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Minestra Maritata — Neapolitan Pork and Leafy Greens Soup
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Source: https://recipheon.com/en/recipes/soups/minestra-maritata-neapolitan-pork-and-leafy-greens-soup
About this recipe
Minestra maritata is a Neapolitan soup that combines slow-cooked pork with a mixture of leafy green vegetables. Tender pork cheeks, rib meat and pieces of fresh sausage flavor the homemade broth. Savoy cabbage, escarole, leafy chicory and chard add a mild bitterness and different shades of green. First, the greens are briefly blanched separately, then finished in the strained meat broth. This makes them tender while keeping them recognizable. Caciocavallo and Parmesan give the soup a pronounced cheesy flavor. This hearty dish makes 6 servings. Allow about 4 hours, preparing the vegetables while the meat cooks; if the cheeks are still tough, cook them longer before adding the greens.
Ingredients
Meat and broth
400 g raw fresh pork cheeks without bones or skin, uncured and unsmoked; net weight
500 g raw pork ribs without skin, with bones; weight includes bones
250 g raw fresh pork salsiccia sausage, not parboiled or smoked; weight after removing the casing
120 g raw peeled onion
80 g raw peeled carrot
60 g raw trimmed celery
10 g raw peeled garlic
2800 ml water: 2500 ml for the broth and one shared 300 ml reserve for topping up during cooking or thinning at the end; leave any unused water out
12 g salt: 6 g for the broth and up to 6 g at the end, as needed
Leafy green vegetables
400 g raw Savoy cabbage leaves after removing the core and tough ribs; net weight
300 g raw escarole (broad-leaved endive); trimmed leaf weight
200 g raw leafy chicory (cicoria); trimmed green leaf weight; do not use white chicory heads
300 g raw chard leaves without thick, tough stalks; trimmed weight
3000 ml water for blanching the vegetables; use the same bath for successive batches and discard it at the end
To finish
60 g aged caciocavallo cheese without inedible coating, finely diced
30 g finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano
1 g ground black pepper
Steps
Cut the cheeks into large pieces about 4–5 cm across and divide the ribs into sections of 1–2 bones. Put in a pot with a capacity of about 6 l. Add the onion, halved, the carrot and celery in large pieces, and the whole garlic cloves. Pour in 2500 ml cold water and add 6 g salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and skim the foam from the surface. Keep the sausage in the refrigerator for now.
Cook the meat with the lid slightly ajar over very low heat for about 2.5–3 hours. The broth should only simmer gently. If water evaporates, add a little at a time from the measured 300 ml reserve to keep the meat submerged; this same reserve will be used to adjust the consistency at the end. Skim visible excess fat from the surface. About 30 minutes before the expected end, add the sausage, divided into irregular pieces about 3 cm across, and cook it in the broth for a full 30 minutes. The rib meat should come away easily and the cheeks should be fork-tender; extend the cooking if needed. Prepare the greens meanwhile.
Wash all the trimmed leaves thoroughly and cut into wide strips. Bring 3000 ml water to a boil in a second pot with a capacity of about 6 l. Add the cabbage and blanch for about 4–5 minutes, until slightly softened, then lift into a colander with a slotted spoon. Blanch the remaining leaves in this same water in two batches, about 2–3 minutes each, until wilted. Drain, but do not squeeze dry. Discard the water after all the batches. You can blanch the greens toward the end of cooking the meat.
Once the meat is tender, lift all the pieces onto a large plate. Use forks to separate the rib meat from the bones and cut the cheeks into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones. Strain all the broth through a sieve into a clean pot; remove the cooked onion, carrot, celery and garlic. Skim any remaining visible excess fat from the surface without pouring away the rest of the broth. Cover the meat and sausage pieces while the greens cook briefly.
AI-generated Add all the drained vegetables to the hot strained broth. Simmer gently for about 15–20 minutes, until even the thicker cabbage parts are tender and the flavors of the greens and meat have combined. The soup should remain distinctly brothy, with plenty of greens. If it is too thick, add some of the remaining shared water reserve; you do not need to use all 300 ml. Leave any unused water out.
Return all the reserved meat and sausage to the pot. Add the caciocavallo and pepper and simmer over low heat for about 5–10 minutes, until all the meat pieces are hot again and the cheese softens. Taste and add some or all of the remaining 6 g salt as needed, allowing for the saltiness of the sausage and cheeses. Turn off the heat and stir in all the grated Parmesan.
Cover the pot and let the soup rest for about 10 minutes so the flavors combine. Divide among 6 deep plates or bowls, making sure each serving contains broth, greens and different pieces of meat. Serve hot.
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