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Baked seupa a la vapelenentse in a ceramic dish showing golden fontina crust and layered bread and cabbage at the cut edge

Baked Seupa a la Vapelenentse with Aosta Fontina

A layered bread, cabbage, and fontina casserole from Valpelline, baked under hot broth until golden and set.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: (Hearty Alpine baked “soup” / casserole)
Cuisine: Italian Alpine (Valle d’Aosta)
Calories: 545
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the layers
  • 400 g stale country or rye bread, sliced 1.5 cm thick
  • 900 g savoy cabbage, shredded (1 medium head)
  • 400 g Fontina Valle d'Aosta DOP, thinly sliced
  • 60 g unsalted butter, melted, divided
  • black pepper to taste; freshly ground
  • fine salt for blanching water
For the broth
  • 1.3 liters beef broth hot, or vegetable broth for a vegetarian version
  • 1 bay leaf
  • grated nutmeg a pinch; optional

Method
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 C / 356 F. Butter a 24 x 33 cm / 9 x 13 inch baking dish with a little of the melted butter.
  2. Bring a 5-quart / 4.7 L pot of water seasoned with fine salt to a boil. Add the shredded savoy cabbage and blanch for 5 to 6 minutes until just tender but not limp. Drain well in a colander and press out excess water.
  3. In a 2-quart / 1.9 L saucepan, heat the beef broth with the bay leaf until steaming hot, not boiling. Remove the bay leaf and stir in the nutmeg if using.
  4. Line the bottom of the prepared dish with a layer of the stale country or rye bread, sliced 1.5 cm thick, cutting pieces to fit snugly.
  5. Scatter a third of the blanched cabbage over the bread, then cover with a third of the sliced fontina. Grind black pepper over the layer.
  6. Repeat the layering two more times, bread then cabbage then fontina, finishing with a layer of fontina on top.
  7. Pour the hot broth slowly and evenly over the layers in two or three additions, pausing between pours to let the bread absorb it before adding more. The bread should be soaked through but not swimming in liquid.
  8. Drizzle the remaining melted butter over the top layer of cheese.
  9. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until the top is golden brown and the broth is mostly absorbed into the layers.
  10. Rest the casserole for 10 minutes before cutting into squares or scooping into bowls. Serve hot.

Notes

  • Use bread that's at least a day old, or dry fresh slices in a low oven first.
  • Pour broth in stages so the bottom layer doesn't turn to mush.
  • Let the casserole rest 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
  • Swap beef broth for vegetable broth to make it vegetarian.