfer to a board. Slice across into rounds approximately 1.5 cm thick. Each slice should reveal a marbled cross-section of pork and rind bound in translucent gelatin. Serve immediately with the salsa verde alongside.