Friuli-Venezia Giulia
Friuli's canonical winter pairing: musetto (a fresh sausage of pig's snout meat, facial cartilage, and offal combined with spices) slow-boiled for 60-90 minutes, then sliced and served alongside braised brovada (fermented turnips). The musetto's cartilage-rich filling sets to a firm, gelatinous slice on cooling, and the sausage has a spiced, complex character from cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. The brovada's sourness cuts through the richness of the gelatinous pork. A canonical combination of San Silvestro (New Year's Eve) in Friuli.
Spiced, gelatinous pork with whispers of cinnamon and clove, against the sour, wine-perfumed brovada — a uniquely Friulian cold-weather pairing of extraordinary character
Musetto must be pricked with a needle before cooking to prevent the casing from bursting during the 90-minute boil — the pressure build-up from steam is considerable. It must be cooked at a gentle simmer (never a rolling boil) to prevent the casing from rupturing. Allowing it to cool slightly in the cooking water before slicing prevents crumbling — the cartilage needs 10 minutes to re-set. The brovada is braised separately in its cooking liquid with oil and onion.
Musetto can be found at quality Italian delicatessens outside Friuli. For the home preparation, the musetto can be wrapped tightly in foil before boiling if the casing integrity is uncertain — this contains any burst without losing the contents. Serve on a wooden board, sliced thick, with hot brovada in a separate bowl and crusty polenta on the side.
Boiling at a rolling boil bursts the casing. Slicing while too hot causes the cartilaginous filling to fall apart. Not pricking before cooking results in burst casings. Pairing with an unsuitable accompaniment — only brovada provides the acidic counterpoint the musetto requires.
La Cucina Friulana — Accademia Italiana della Cucina