The ingredient
A rib-and-plate cut for the bollito pot.
Scaramella comes from the rib area, with meat, fat and connective tissue arranged in layers. It may be sold with bone.
- Material
- Beef rib-area cut
- Form
- Confirm bone state with butcher
- Recipe amount
- 500 g
In the kitchen
Use slow cooking in liquid to soften the meat and connective tissue. Check tenderness before serving, then separate any bones and cut the meat into manageable portions.
Context
Scaramella is one of the beef cuts in Piedmontese mixed bollito. The Italian butcher name is useful when an English plate-cut label does not identify the same piece precisely.
At the table
The mixed bollito uses 500 g for eight people, alongside the other cuts. Bone, where present, is included in the ingredient weight rather than counted as edible meat.
Cook with it
Choosing it
Ask for scaramella for bollito and agree whether the quoted weight includes bone. Do not choose a thin grilling steak simply because it carries a broad plate or flank label.
Keeping it
Keep the uncooked cut chilled according to its label or the butcher’s instructions. Keep raw juices away from the cooked meat and accompaniments.
Questions worth asking
Is scaramella always boneless?
No. Check the butcher’s cut and the weight basis before buying.
Does plate mean any flank steak will do?
No. Retail cut names vary; ask for the rib-area piece suited to a long bollito.
