Culinary Explorer
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Minestra Maritata
Created by Chef Graziella
The great married soup of Naples, where bitter winter greens find their match in a broth built from prosciutto bones, pork, and time. This is Christmas dinner in Campania.
The name means married soup, and it refers not to newlyweds but to the union of two essential things: bitter winter greens and rich pork broth. Neapolitan cooks have understood this marriage for centuries. The greens need the fat. The meat needs the vegetable bitterness to cut its richness. Together they become something neither could be alone.
This is not a quick weeknight supper. It is a holiday project, the kind of cooking that fills the house with aroma for an entire day. Neapolitan families serve it on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and again at Easter. The pot simmers on the back of the stove while children run through the house and old aunts argue about whether you should have added more escarole.
You need multiple cuts of pork, and you need the prosciutto bone. Americans throw these away. Italians know better. The bone is where the flavor lives. Find a good Italian deli and ask them to save one for you. They will respect you for knowing to ask.
Ingredients
prosciutto bone
Quantity
1 (about 1 pound)
with some meat attached
pork spareribs
Quantity
1 pound
cut into individual ribs
pork skin
Quantity
8 ounces
cleaned and cut into 2-inch pieces
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| prosciutto bonewith some meat attached | 1 (about 1 pound) |
| pork spareribscut into individual ribs | 1 pound |
| pork skincleaned and cut into 2-inch pieces | 8 ounces |
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