Coppa di Testa, Italian Head Cheese

Name: Coppa di Testa, Italian Head Cheese
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 12 people
Ingredients: 1 pig’s head; 2 pig’s trotters; 2 shanks from the animal; 2 leeks or onions; 1 cup chopped parsley; 10 bay leaves; 2 celery stalks; 2 carrots; 1 stalk of lovage, chopped; 1 sprig of rosemary; 1 cinnamon stick; 6 cloves; 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper; 1 tablespoon Salt

User Reviews

5.0

9 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 30 mins
Servings
12 people
Calories
24 kcal
Course
Main Course, Appetizer
Cuisine
Italian

Coppa di Testa, Italian Head Cheese

Elizabeth Hodge

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This is a recipe to make with a smallish animal’s head. Give yourself a few hours for this recipe, as you will need to simmer the meats for at least 3 hours. I make this with a wide beef casing, but you can simply pack it into a regular loaf pan. You absolutely need the pig’s feet for this recipe — they provide much of the gelatin that will make this set up. Ask your butcher for them; they freeze well, and as you are using them for gelatin not for fine eating, you can even re-freeze them if need be.

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Ingredients

Servings

1 pig’s head
2 pig’s trotters
2 shanks from the animal (optional)
2 leeks or onions, chopped
1 cup chopped parsley
10 bay leaves
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 stalk of lovage, chopped (optional)
1 sprig of rosemary
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon Salt, plus more later

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Instructions

Rinse and clean all the meats under cold water, then put them in the largest pot you own. Move the pot off-center to the burner a little. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Skim the froth off the top. Since you put the pot off-center, the froth should all be on one side of the pot. Once the froth is all off, move the pot back to the center of the burner. Turn the heat down to a simmer, add all the other ingredients, stir to combine and simmer for at least 3 hours. Older animals will require more time.
Soak a large beef casing in warm water with a tablespoon or two of vinegar in it. Remove the meats from the pot and set in a bowl.
Strain the stock well and return it to a clean pot. Bring it to a boil off-center — like you did at the start — and get it at a rolling boil.
Pick the meats off the bone, peel and chop the tongue roughly, and chop fine some of the skin from the pig’s trotter. Chop everything in different sizes: Good-looking meats like the tongue should be between 1/2 and 3/4 inch, and everything else should be smaller. Marginal bits should be chopped the finest.
When the stock has boiled down by a little more than half, add enough salt to make it taste salty — a little saltier than you think it ought to be. This is because cold meats need more salt than warm ones; it’s how we perceive it when eating. Turn the stock off the heat and pour enough to cover the meats. Let this cool a bit.
Rinse the beef casing and tie the bottom securely. Take your time and do this right — you don’t want the bottom to break out when you are stuffing the testa.
Stuff the casing by hand and tighten it before tying off the top. Leave a large loop of string at the top so you can hang the testa in the fridge. I hang it on a dowel set over a clean stock pot. Let this hang in the chiller overnight. Slice it thick and serve with something acidic, like mustard or pickles.

Notes

Do not add more salt than is in the recipe until after the stock is reduced. You don’t want to make this overly salty, and you can make mistakes easily with salt when you are reducing a broth this much.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Calories 24kcal (1%) Carbohydrates 4g (1%) Protein 1g (2%) Fat 1g (2%) Saturated Fat 1g (5%) Cholesterol 1mg (0%) Sodium 601mg (25%) Potassium 116mg (3%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 2402IU (48%) Vitamin C 9mg (10%) Calcium 27mg (3%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12people

Amount Per Serving

Calories 24 kcal

% Daily Value*

Calories	24kcal	1%
Carbohydrates	4g	1%
Protein	1g	2%
Fat	1g	2%
Saturated Fat	1g	5%
Cholesterol	1mg	0%
Sodium	601mg	25%
Potassium	116mg	2%
Fiber	1g	4%
Sugar	1g	2%
Vitamin A	2402IU	48%
Vitamin C	9mg	10%
Calcium	27mg	3%
Iron	1mg	6%