The Cima My Way is a typically Ligurian main course.

It consists of a piece of veal flank meat cut to form a pocket and stuffed with numerous ingredients. (The cut of meat used is a strip of belly skin found on the bone of the veal, sewn on three sides to turn it into a pocket).

Cooked very simply by boiling it in a delicate broth.
In every home, the recipe is personalized according to taste preferences.

The only certainty in this type of recipe is the cut of meat used, the veal or beef flank.

Usually, my butcher cuts it with a sharp knife creating a real pocket and leaving only one opening to be closed with needle and thread.

I cook the cima in the traditional way, creating a soft stuffing that should remain fairly compact.

Minced meat and mortadella, if you like, you can add a sausage for more flavor, fresh chard blanched and then chopped, an intense aroma of thyme and marjoram. A nice grating of nutmeg is a must.
Then the eggs, but not too many because they tend to swell during cooking and the cima would break.
Grated cheese is a must, with salt and pepper to taste.

To make the cima pretty, in my house we cook a hard-boiled egg separately which is inserted at filling time.
This way, when slicing the cima, you create a nice pattern.

Egg can be omitted if desired

Once filled, it is closed by sewing it by hand to prevent the stuffing from coming out.

Tip: It is important to carefully balance the amount of stuffing relative to the size of the veal pocket, which should never exceed half. Indeed, the filling tends to swell during cooking and the meat to shrink, risking spillage. Subsequently, the Cima is hand-sewn with white food-grade thread or string to seal the stuffing inside the veal meat envelope and prevent it from leaking during cooking.

It is then boiled in broth with vegetables for several hours.

When ready, remove it from the broth and let it rest under a weight.

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Moderate
Portions: 6/8
Cooking methods: Boiling
Cuisine: Italian

503.63 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 503.63 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 14.98 (g) of which sugars 2.70 (g)
Proteins 44.54 (g)
Fat 29.12 (g) of which saturated 11.84 (g)of which unsaturated 14.21 (g)
Fibers 2.47 (g)
Sodium 1,882.55 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 162 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 for The Cima My Way

1.76 lbs veal (1 rectangular pocket)
7 oz ground beef
7 oz mortadella
chard (3.5 oz weighed cooked and well-squeezed)
2.1 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
to taste parsley (freshly chopped)
1 sprig marjoram
1/2 clove garlic
2 eggs (one for the stuffing, one hard-boiled)
2 tbsps breadcrumbs (amount may vary)
salt
pepper
nutmeg
1 white onion
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
14 oz beef (for broth muscle plus a bone)
3 cherry tomatoes
salt
7 oz potatoes (one large)

Tools

Pot
Mezzaluna
Cutting Board
Thread with kitchen needle
Strainer

Steps for The Cima My Way

Wash the chard, cook for a few minutes, drain, squeeze and chop.
(Use a blender or mezzaluna)
Chop the mortadella, parsley with garlic, and marjoram.
In a bowl, mix the ground beef with the chopped mortadella, parsley, garlic, marjoram, and chopped chard, add the eggs, cheeses, and breadcrumbs.
Add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Mix everything well with the tines of a fork and our stuffing is ready.
Cook a hard-boiled egg, once cold, remove the shell and set it aside.
With this stuffing, fill the meat pocket.

Also add the hard-boiled egg inside, making sure to place it right in the center.
Then proceed to stitch the opening closed.

(A tip: don’t overfill, otherwise it will burst, it’s fine to fill it halfway).

At this point, the Ligurian Cima is ready to be cooked.
In a large pot, heat about 3/4 gallons of water, add a white onion, two carrots, a stalk of celery, and a little salt.

(A tip: add a piece of muscle, a bone this way you’ll also have a good broth to serve as a first course)

When the water is hot but not boiling yet, gently take the cima and dip it up and down a few times in the water before immersing it completely.

With the needle used for sewing, pierce the surface before the water starts boiling… this will help to ensure it doesn’t burst during boiling…

Let it simmer for about an hour and a half, semi-covered, then drain it.
Once the cooking is finished, lift the Cima from the broth.
Place the cima between two plates, placing a weight on top to achieve the typical flattened shape, let it cool.
Once cooled, slice it.
Slice the cima into slices about an inch thick, arrange them on the serving platter, and serve.
Enjoy your meal.

Tips

It has the advantage of being prepared even the day before by storing it already cooked in the fridge wrapped in cling film.

And if you happen to have a slice of cima left over… try breading it with egg and breadcrumbs, frying it in hot oil, and enjoy… you’ll see how delicious it is!!!

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