The Stuffed Veal Breast in Genoese Style is one of the most important dishes of the Ligurian tradition. The Çimma pinn-a, or king of cold dishes, originated as a dish for the poor and is prepared with a piece of veal flank (in tu lampu). When ordering from the butcher, you don’t go by weight but by how many eggs you want it for. Once folded like a book, it is sewn on three sides with mattress twine and needle to create a pocket filled with eggs, vegetables, boiled meat, and sweetbreads or laces, and flavored with marjoram, the ‘persa’ which is never missing in Ligurian recipes. This recipe varies with the ingredients from town to town and also depending on what needs to be used up in the fridge. During holidays like Christmas and Easter, it becomes the queen of the table, with beautiful slices laid on lettuce leaves, making an excellent main course or appetizer. And when leftovers remain, the slices can be dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried. In short, if you have never tasted the Stuffed Veal Breast in Genoese Style, this is the right time … the holidays are around the corner! This recipe is so famous that even Fabrizio De Andrè dedicated a song to it called A Çimma
Other Genoese Recipes
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 16 slices
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Liguria
- Seasonality: All seasons, Christmas
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs veal (veal flank for 5 eggs)
- 5 eggs (medium)
- 3.5 oz veal sweetbread (or laces)
- 0.7 oz dried mushrooms (soaked)
- 3.5 oz veal brain (optional)
- 3.5 oz veal
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 3.5 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (grated)
- 1.75 oz pistachios
- 1 carrot
- 1 zucchini
- 3.5 oz peas (shelled)
- 2 sprigs marjoram
- 1 clove garlic
- 1.75 tsp fine salt (check seasoning before sewing)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 0.7 oz bread crumb (soaked and squeezed)
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 2 leaves bay leaves
Tools
- Kitchen Twine
- Frying Pan
- Mezzaluna
- Bowl
- Parchment Paper
- Pot
- Cutting Board
Steps
To prepare the Cima, start by sewing the piece of meat. Double it over and sew two sides, leaving one side open to be sewn once filled with the stuffing. Use thin roast twine and a long needle like those used by mattress makers. Sew with tight stitches; I use the buttonhole stitch.
In a pan, brown the veal meat and laces with a knob of butter and bay leaf. Finely chop with the mezzaluna, also adding the boiled veal piece.
Place the chopped meat in a bowl and add the well-squeezed bread crumb from the broth, the squeezed and chopped mushrooms along with the pistachios, the zucchini and carrot diced, the peas sautéed in a little butter, the chopped marjoram and garlic, the grated Parmigiano, and the eggs. Salt and mix the stuffing.
Pour the stuffing into the pocket, being careful not to overfill. The cima should be half-filled because once it reaches a boil, it expands, and if too full, it bursts. Once filled, sew it like the other sides. At this point, I prefer to wrap it in dampened and squeezed parchment paper and tie it not too tightly like a roast.
Immerse the cima in lukewarm water with onion, celery, carrot, and bay leaves, and a little salt since the stuffing is already salted. The amount of water should cover the cima. Bring to a boil and as soon as it swells, turn it over, prick it with a needle in several places, and turn off the heat. This is the trick I use because in this way it has time to firm up and is unlikely to break. After 15 minutes, turn the heat back on and continue cooking for 2 hours over medium-low heat. Once cooked, remove it from its broth and place it on the cutting board with a plate and a weight on top. Once cold, your Stuffed Veal Breast in Genoese Style will be ready to be sliced into ½ cm slices. It can be served hot or cold, or after being sliced, it can be dipped in egg and breadcrumbs and fried in butter.
Storage
The Cima can be stored for a few days in the fridge wrapped in plastic wrap, or it can be frozen slice by slice and taken out a few hours before serving.
Another way to serve it is sliced, dipped in egg and breadcrumbs, and fried in butter.
Why does the cima burst during cooking?
The trick to prevent it from bursting is once it has reached a boil and swells, turn it so the stuffing mixes well, prick it with a needle in several places and turn off the heat for 15 minutes.
