Fasulin de l’occ with pig skin and the salami of the dead is a traditional Italian dish prepared on the occasion of All Saints’ Day, November 1st. This dish includes salami type “verzini” or pork sausages, cooked together with black-eyed peas. Usually, they are slow-cooked to achieve a rich and flavorful taste. It is a traditional and tasty dish, often prepared in some Italian regions during this festival, with particular emphasis in the province of Cremona, located in northern Italy. The soup is made with beans that look like an eye, known as black-eyed peas, and pig skin, which adds a rich and flavorful taste to the dish. Generally, the beans are cooked with pig skins along with ingredients like onion, celery, carrots, tomatoes, and a selection of spices, before adding the salami type “verzini”. The result is a delicious soup, thick and rich in flavors, ideal to be served hot, especially in the colder months, representing a classic of Italian cuisine.”
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 10 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Slow cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
- Energy 401.72 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 10.82 (g) of which sugars 2.77 (g)
- Proteins 27.79 (g)
- Fat 27.09 (g) of which saturated 8.95 (g)of which unsaturated 17.66 (g)
- Fibers 2.67 (g)
- Sodium 1,167.51 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 130 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 6 verzini
- 1 cup g black-eyed peas
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3.5 oz g pork rind
- 5.3 oz g smoked bacon
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 g salt
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 carrots
- 1 onion
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- A few juniper berries
- a few black peppercorns
- 4 berries juniper
- A few berry cloves
- 6 cups l water
Tools
- 1 Earthenware pot Colì Maioliche e Terrecotte dal 1650
Steps
First of all, to prepare Fasulin de l’occ with pig skin and the salami of the dead, we need to boil the black-eyed peas according to the instructions on the package. I soaked them for 8 hours before cooking them in plenty of water, adding celery, bay leaves, and a whole clove of garlic.
While cooking the black-eyed peas, I parboiled the verzini sausages separately for 30 minutes, as they also require a rather long cooking time. This way, I can finish cooking the sausages together with the beans when I proceed with the actual recipe.
The same goes for the pork rind, because, regardless of how we intend to use it in the kitchen, it is necessary to parboil it for a long time to cook it, soften it, and make it edible. If possible, it is even better to do it the day before.
In the meantime, while I wait for the legumes, rind, and sausages to be ready for cooking, I take the opportunity to cut the smoked bacon and the vegetables that we will use in the recipe for fasulin de l’occ with pig skin and the salami of the dead.
I start the sauté by using extra virgin olive oil, smoked bacon, celery, carrot, onion, a clove of garlic, juniper berries, black peppercorns, and the vegetables we prepared earlier. As soon as the bacon and vegetables start to change color, add the pork rind already parboiled previously.
After adding the glass of red wine, letting the bacon soak up the flavors with the other ingredients is an important step to develop the flavors. Make sure to mix well and continue cooking until the red wine has reduced and everything has acquired a delicious consistency.
Next, we can add the black-eyed peas along with the cooking broth released by the legumes in abundance, as we will soon add the verzini sausages.
Now, after adding the legumes to the rest of the ingredients, also add the verzini sausages and let simmer with the lid on low heat for at least 40 minutes or until the soup sauce has reduced to the desired point according to our personal taste, if we want to serve a more or less brothy dish.
Finally, the ‘fasulin de l’occ’ with ‘pig skin’ and the salami of the dead are ready, and we let them rest for about ten minutes before serving them still very hot and with plenty of sauce to savor every bite and make the last “scarpetta.””
Bon appétit from DadCook!
Curiosity
The recipe for “Fasulin de l’occ with pig skin and the salami of the dead” has Italian roots and is particularly typical of some northern Italian regions. However, traditional recipes can vary from region to region and from family to family, allowing for personalization at will by modifying or removing some ingredients to achieve the desired result.
The recipe for “Fasulin de l’occ with pig skin and the salami of the dead” has Italian roots and is particularly typical of some northern Italian regions. However, traditional recipes can vary from region to region and from family to family, allowing for personalization at will by modifying or removing some ingredients to achieve the desired result.
The recipe for “Fasulin de l’occ with pig skin and the salami of the dead” has Italian roots and is particularly typical of some northern Italian regions. However, traditional recipes can vary from region to region and from family to family, allowing for personalization at will by modifying or removing some ingredients to achieve the desired result.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Does the recipe for ‘Fasulin de l’occ with pig skin and the salami of the dead’ belong to the Lombard culinary tradition?”
Yes, in the Milanese recipe, the small salami are cooked together with the black-eyed peas and the pig skin, without the addition of bacon.
Yes, in the Milanese recipe, the small salami are cooked together with the black-eyed peas and the pig skin, without the addition of bacon.
Are there variations of the recipe that do not include the verzini sausages, adapted for regions where they are not easily available?
You can choose local sausages from your region or replicate the original recipe from the province of Cremona, particularly the commune of Pizzighettone, which includes black-eyed peas with pig skin, celery, carrot, and onion.
