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Pani ca' meusa
Veal spleen sandwich
Pani ca' meusa: Palermo's soft sesame bun with sliced veal spleen and lemon or ricotta
ItalianPani ca' meusa ("bread with spleen") has been sold in Palermo since the Middle Ages, when the Jewish butchers of the city were paid with the offal of the animals they slaughtered and sold it in bread. At the old Focacceria San Francesco and the stalls around the Vucciria market, veal spleen and lung are boiled, sliced thin and then fried in pork lard in a huge pan before being piled into a sesame roll. Ordered "schettu" (single) it comes with lemon; "maritatu" (married) with ricotta and caciocavallo. Lung is not sold in many countries, so this recipe uses spleen only. Chef's tip: slice the boiled spleen while it is cold and firm; warm spleen crumbles.
- Total time
- 170 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb veal spleenfrom a butcher
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 ⅞ oz pork lardor olive oil
- 1 lemon (optional)wedges, for schettu
- 7 oz ricotta (optional)for maritatu
- 2 ⅛ oz caciocavallo (optional)grated, for maritatu
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ¾ lb veal spleen, put it in a pan with 2 bay leaves and 1 tbsp salt, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for 1½–2 hours, until firm and cooked right through, with no pink.
120 minStep 2: Drain, cool and chill for at least 1 hour, then slice as thinly as you can into strips.
60 minStep 3: Melt 2 ⅞ oz pork lard in a wide frying pan over a medium heat and fry the spleen slices for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until hot through and slightly crisp at the edges. It should be piping hot, above 160°F. Common mistake: frying on a high heat; the thin slices burn before they heat through.
10 minStep 4: Split 6 soft sesame rolls (vastedda or brioche-style) and fill with the hot spleen, letting some of the fat soak into the bread.
Step 5: For schettu, squeeze over 1 lemon. For maritatu, spread with 7 oz ricotta and scatter with 2 ⅛ oz caciocavallo. Serve straight away.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 450 kcal
- Protein
- 30 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pani ca' meusa take?
- About 170 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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