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Sliced bollito misto alla piemontese with beef, tongue, cotechino, and capon on a wooden board with salsa verde

Piemontese Bollito Misto, Slow-Simmered and Hearty

Beef shin, veal tongue, cotechino, and capon simmer together in one broth, then get sliced and served with salsa verde and mostarda.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 40 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian (Piedmont Region)
Calories: 520
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Broth Meats
  • 1.2 kg Beef shin or brisket, bone-in
  • 800 g Veal tongue or an extra 500 g beef chuck
  • 1.3 kg Capon or whole chicken, trussed
  • 500 g Cotechino sausage cooked separately
Aromatics
  • 1 Yellow onion, studded with cloves large; 4 whole cloves
  • 3 Carrots, peeled and halved
  • 3 Celery stalks, halved
  • 2 Bay leaves
  • 1 tsp Black peppercorns
  • 2 tbsp Coarse sea salt
Salsa Verde
  • 2 cups Flat-leaf parsley, packed stems removed
  • 1 Garlic clove
  • 2 Anchovy fillets
  • 2 tbsp Capers, rinsed
  • 1 slice Day-old bread, crust removed
  • 2 tbsp Red wine vinegar
  • 120 ml Extra virgin olive oil
  • Mostarda or cognà for serving; optional

Method
 

Start the Broth
  1. Place beef shin and veal tongue in a large stockpot, at least 8 quarts, and cover with 4 liters cold water.
  2. Bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off the gray foam that rises for the first 10 minutes to keep the broth clear.
  3. Add the studded onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 tbsp salt. Lower heat to a bare simmer.
Simmer the Meats
  1. Simmer partially covered at a gentle bubble for 2.5 hours, until the beef is fork tender.
  2. Add the capon or chicken to the pot in the last 45 minutes of cooking. Added too early, it turns stringy and dry.
  3. Simmer until the chicken's internal temperature reaches 165 F / 74 C and the beef and tongue are fork tender, another 40 to 45 minutes.
  4. Turn off the heat and let everything rest in the broth for 10 minutes while you finish the cotechino and sauce.
Cook the Cotechino Separately
  1. Meanwhile, prick the cotechino skin in several spots with a fork and wrap loosely in cheesecloth.
  2. Simmer in a separate pot of water, covered, for 1.5 hours, or per package instructions, keeping it apart from the main broth so its fat doesn't cloud the pot.
Make the Salsa Verde
  1. Soak the bread slice in the vinegar for 2 minutes, then squeeze out the excess liquid.
  2. Pulse parsley, garlic, anchovies, capers, and soaked bread in a food processor until roughly chopped.
  3. Stream in the olive oil while pulsing, until you get a spoonable, still-textured sauce, not a smooth puree.
Slice and Serve
  1. Lift the tongue out and peel off the outer skin while it's still warm, it slides off easily now and tears once cool. Slice.
  2. Slice the beef, capon, and cotechino. Arrange all the meats on a warm platter.
  3. Ladle a little hot broth over the sliced meats to keep them glossy, and serve with salsa verde and mostarda alongside.

Notes

  • Use a pot at least 8 quarts, the meats need room to simmer without crowding.
  • Skim broth foam only in the first 10 minutes, after that it stops rising.
  • Add chicken in the last 45 minutes, not at the start with the beef.
  • Rest meats in the broth 10 minutes before slicing to keep them moist.