Bollito

Name: Bollito
Yield: Serves Ten
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1.25–1.5 kg/2½-3 lb brisket or other boiling joint of fresh, unsalted beef; 1.25–1.5 kg/2½-3 lb brisket or other boiling joint of fresh, unsalted beef; sprig of fresh thyme; handful of parsley stalks; 1 bay leaf; 1.25–1.5 kg/2½-3 lb brisket or other boiling joint of fresh, unsalted beef; 1 (1.75-kg/4-lb) chicken or a small boiling fowl; 1 (1.75-kg/4-lb) chicken or a small boiling fowl; 1 small bacon joint (about 675–900 g/1½-2 lb); 1 beef stock cube; 3 or 4 sticks celery, cut into chunks; 1 pork boiling sausage (or Polish boiling ring); 450 g/1 lb carrots, peeled; 12 button onions, peeled; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 pork boiling sausage (or Polish boiling ring); salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation info

Serves
Ten

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cooking for Friends

By Prue Leith

Published 1978

About

This is simply an Italian version of boiled beef, or very often boiled mixed meats. A bollito can include almost anything, and the beef can be salted or not as preferred. A bollito is not much good as a dish for 4 people - there will be far too much. But it is a marvellous party dish for 10 people or more.

Ingredients

1.25–1.5 kg/2½-3 lb brisket or other boiling joint of fresh, unsalted beef
1

Europe
Italy
Main course
Dinner

Method

Start with whatever is likely to take longest to boil - in this case the boiling beef or brisket. Put it in a saucepan large enough to hold finally all the ingredients, and cover with water. Add the bay leaf, parsley stalks and thyme, tied together with string, and the beef stock cube. Bring up to the boil, turn down the heat, put on the lid and simmer very gently for 30 minutes. Now add the ba