How to make the Genoese top, oroginal recipe of a typical dish of Ligurian cuisine, which consists of a piece of veal belly meat cut in your pocket and filled with various ingredients.
Ingredients for 6 people
- 600 g of veal tip cut into pockets
- 150 g of veal sweetbreads
- 100 g of veal brains
- 100 g of veal stern
- 100 g of breadcrumbs
- 1 dl of milk
- 2 eggs
- 80 g of grated Parmesan
- 1 sprig of fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon of dried marjoram
- 1 clove of garlic
Recommended readings- Fried veal meatballs with potatoes, bacon and walnuts
- Wild boar in salami with olives and tomatoes
- Veal belly cooked at low temperature
- Tender veal stew
- Chicken breast with almonds
- 1/2 onion
- 30 g of butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
How to prepare the Genoese top
Immerse the brain in fresh water for about half an hour, changing the water several times.
In a saucepan, bring to the boil about one liter of lightly salted water, with a generous spoonful of vinegar or half a lemon juice, then put the brains in it, letting it simmer for five to eight minutes.
After draining the brain and letting it cool, with a sharp knife remove all the skin and the filaments that cover it.
Meanwhile, immerse the sweetbreads in a container with warm water for two hours, changing the water several times.
In a pot of slightly salted water and brought to a boil, blanch the sweetbreads for a few minutes, then let them cool and carefully remove the skins.
Fry the finely sliced onion and the minced garlic clove in the butter.
Cut the brains, sweetbreads and stern into cubes, then put them together with the onion and garlic.
Cook over low heat for ten minutes, stirring frequently, add a little salt and black pepper.
Dip the breadcrumbs in the warm milk, then squeeze it well and add it to the sauté.
Also add the grated Parmesan, the chopped fresh or dried marjoram, the beaten eggs and mix all the ingredients well.
Take the veal tip and, if the butcher has not already done so, cut the meat with a knife and form a pocket as wide as possible, then fill it in the right size with the prepared mixture.
Sew the pocket with colorless thread and wrap it with gauze, or a thin white cloth, tying the ends with twine.
Put the stuffed top in a pan, cover with cold and slightly salted water, then cook over medium heat for about an hour and a half.
When cooked, remove the top from the broth and let it cool between two dishes under a weight, to keep them in their original shape.
When the top is cold, slice it taking care not to crumble it and serve it on the table.
