Kitchen Recipe Collection
Italian Bollito Misto (Mixed Boiled Meats)
A grand Northern Italian feast. Various cuts of beef, veal, and sausage slowly simmered in an aromatic broth, served with punchy, vibrant sauces like salsa verde.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 180 min
- Total
- 210 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- medium
- Cuisine
- italian
Ingredients
Scaled for 8 servings
- beef brisket or chuck roast
- veal tongue (optional but traditional)
- cotechino or zampone (large Italian pork sausage)
- capon or boiling chicken
- onion (studded with cloves), carrots, celery, bay leaves
- coarse salt
- salsa verde (parsley, capers, anchovy, garlic, olive oil)
Equipment
- One or two very large stock pots
- Meat carving set
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the Broth
Fill a very large pot with water. Add the onion studded with cloves, carrots, celery, bay leaves, and coarse salt. Bring to a rolling boil.
- 2
Add the Beef
Crucial rule: To keep the meat flavorful (rather than making a good broth), you must add the beef only AFTER the water is boiling. This seals the exterior.
- 3
Simmer
Lower the heat to a very gentle simmer. Skim any scum that rises to the surface.
- 4
Cook the Chicken
After 1 hour of cooking the beef, add the whole chicken or capon to the same pot.
- 5
Cook the Sausage/Tongue
Cook the cotechino (sausage) and the veal tongue in a SEPARATE pot of boiling water, as their strong flavors will ruin the delicate beef/chicken broth.
- 6
Check for Tenderness
After about 2.5 to 3 hours total, all meats should be fork-tender. The beef should slice easily without falling apart entirely.
- 7
Make Salsa Verde
Finely chop massive amounts of parsley, garlic, capers, and a few anchovies. Mix with olive oil and a splash of vinegar.
- 8
Carve and Serve
Remove all meats from the broths. Carve into thick slices and arrange on a massive, warm serving platter.
- 9
The Accompaniments
Serve immediately. Guests take a mix of meats and dollop them generously with salsa verde, mostarda (candied fruit in mustard syrup), and coarse salt.
- 10
The Broth
The resulting beef/chicken broth is usually strained and served as a first course with tortellini.
Cooking Tips
- If you start the meat in cold water, you get a great broth but tasteless meat. For Bollito Misto, always start in boiling water.
- The dish relies entirely on the quality of the sauces (salsa verde, mostarda, horseradish) to cut the richness of the boiled meats.
Variations
- Lesso Rifatto: Leftover boiled beef is often sliced and sautéed with onions and tomatoes the next day.
Chef's Notes & Storage
- The classic Christmas or winter Sunday lunch in Piedmont, Lombardy, and Emilia-Romagna.
Nutrition Estimate
750 calories · 65g protein · 5g carbs · 48g fat · 1g fiber per serving
