Stuffed Capon

In the north of Italy, Stuffed Capon (a castrated rooster) is one of the most traditional dishes for Christmas Day… but, if you have guests and some time to spend in the kitchen, it’s perfect for an elegant Sunday lunch.

It’s a rich and flavorful course, filled with two other kinds of meat, eggs, cheese and herbs.

A little elaborate, but succulent and well worth the time!

Procedure:

Oil a skillet and sauté the chicken livers with rosemary.
In another pan cook the veal with sage. Once cooked, let the meat cool down and grind it.

Beat the egg and add it to the puree together with bread crumbs, cheese, walnuts, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Mix well all the ingredients in order to obtain a homogeneous filling.

Carefully remove bones from the capon (it’s probably better if you ask the butcher to do it for you), cover it with the chicken breast, cut into thick slices, and fill it with the livers and veal stuffing. When you are done, close the capon, sewing it with needle and thread.

Oil the capon’s skin with a buttered basting brush, and wrap it with slices of pancetta and sprigs of laurel and sage. Tie it with twine to give it a compound shape and place it in an oven dish.

Sprinkle the capon with Marsala wine and cover it with aluminum foil.

Cook it for about 40-45 minutes at 400 degrees, flipping it three times and adding a little broth if necessary.

Garnish with accompanied by roast potatoes, buttered spinach or gratin fennels.

Serve Still Warm!