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Varzi is a village characterised by the charming streets of its historic centre, surrounded by beautiful hills steeped in a healthy farming culture whose tradition lives on through its typical dishes such as ‘gallina ripiena alla varzese’
There is no single version of this recipe. Every family in the Oltrepò Pavese has its own and, most of the time, tends to keep it a secret. Some use chestnuts and others prefer the innards of the hen itself, some use minced pork and others beef, others even prepare a filling made only of vegetables, with potatoes, carrots, onions and mushrooms. In short, everyone has their own theory, but stuffed chicken has been part of the Lombard tradition for a long time.
After all, once upon a time, people made what they could and the reuse of all ingredients was common practice. The cuisine of Lombardy, as well as that of the Oltrepò Pavese in particular, is influenced, sometimes in a positive way, by the rusticity and rurality of the area. The diet was based on the products of the land and hens were only eaten on special occasions, otherwise there would have been a shortage of eggs, indispensable in everyday life.
For this reason, the stuffed hen is to be regarded as an anti-crisis recipe, ideal for reusing several poor ingredients to give them a whole new lustre. The most complex thing is the boning of the poultry, but here the butcher could come to the rescue. Once upon a time, no attention was paid to these details and it was the individual members of the family who thought about their portions. Today, customs have changed and the chicken is boned first, with the help of a good, flexible-bladed knife that is not too long and the skill of the hands. As for the filling, take this version of mine with a grain of salt, everyone has their own and everyone customises it as they see fit according to their own tradition and personal taste.
INGREDIENTS FOR 6 PEOPLE
- 1 cleaned chicken
- 300 g minced pork
- 50 g stale bread
- 50 g grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 eggs
- 50 g cleaned walnuts
- 100 g cleaned and cooked chestnuts
- Aromatic herbs (sage, laurel, rosemary)
- Nutmeg
- 1 onion, 2 carrots, celery
PROCEDURE
Prepare the stock with onion, carrots and celery. Bring to the boil and, in the meantime, devote yourself to the chicken.
Chop the walnuts, chestnuts, stale bread, selected herbs, cheese and nutmeg in a blender. Add to the minced pork and eggs. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff the hen with this mixture, taking care not to leave any air bubbles and not to overfill it to prevent the filling from escaping during cooking. Sew the hen with a needle and thread.
Plunge it into the already boiling broth and cook for 3 hours, skimming when necessary.
Once cool, portion and serve.
Wine pairing:
Morasca Bonarda Oltrepò Pavese DOP - Torrevilla
