Cleaned raw pork rind
Cleaned raw pork rind is the pig’s skin prepared for cooking: in cassoeula, strips soften beside pork ribs and savoy cabbage.
- Animal
- Pig.
- Purchase form
- Raw skin, cleaned and free of bristles.
- In cassoeula
- Strips cooked until soft.
Begin with cleaned skin
Ask the butcher for skin already cleaned and free of bristles. Check both surfaces, remove any attached unwanted pieces and cut it into strips as the recipe requires. Weigh the cleaned raw portion before the preliminary cooking.
For the cassoeula, blanch the strips first, drain them and discard that water. Continue with the ribs and cabbage in the covered casserole. The preliminary blanch is one stage, not the end of cooking: the rind should be soft by the time the stew is ready.
Cotenna in the Lombard casserole
Pork rind belongs among the pork cuts used with savoy cabbage in Lombard cassoeula. It brings a yielding texture to the finished stew, distinct from the meat on the ribs. The word cotenna identifies skin. Here the required form is raw and cleaned, rather than a fried snack, crisp crackling or a prepared pork-rind roll.
Soft strips among the cabbage
Serve the rind with the meat and cabbage, rather than trying to make it crisp. The strips should be easy to eat with a fork. Polenta accompanies the cassoeula and gathers its cooking juices.
Cook with it
Ask for raw cotenna
State that you need cleaned raw pork skin for a stew. Pieces sold as fried pork rinds, crackling, ciccioli or stuffed rind rolls are different preparations. Look at the skin itself and confirm whether it has been salted, seasoned or cooked.
A fresh-cut sheet may retain some fat underneath; ask the butcher to prepare the form required for the recipe rather than treating a thick piece of pork belly as skin alone.
Keep raw rind separate
Keep the raw rind refrigerated and covered, separate from cooked food. Follow its storage directions and use-by date; clean utensils and surfaces after handling it.
Questions worth asking
Is this the same as a bag of crispy pork rinds?
No. Cassoeula begins with cleaned raw skin, which softens during cooking.
Is the recipe weight raw or cooked?
Weigh the cleaned raw rind before blanching, with no bristles or unwanted attached pieces.
Is blanching enough to finish it?
No. The blanched strips continue cooking with the stew until soft.
