Cassoeula (also casöla or bottaggio) is Lombardy's great winter pork and cabbage stew — a peasant dish of tremendous depth that uses the less noble parts of the pig (ribs, trotters, ears, skin, tail, cotechino) braised with Savoy cabbage until everything collapses into a rich, gelatinous, deeply porky mass. It is the Lombard answer to Alsatian choucroute and French potée, a dish that exists to use the entirety of the pig and to sustain through the cold Po Valley winters. The name may derive from casseruola (casserole) or from the dialect word for ladle. The technique begins with browning the pork pieces in stages — bones and tough cuts first, softer pieces later — then building a soffritto of onion, carrot, and celery, deglazing with white wine, and adding the Savoy cabbage in layers. The stew braises for 2-3 hours until the cabbage has melted into the pork, the collagen from the trotters and skin has dissolved into a sticky, gelatinous sauce, and the meat falls from the bone. The traditional calendar dictates that cassoeula is made only after the first frost — the cold sweetens the cabbage and signals the beginning of pig-slaughter season. In Milan and across the Lombard plain, cassoeula is the dish of Sant'Antonio Abate (January 17, the patron saint of animals and butchers), when the last of the autumn pig's lesser cuts are consumed before Lent.
Use a mix of pork cuts: ribs, trotters, ears, skin, tail, and cotechino or fresh sausage|Blanch the trotters, ears, and skin first to remove impurities|Brown the pork pieces in stages in a large, heavy pot — thorough browning builds the sauce|Build a soffritto of onion, carrot, celery in the pork fat|Deglaze with dry white wine|Add Savoy cabbage in layers with the browned pork|Braise covered at low heat for 2-3 hours — the cabbage should melt and the pork should fall from the bone|The sauce should be thick, sticky, and gelatinous from the collagen of the lesser cuts|Serve in deep bowls with polenta or dense bread
The cotechino or fresh sausage should be added in the last 45 minutes — earlier and it falls apart completely. Some Milanese cooks add a few tablespoons of tomato paste (concentrato) for colour and acidity — this is not universal but adds depth. The ideal cabbage for cassoeula is a Savoy cabbage that has survived at least one hard frost — the cold converts starch to sugar, sweetening the leaves. Cassoeula is always better the next day, when the gelatin has set and the flavours have concentrated — reheat gently and the gelatinous sauce reliquefies. Serve with polenta (preferably the coarser Bergamasca grind) or with dense country bread to soak up the sauce. A glass of Bonarda or Barbera cuts through the richness perfectly.
Using only lean pork — the gelatinous cuts (trotters, skin, ears) are what give cassoeula its body and unctuousness. Skipping the blanching — unblanced trotters and ears cloud the sauce with impurities. Not browning enough — the Maillard reaction on the pork is the flavour foundation. Adding too much liquid — cassoeula should be thick and sticky, not soupy. Using regular cabbage — Savoy cabbage (verza) has the right sweetness and texture; regular cabbage is too watery. Making it in summer — this is strictly a cold-weather dish; the cabbage must have been frosted.
Ada Boni, Il Talismano della Felicità (1927); Anna Gosetti della Salda, Le Ricette Regionali Italiane (1967); Accademia Italiana della Cucina — Lombardia