Chisola cui grasei (focaccia with pork cracklings) is a humble product of peasant tradition, but truly delicious, typical of Val Tidone, in the province of Piacenza.

It is made with white flour, pork cracklings, yeast, lard, water, and salt. Recognized as a “traditional agro-food product”, it is prepared at a traditional festival, the Festa d’la Chisola, which is celebrated in Borgonovo V.T, where we were born, organized on the first Sunday of September every year since 1967. Legend narrates its ancient origins, around 1155, when it was used to feed the troops of Frederick Barbarossa. Try it, it’s fantastic

Here are some other delicious recipes from Piacenza:

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 3 Hours
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: 6
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Fall, Winter

468.67 Kcal

calories per serving

Info Close

Energy 468.67 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 36.38 (g) of which sugars 1.77 (g)
Proteins 22.66 (g)
Fat 26.43 (g) of which saturated 8.52 (g)of which unsaturated 13.04 (g)
Fibers 1.67 (g)
Sodium 745.31 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 128 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

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cups bread flour
4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsps lard
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup water
7 oz pork cracklings
1 1/2 tsps fresh yeast
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsps fresh yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp honey
1/4 cup water

Tools

Mixer KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer with Tilt-Head 4.8L – 5KSM125 (Cream, Stainless Steel, 50/60 Hz)
Rolling Board Demolli 10467 Rolling Board for Pasta, Birch Wood, Natural
Plastic Wrap CONTITAL Professional Food Wrap, PVC Roll, Width 12 inches, 984 feet
Baking Pans Relaxdays Pizza Pan, Set of 2, Round, Perforated, Non-Stick,
Scale Digital Kitchen Scale LCD, Electronic Spoon Scale for Weighing Ingredients from 0.1 to 500g, Precise Electronic Measuring Spoon for Sugar Coffee Spices Flour

Steps for Chisola cui grasei (focaccia with pork cracklings)

Let’s prepare the poolish. Start by dissolving the yeast in 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water. In a bowl, place the flour, dissolved yeast, remaining water, sugar, and honey. Mix it all with a spoon to obtain a soft and sticky mixture, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until it doubles in volume, about 2 or 3 hours.
Transfer the risen poolish into the stand mixer bowl, where you’ll add the flour, water, yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of lukewarm water, and lard. Start mixing at medium speed with the paddle attachment, blending everything together. Then, switch to the dough hook and add the pork cracklings, oil, and salt, mixing until well combined.
Remove the dough from the mixer and on a floured rolling board, fold the dough 3 or 4 times, then place it in a bowl to rise at room temperature, covered with plastic wrap, for 1.5 hours or until it doubles in size.
Take the dough and spread it with your hands on a 12.6-inch diameter pan greased with a bit of oil. Pour a little more oil on the focaccia, cover with a damp cloth, and let it rise for about 1 hour at room temperature. Then bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for about 25/30 minutes. Before baking, pour a little more oil on the focaccia. Serve warm.