CASSOEULA (kah-soh-OO-lah)

The main reason why I'm posting the recipe to this dish is because I'm sure it's something that my folks would like. It contains pig's feet — and what immediately comes to mind is the pickled pig's feet that my mom occasionally cooked for dinner. The two aren't anything alike however, since casseoula (or cazzoeula), is a heavy pork and cabbage stew from the region of Lombardia. This past Sunday I ate this for lunch, as my mother-in-law made her version of cassouela without the pig's feet, using extra pork skin (cotenne) instead. My husband claims the only way to eat this dish is when it's piping hot, with polenta. Personally, I would go for hot white rice...but then that's just the 'local' in me.

Cassoeula serves 4-6
Ingredients:
1 pig's foot
butter
olive oil
1 lb. pork sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 lb. pork ribs
1/2 lb. pork skin, cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped
3 lbs. savoy cabbage, cut into strips and rinsed
salt and pepper

1. Place the pig's foot in a large pot of water; cover and bring to a boil, allowing to boil for 45 minutes. Skim off the foam that accumulates on top. Drain and set aside.

2. Melt a bit of butter together with a little olive oil in a large stewing pot. Brown all of the meats, including the pig's foot. Add the onions and saute until golden brown.* Add the carrots, celery, and tomatoes. Continue to cook over medium-low heat for another 20 minutes. Add the cabbage; salt and pepper to taste; and cook for another 40 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from scorching. You can add a little water if it gets too dry. Serve with polenta (or white rice).

3. *At the point when the onions are golden brown, you can add a splash of italian grappa, cognac, or 1/2 cup of wine if you like.