Zuppa Forte (O' Suffritto) Neapolitan Stew

La storia di questo piatto

In Naples, nothing is wasted, and from that old wisdom of the poor kitchen comes this soup of offal and fire, a dish of the streets and of the lean days. It is the fierce, generous soul of the city, written in the humblest cuts and lifted high by chilli.

Ingredienti

• 300 g Pork lung
• 250 g Pork heart
• 100 g Pork spleen
• 250 g Pork tripe or larynx (carnaccia)
• 40 g Tomato concentrate (extract)
• 500 g Peeled whole tomatoes
• 40 g Lard
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 3 whole Dried red chili pepper
• 150 ml Dry red wine
• 350 ml Hot water or broth
• 50 ml White wine vinegar
• 15 g Fresh parsley
• 1,5 teaspoons Salt
• 0,5 teaspoons Ground black pepper
• 4 slices Stale rustic bread

Preparazione

1. Rinse the lung, heart, spleen and tripe under cold running water, removing the tougher parts, ducts and membranes that come off easily (with the lung, don't try to remove them all: cooking will take care of the rest). Bring a pot of water with the vinegar to a boil, blanch the offal for 5 minutes and drain: this will reduce the strong odor. Dry them carefully with paper towels and cut into small, even pieces of about 2 cm so they all cook at the same time.
2. Heat the lard in a large, thick-bottomed earthenware or heavy pot over high heat. Brown the offal in batches, a few pieces at a time, without crowding the pot: too much offal releases steam and won't brown. Stir often until each batch takes on a dark, compact color, then set it aside and move on to the next.
3. Return all the browned offal to the pot, lower the heat slightly and add the garlic in thin slices and the whole chili peppers, stirring for a minute until the garlic is fragrant without burning. Pour in the red wine and scrape up all the flavorful bits stuck to the bottom with a spoon, letting the alcohol evaporate completely: the pungent smell will disappear and the aroma of cooked wine will remain.
4. Dissolve the tomato concentrate in the cooking liquid, mixing well, then add the peeled tomatoes, crushing them with your hands or a fork. Bring to a boil, stir carefully and immediately lower the heat to minimum.
5. Add the hot water (or hot broth) so you don't interrupt the cooking, and cover the pot leaving a small gap. Simmer very gently for 90-100 minutes, stirring occasionally to loosen whatever sticks to the bottom and adding, only if needed, a ladle of hot water. The sauce should stay thick: it is ready when the lung and heart nearly fall apart under the spoon.
6. Taste, this is the most important moment of the whole recipe, and adjust salt and pepper to your liking. If the sauce still seems too thin, remove the lid and reduce over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring often so the bottom doesn't burn: the stew is ready when a spoon drawn through it leaves a thick trail that doesn't close up right away.
7. Toast the slices of stale bread in a pan or under the grill until golden and crisp outside but still soft inside: flip them halfway through cooking so they don't burn. Warm the bowls, place a slice of bread at the bottom of each, pour the steaming stew over it and garnish with a sprig of freshly chopped parsley (about 15 g in total).