Cima alla genovese is a pocket of veal breast, sewn shut and stuffed with eggs, vegetables and Parmesan, simmered in stock for about two hours, pressed and served cold in slices. It is one of Genoa’s signature dishes and a Ligurian holiday classic. Each slice shows the colours of the filling, and the recipe takes two days: one to cook it, one night in the fridge under a weight. Here you get quantities for four, the steps and the mistakes that make it split.
- Origin: Genoa and Liguria, a frugal dish made from what was at hand
- Total time: about 3 hours of work, plus a night resting in the fridge
- Servings: 4 (quantities for a 1 kg pocket; every family has its own)
- Difficulty: medium: the sewing and the cooking need attention
- Key ingredients: veal breast pocket, eggs, Parmesan, peas, pine nuts, marjoram
- When it is eaten: traditionally at Christmas and Easter, today all year
Ingredients
For four people, with a 1 kg pocket. Quantities vary from family to family: many sources work out the filling by the number of eggs the pocket can hold.
The cima
- 1 kg veal breast pocket
- 100 g ground veal
- 50 g mortadella
- 50 g bread crumb, soaked in milk
- 50 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano
- 4 eggs
- 100 g shelled fresh peas
- 30 g pine nuts
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1/2 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 sprigs of fresh marjoram
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
The cooking stock
- 2 litres of water
- 1 onion studded with 1 clove
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- salt
How to make it
- Ask your butcher for a veal breast pocket of about 1 kg. If it is not already sewn on three sides, sew the sides shut with a needle and kitchen string, using tight stitches.
- Soak the bread in milk. Chop the carrot, celery and onion and brown them in a pan with a little oil and the garlic. Add the ground veal, season with salt and cook over moderate heat until it has dried out its juices. Turn off the heat.
- Squeeze out the bread and blend it with the mortadella. Add it to the pan with the marjoram, Parmigiano, peas and pine nuts.
- Let the filling cool completely, then stir in the eggs one at a time.
- Fill the pocket no more than halfway: the eggs swell as it cooks. Sew up the last side.
- Put the cima in a large pot with the water, the onion with the clove, carrot, celery and salt. Turn on the heat: as soon as the water boils, switch it off and let the stock cool until lukewarm.
- Relight the heat and cook over moderate heat for about 2 hours, at a gentle simmer. When the pocket swells and tightens, prick it two or three times with a needle.
- Turn off the heat and let the cima cool in its stock.
- Place it in a shallow dish, cover it with cling film, set a cutting board with a weight on top and refrigerate overnight.
- Cut slices about half a centimetre thick and serve cold or at room temperature.
Tips and common mistakes
- Do not overfill: fill the pocket halfway at most. The eggs swell, and if there is too much filling the meat splits while cooking.
- Cool the filling before adding the eggs: otherwise they set in the pan.
- Prick it when it swells: air and steam have to escape, or the surface cracks.
- Do not rush the cooking: the stock should barely simmer. High heat tears the meat.
- Do not skip the pressing: it binds eggs, meat and vegetables so you can cut whole slices. After cooking, press the cima under a weight and let it cool completely.
- Do not forget the marjoram: every source calls it the herb that gives the filling its character. In Ligurian it is pèrsa.
- Do not taste the raw filling: it contains raw eggs; season by following the quantities above.
Food safety: wash your hands and utensils after handling the raw filling, because it contains uncooked eggs. After cooking, do not leave the cima at room temperature for more than two hours: cool it in the stock, then refrigerate it.
Variations
The recipe changes from house to house. The most quoted variations:
- Original offal filling: sweetbreads, brains, veal loin and, in older versions, udder and testicles. Today ground veal with mortadella is common, as in the recipe above.
- With cooked ham: diced and added to the filling.
- With dried mushrooms: soaked and chopped into the filling.
- With chard or other greens: a variation found elsewhere on the Ligurian Riviera too.
- With a whole hard-boiled egg or whole carrot: in the centre of the filling, for the look of the slice.
- “Barattolina”: the filling is cooked in a glass jar set in boiling water, without the meat pocket.
Serving varies too: some people add a salsa verde, and some dip leftover slices in egg and breadcrumbs and fry them.
History and origin
Cima began as a poor dish made from leftovers, and over time it became one of the richest in Genoese tradition thanks to the work of home cooks. Sources disagree on when it began and no document settles it, so we give no date. Its Ligurian name is a çimma; a line by the poet Aldo Aquarone calls it “u re di piatti frèidi”, the king of cold dishes. A slice, for the colours of the filling, is called öggiu, “eye”.
The song “‘A çimma”, by Fabrizio De André, Ivano Fossati and Mauro Pagani, on the album Le nuvole (1990), is about it.
Where to try it in Liguria
Cima is eaten mostly in Genoa, at Christmas and Easter, but it is on menus all year: in trattorias, restaurants, rotisseries and delicatessens in Genoa, often as a starter. You can also buy it ready-made, but quality varies a lot from one producer to another: look at the slice and check that you can see the marjoram in the filling. To make one at home you need a butcher who prepares the pocket to order.
To start, see what to eat in Genoa and the Genoa guide. More Ligurian holiday recipes: torta pasqualina (also made with marjoram), cappon magro, pansoti with walnut sauce and Genoese pesto. Overview: Ligurian cuisine.
Frequently asked questions
What is cima alla genovese?
A pocket of veal breast, sewn and stuffed with eggs, vegetables, Parmesan and marjoram, boiled, pressed and served in cold slices.
Is it eaten hot or cold?
Traditionally cold or at room temperature, in slices. Some recipes dip leftover slices in egg and breadcrumbs and fry them.
How long does cima take to cook?
About 2 hours over moderate heat in stock, after a first boil with the heat switched off. Then comes pressing and a night in the fridge.
How do I stop it from splitting?
Fill the pocket halfway at most, sew with tight stitches, cook gently and prick it with a needle when it swells.
How long does it keep in the fridge?
Sources say “a few days”. Italy’s national health institute (ISS) advises eating cooked leftovers within 2-3 days, kept in a closed container in the fridge.
Can I freeze it?
One source freezes it already sliced and thaws it a few hours before serving.
What does “öggiu” mean?
In Ligurian it means “eye” and refers to a slice of cima, for the colours of the filling.