Valpelline valley, Valle d'Aosta — a tributary valley north of Aosta that specializes in Fontina production. The seupa is the valley's defining preparation, consuming its three primary products: Fontina, bread, and cabbage.
Seupa à la valpellenentse (Valpelline soup) is the great baked bread soup of the Valle d'Aosta, closely related to but distinct from the zuppa di Valpelline: layers of stale mountain rye bread, Savoy cabbage, sliced Fontina, and thick slices of pork (in the richer version) or just bread-cabbage-Fontina (in the simpler version), assembled in a clay pot, soaked with abundant hot beef broth, and baked until the top is golden and crusted and the interior is unified. The distinguishing feature of the Valpellenentse version (from the Valpelline tributary valley) is the addition of pork, which transforms it from a vegetable-bread preparation into a complete meal. It is simultaneously the most ancient and the most satisfying winter preparation of the valley.
Seupa à la valpellenentse from the oven is a unified mass — the bread soaked golden with broth, the cabbage collapsed soft and sweet, the pork yielding, the Fontina melted through and crusted on top. Each serving includes all elements in one spoonful. It is substantial, warming, and deeply satisfying — the accumulated flavour of the valley's winter.
Blanch Savoy cabbage strips until just tender. Poach thin slices of pork (loin or shoulder) in broth until just cooked through. Layer in a buttered, deep clay pot: stale mountain rye bread slices, then cabbage, then pork slices, then sliced Fontina, then repeat. Pour hot, well-seasoned beef broth over the assembled layers until completely saturated (the bread should be thoroughly soaked). Place several pieces of cold butter on top. Bake at 200°C for 35-40 minutes until the top layer of Fontina is golden and slightly charred. Serve directly from the clay pot, in portions that include all layers.
The pot should be deep enough to accommodate at least 3 layers of each element. The pork can be replaced by speck for a smokier flavour — a Valdostan variation that is common. The soup is served in the pot at the table; each serving cuts through all layers, providing a cross-section of bread, cabbage, pork, and Fontina.
Insufficient broth — the bread must be completely saturated; a damp but not wet assembly becomes dry after baking. Not using stale bread — fresh bread dissolves rather than absorbing. Over-baking — the top should be golden; beyond that the Fontina burns and becomes bitter.
Slow Food Editore, Valle d'Aosta in Cucina; Elizabeth David, Italian Food