I love regional recipes, those passed down from generation to generation, that get lost in the mists of time. The Novarese Casoeula is a dish that uses cabbage and the less noble parts of the pig, such as rind, trotters, and ribs. Less famous than the Lombard Casoeula, but equally delicious, it is mainly distinguished because it is possible to add goose meat in addition to pork. In this case, I only used pork meat. The term Casoeula is subject to different interpretations; it is believed to derive from ‘cazzuola,’ as it is said to have been prepared by construction workers using a trowel to stir it; from ‘casseruola,’ meaning the pan in which it was cooked; from the ladle used to stir it (casseou); from a traditional German dish called Kasseler made with pork and cabbage.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Cheap
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 4/5 people
Cooking methods: Stovetop
Cuisine: Italian Regional

Ingredients

1 lb pork ribs
9 oz luganega (pork sausage)
7 oz verzini (pork)
7 oz pork rind (fresh)
2 lbs savoy cabbage (cleaned)
1.75 oz onion
7 oz carrots
1.75 oz celery (cleaned)
1.7 fl oz white wine
3 pinches fine salt
4 tbsps olive oil
1 tbsp tomato sauce
1 bouillon cube (beef broth heart)
2 cups water
to taste black pepper (ground, optional)

Preparation

Scrape the rinds and cook them for about an hour in a pot with plenty of salted water. This way, you will degrease them.
In a small pot, heat 2 cups of water and add the bouillon cube. If you have more time, you can prepare a good beef broth following the recipe you can find here.
Meanwhile, clean and finely chop the onion, place it in a non-stick pan or skillet, and sauté it with two tablespoons of oil. Now add the pork ribs, sausage, and verzini, from which you will have removed the skin and cut into pieces about 3 inches long.
Sauté for a few minutes, add the white wine, let it evaporate, then remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
Finely chop the cleaned and washed carrots and celery by hand or in a mixer, put two tablespoons of oil in the same pan or pot used previously, add the chopped vegetables, a tablespoon of tomato sauce, two pinches of salt, a bit of broth, and cook for about ten minutes.
Cut the previously washed and hard-ribbed cabbage into strips, add it to the vegetable mix, cover, and cook until wilted. If necessary, add a bit of beef broth.
Now add the previously scalded and cut into strips rinds, ribs, verzini, and sausage that you previously sautéed.
Mix well to combine all ingredients, cook for 30/40 minutes with the lid on, adding broth as it dries.
Adjust salt and, if you like, sprinkle with a grind of pepper.