Minestra maritata—married soup—is Campania's great winter feast dish, a magnificent broth-based preparation in which an abundance of mixed greens is 'married' to a selection of pork and other meats in a union that produces one of the most satisfying soups in the Italian canon. The name refers not to a wedding dish (though it was served at celebrations) but to the harmonious marriage of vegetables and meat. The canonical version requires a formidable roster of greens: escarole, chicory, borragine (borage), scarola (a type of endive), cavolo verza (savoy cabbage), and friarielli, each contributing a different shade of bitterness, sweetness, or mineral quality. The meat component is equally complex: pork ribs, prosciutto bones, cotechino or other fresh sausages, and sometimes beef and chicken. The meats are simmered for hours to create a rich, gelatinous broth, then the blanched greens are added and cooked until they have absorbed the broth's richness while contributing their own vegetal complexity. The soup is traditionally served during Christmas and New Year celebrations, when every Neapolitan family has its own fiercely guarded recipe. The broth should be deep, clear, and intensely flavoured; the greens should be tender but not disintegrated; the meats should be falling-off-the-bone soft. Grated Parmigiano or pecorino is scattered over each bowl, and good bread is essential for soaking up the broth. The dish is an exercise in patience and generosity—it cannot be rushed, and it cannot be made in small quantities. Like many great Neapolitan dishes, it tastes even better reheated the next day, when the flavours have had time to deepen and merge.
Use at least four varieties of bitter and sweet greens. Simmer meats for hours to build rich gelatinous broth. Blanch greens before adding to broth. The marriage of greens and meat should be balanced—neither dominates. Serve with grated cheese and bread.
The broth benefits enormously from a parmesan rind. Make a day ahead—the flavours deepen overnight. The blanching liquid from the greens should be discarded (too bitter). Serve the meats sliced alongside the soup as a secondo, Neapolitan-style.
Using too few varieties of greens. Rushing the broth. Adding greens without blanching first (makes broth bitter). Skimping on the meat component. Making too small a quantity—this is a feast dish.
La Cucina Napoletana — Jeanne Carola Francesconi