🇮🇹 Italian · Main Dish
🥩 Cima alla Genovese
Cima alla Genovese
A whole veal breast stuffed with a rich mixture of eggs, sweetbreads, peas, and Parmigiano, poached whole and served thinly sliced, revealing a striking mosaic pattern when cut.
Cima is a genuine labor of love, the veal breast carefully hollowed into a pocket without tearing, then packed with a substantial filling and sewn shut before a long, gentle poach, traditionally reserved for Genoa's most important celebrations.
Ingredients
Equipment: Kitchen twine and large needle, Large pot
- 1.5 kg (3.3 lb) veal breast, boned and pocketed
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
- 3 eggs, beaten, for the filling
- 150 g (5.3 oz) sweetbreads or additional ground veal
- 150 g (5.3 oz) ground veal or pork
- 100 g (2/3 cup) frozen peas
- 80 g (1 cup) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Fresh marjoram, chopped
- 1 onion, halved
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
- Combine the beaten eggs, sweetbreads or extra ground veal, ground veal or pork, peas, Parmigiano, garlic, and marjoram into a well-mixed filling.
- Season the filling generously.
- Carefully open the pocketed veal breast and spoon in the filling, layering in the whole hard-boiled eggs so they sit centrally, arranged to create an even cross-section when sliced.
- Sew the opening closed securely with kitchen twine and a large needle.
- Place the stuffed breast in a large pot with the onion, carrot, celery, and bay leaves, and cover generously with water.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and poach very gently for 1.5-2 hours, until the veal is tender and the filling is fully cooked through.
- Remove and let cool completely, ideally weighted under a light press, for several hours or overnight, which helps it slice cleanly.
- Slice thinly to reveal the mosaic pattern of egg and filling, and serve at room temperature.
Chef Tips
- Take care not to overstuff the pocket, or it may burst during the long poach.
- Arranging the whole eggs centrally and evenly is what creates the dish signature mosaic pattern once sliced.
- Weighting the cooked cima while it cools helps it firm up and slice into clean, attractive rounds.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Overstuffing the pocket, risking the filling bursting out during cooking.
- Slicing while still warm, before it has had time to firm up and hold together cleanly.
- Boiling too vigorously, which can toughen the veal or cause the pocket to burst.
Nutrition (per serving)
Health Benefits
- A good source of protein from the veal and eggs.
Cultural Note
Cima alla Genovese is traditionally reserved for Genoa's most important celebrations, its elaborate preparation and striking sliced presentation reflecting the significant effort involved.
Storage & Serving
Storage: Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating: Best served cold or at room temperature; not typically reheated.
Serve with: A simple green salad, A Ligurian white wine