Cotechino Levoni
Cotechino Levoni is a sausage of the Emilian origin, composed of a mixture of pork, rind, as well as salt and spices. Unlike common salamis, it must be cooked before being consumed. In 1999 Cotechino Modena received the IGP recognition and is produced, among others, in the provinces of Modena, Ferrara, Ravenna, Rimini, and Forlì. But how do you choose and combine a cotechino?
How to choose it
If it is a handmade product, pay attention to the percentage of fat compared to the leanest meat: a leaner sausage is better than one with a lot of fat. The latter must then have a fine, well-ground texture. The color should tend towards rosé and not dark red and the scent remains delicate and sweet.
The best cooking
The best way to best preserve the organoleptic characteristics of cotechino is to steam it. Naturally, this technique requires more dilated times than the immersion one: for a piece of 500 g, it is necessary to consider 3 hours instead of 2. For cooking a large pot is used, with a small amount of water, in which a grill is placed. It is cooked on a low heat for 3 hours, and in any case, until the prongs of a fork sink gently into the meat.As with many products, artisanal cured meats are preferred over industrial ones. Also, in this case, one made with traditional procedures, with super-selected meats, is preferable as compared to a pre-cooked one, undoubtedly it is easier to cook and fast. But the precooked cotechini are not all the same.
The most appropriate combination, especially in times of balls is with lentils, especially those of Castelluccio di Norcia. Also, excellent served with mashed potato, or topinambur, or chickpea. If you like spinach, boil them, sauté them in a little oil with a clove of garlic and then serve them with the cotechino. Otherwise, another vegetable that goes well with this sausage is green beans.
5 vegetables to pair with cotechino
Baked pumpkin
This vegetable is particularly rich in vitamins and minerals and is also an excellent source of beta carotene. When preparing the pumpkin in the oven is really easy and gives an excellent result. It is enough simply to remove the pumpkin seeds and rind then place it in slices on a drip pan, sprinkle it with chopped herbs, salt and a drizzle of oil. After cooking it at 190 ° for about 20 minutes your pumpkin will be ready to be enjoyed.
Late radicchio salad and pomegranate
Another side dish suitable for cotechino is a simple and quite tasty salad. Once the late radicchio has been cleaned and peeled (this variety is preferable because it is particularly sweet), add the grains of the Grana apple, season all at will and enjoy this fresh vitamin-rich side dish. This salad can also be seasoned with orange juice and you can also add walnut kernels which will give a crisp note to the dish.
Stewed lentils
This is the most used side dish for cotechino, stewed lentils are a delicious dish and excellent even if consumed the next day. To prepare it is necessary to fry celery, carrot, and onion with a little olive oil, add the lentils, tomato sauce, and vegetable broth, after cooking them for at least 40 minutes salt and pepper to taste and serve while still hot.
Sauteed spinach
This side dish goes well with almost everything, the sautéed spinach is very light, easy and quick to prepare. Just boil the fresh spinach in boiling water for a few minutes and sauté in a pan with garlic, oil, salt, and pepper. You can also use frozen spinach, and to make this side dish even richer, you can add bits of string cheese before serving.
The cotechino in a crust is wrapped in a good brisee pastry or puff pastry, after having been spread with a delicious cream that enhances its flavor. It goes without saying that thinking of a lentil cream seems to everyone the best idea, especially if the dish arrives on New Year's Eve.
To prepare the cotechino in a crust, you will need: 1 cotechino of about 1 kg; 100 g of lentils; 1 carrot; 1 rib of celery; 1 onion; 1 clove of garlic; 1 bay leaf; 30 ml of cream; 1 yolk; extra virgin olive oil; salt and pepper.
Boil the cotechino, meanwhile, prepare the lentil cream. Chop the vegetables and fry them in 3-5 tablespoons of oil in a saucepan; add the lentils, the bay leaf, the garlic clove and cover with cold water. Cook for 40 minutes, remove the garlic and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper. Put the vegetables in a blender and blend until creamy. Spread it on the drained cotechino and let it cool on a cutting board, only on the top. Roll out the dough that will wrap the cotechino and spread the center with a layer of cream. Place the cotechino in the cream and wrap it in the dough; then cut off the excess parts and brush them with the beaten yolk. Bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes, take out of the oven and let stand for 10 minutes and bring to the table.
Prepare the cotechino in a crust also wrapped in a delicious pure.
You will need 500 g of boiled potatoes; 2 eggs; 50 g of grated cheese; 100 ml of cream; nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Boil the potatoes, mash them and place them in a bowl; mix them with the eggs, cheese and cream and mix well, adding salt and pepper; sprinkle with nutmeg, then spread the hard mixture on a cutting board lined with baking paper; Place the cotechino on it and close it by compacting the purée. Transfer it to a pan brushed with oil and bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve the cotechino in a hot potato crust, obviously with a side dish of lentils.
Italian imported cotechino Levoni. originally from Modena, contechino holds a special place in the hearts and stomachs of most Italians due to the persisting belief that if eaten together with lentils as the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve you will be the recipient of good luck for the year to come. Its name comes from the cotica, or pork rind, which is a major component of this fresh pork sausage. To make cotechino rind taken from the jowl and throat area of the pig is ground together with fat and striated muscle meat. The ground pork is then seasoned with salt, pepper, cloves and nutmeg, and stuffed into a casing.