A ÇIMMA - THE GENOESE 'CIMA'

Translated by Dr Emilia Terracciano

Bell'oueggè strapunta de tùttu bun... What a beautiful pillow...it is a quilt of delights!

The Genoese Cima or ‘Cima alla genovese’ is a dish involving beef brisket stuffed with various fillings and egg, carefully stitched together...

Writing a post about the ‘Cima alla genovese’ (Genoese Cima) is a risky affair if you consider how seriously Genoese tackle the preparation of this dish, let alone the countless rhymes, tales, and songs that have been composed to honour it – composed, I should add, – by far more authoritative people than me. I already had it in mind to prepare this delicacy, but after the horrific catastrophe that occurred yesterday in Genoa, I couldn’t wait any longer. The collapse of the Morandi Bridge made me want to feel Ligurian, Genoese...

Cima’s origins are disputed. Some say it is a dish made of leftover scraps; I am more inclined to believe an entirely different account. Once upon a time, the lack of pastures and livestock in the Ligurian landscape, forced housewives, who struggled to find meat, to use all manner of meat cuts, even the cheapest ones, and to transform these into a rich dish suitable for the festive season. Any butcher will tell you, or should I say any Ligurian butcher ought to tell you, what kind of type of meat cut is appropriate for this delicacy. But good luck trying to explain what you are trying to do anywhere else other than Genoa, for in my humble opinion they will never understand you.

As far as I know there are two types of cuts.

The real Cima, the one the good butcher with a sharp knife will cut for you by carving a tiny pocket on the interior part of the meat slice; or a thin slice folded and sown on three sides.

The cut itself is the tip of the veal brisket, near the belly, called ‘lampo’ or on the upper part of the neck called ‘cappuccina’ (little hood).

But it seems that the only thing that ought to interest the lady cook who is about to embark on this culinary adventure is to declare to the butcher how many eggs her Cima will be able to accommodate – the butcher will deliver accordingly.

When it comes to the filling I will simply write, as I have done for all my other posts, the recipe I know best, that is, the one prepared by my maternal ancestors in my own home. For sure, the stipulated 30 eggs that I’ve come across over the years in some online recipes, were never a thing back at home.

These are the ingredients an ordinary family will need to prepare the Cima (and to avoid unnecessary leftovers that will last for several days):

•  One cut of meat weighing approximately 1 kg which our diligent butcher will have already sown on two sides. However, if you are unable to persuade him to do this with a big smile you will have to sew it up yourself leaving one side open;

•  A handful of herbs from the Prebuggiun (click here to view post); if this is not possible, use a couple of chard leaves;

•  Grated Parmesan;

•  Some meat, either some leftover ‘bollito’ (beef simmered with vegetables, aromatic herbs, and spices); or sweetbread or brains fried in butter and minced;

•  Eggs;

  Some garlic, a lot of marjoram; ‘oudù de pèrsa lègia’, pine nuts, and a slice of desiccated porcino mushroom;

•  A handful of bread soaked in milk or broth;

•  Aromatic ingredients for the broth: carrot, onion skewed with cloves and pepper, celery, and bay leaves.

But remember! Preparing the Cima is not just about getting the right ingredients, it also involves a legendary struggle against the witches and their spells, against the evil eye, to ensure the filled meat doesn’t explode when simmered in water, wasting all its goodness in the process.

If the Cima explodes its precious filling will be lost and nothing other than the bare and rather poor layer of meat will be left. It is for this reason that in the well-known song called “a Çimma” written by Fabrizio De Andrè and Fossati we find references to superstitious beliefs and practices..

Ti t'adesciàe ‘nsce l'èndegu du matin

ch'à luxe a l'à ‘n pè ‘n tera e l'àtru in mà

ti t'ammiàe a ou spègiu de 'n tiànnin

ou cè s'amia a ou spègiu da ruzà

ti mettiàe ou brùgu rèdennu'nte 'n cantùn

che se d'à cappa a sgùggia ‘n cuxin-a stria

a xeùa de cuntà ‘e pàgge che ghe sùn

‘a cimma a l'è za pinn-a a l'è za cùxia

You’ll wake up on the blue indigo morning

Light will have one foot on the ground and the other one in the sea

You’ll see your face at the bottom of a pan

The sky will cast its reflection in a mirror of dew

You’ll put your broom upright in a corner

In case a witch slides into the kitchen from the chimney

By the time she counts its straws

The cima will be filled and fully cooked

For this reason, it is fundamental to wake up at dawn when preparing the Cima. Forget about the useless morning beauty rituals – don’t waste time and get down with the job (you can always observe your reflection at the bottom of a pan filled with water!) Run to the fireplace, turn your broom upside down and place it under the chimney to prevent any witch from paying you a visit. If you do this, the witch will no doubt stop to inspect your broom and count its straws – by the time she’ll have completed the count, your Cima will be sown up, and ready to be cooked.

To sow the Cima you will need a robust needle, the well-known ‘needle of the mattress-maker’, and a cooking twine similar to one used to make a roast.

To begin with, I slice the vegetables into tiny strips, place them on a chopping board covered in salt, and leave them there for half an hour. I then squeeze them thoroughly. In a separate container I beat 4 eggs, then add the cheese and squeezed vegetables.

With the mincing knife I slice the marjoram, a slice of dried mushroom, a spoonful of pine nuts, and then add to the eggs and cheese. I add the meat to the mix, and if I can’t get hold of any sweetbreads, I sometimes mince some meat and lightly fry in butter, adding a bit of ham sliced into thin strips, and the squeezed soaked bread. I get a feel for the filling, figure out if it’s there enough of it, and if it is soggy enough.

Today, for example, I added an extra egg to the mix.

Different schools of thought add further ingredients including peas (almost ubiquitous), strips of carrots, and in the spring, often substitute the vegetables with artichokes.

Back at home, the pea variety, which often included bits of carrot and egg yolks reminded us too much of the Cima from the rotisserie, so we avoided it and limited ourselves to the above-mentioned ingredients. If anything, my mother would often do without meat entirely for the filling and simply used vegetables; in this case she would simply use carrots, chunks of zucchini or other kinds of common greens.

On the unsown side, with the aid of a small ladle, I fill up half of the pocket with meat, making sure I don’t go over the rim. If the pocket is filled up entirely, it will no doubt explode when cooked as the eggs will increase in volume, thus releasing into the water the precious filling.

I can now sow the meat with a festoon stitch.

Cè serèn tèra scùa carne tènia nu fàte nèigra nu turnà dùa e ‘nt'ou nùme de Maria tùtti diài da sta pùgnatta anène via

In the large pot I had put to boil (celery, the skewed onion, carrot, and a bay leaf), I can now immerse with reverence the Cima and pronounce the magic spell after making the sign of the cross right above it:

“Cielo sereno, terra scura, carne tenera non venire nera, non tornare dura e nel nome di Maria tutti i diavoli da questa pentola andate via”

Roughly translated as:

“Clear sky, dark earth, tender meat, don’t go black, and don’t go tough, and in the name of Mary – may all the devils from this pot go away!”

I keep the Cima at a very light simmer, and the minute it starts to swell I gently poke it with my needle to let out the pressure.

My Cima weighing 1kg approximately will need one and a half hour to cook, maximum two.

I keep checking the Cima until it gives in gently when poked with the needle. It is now ready.

All that is left for me to do is to remove the Cima from the broth, now light and tasty, place it on a dish, and after a few minutes, put it in so-called caregòia, that is, under a weight. In this way, all the fluids will get squeezed out and the Cima will acquire its well-known, compact, pillow-like shape.

The typical weight used to perform this operation is the mortar which can be found in all Ligurian homes. Over the years, when seeking to create a delicate balance involving dishes, chopping boards, and lids, never have I exploded the Cima...I have however dropped a mortar...

After a couple hours the Cima is ready to be sliced and served cold as tradition would have it with some salad. Some like it lukewarm.

Leftover cold slices of Cima can be used for picnic sandwiches. Some people will make Cima especially for a picnic! Some people fry them in batter, like cutlets, I have never tried it out...

... Bell'oueggè strapunta de tùttu bun

prima de battezàlu ‘ntou prebuggiun

cun dui aguggiuìn dritu ‘n pùnta de pè

da sùrvia ‘n zù fitu ti ‘a punziggè

àia de lùn-a vègia de ciaèu de nègia

ch'ou cègu ou pèrde ‘a tèsta l'àse ou sentè

oudù de mà misciòu de pèrsa lègia

cos'àtru fa cos'àtru dàghe a ou cè ...

Fabrizio de Andrè - Ivano Fossati

"A Çimma"

Beautiful pillow, mattress filled with all of God’s goodness

Before you baptise it with wild herbs

On the tip of your toes, swiftly poke it from top to bottom

with two large straight needles

breeze of an elderly moon, of a dim foggy light

an altar boy loses his head, and the donkey his path

The smell of the sea mixed with gentle marjoram

What else can one do, what else could one gift to the skies...

Fabrizio de Andrè - Ivano Fossati"A Çimma"

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Lella

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Lella Canepa, creatrice di "Donne da Ieri a Oggi" una fantastica mostra poi tradotta in un libro e di "Erbando" un ricercato evento che produce sempre il "tutto esaurito" da subito, anch'esso tradotto in un Manuale dove si impara a conoscere e raccogliere le erbe selvatiche commestibili come facevano i nostri avi.

Lella Canepa ama da sempre tutto ciò che è spontaneo, semplice e naturale e coltiva da anni la passione per tutto quello che circonda il mondo manuale del femminile. tramandato per generazioni da sua mamma, sua nonna e la sua bisnonna.

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Tutti gli usi alimurgici o farmaceutici indicati sono a mero scopo informativo, frutto di esperienza personale, declino ogni responsabilità sul loro utilizzo a scopo curativo, estetico o alimentare.

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