Levoni Cotechino Pork Sausage and What Goes with It
Levoni Cotechino is a
special pork sausage which is one of the glories of the cuisine of
Emilia Romagna, especially Modena and other areas of northern Italy.
It is made from leanish pork and cooked pork skins (cotene) from which
it gets its name. It is only since October 2001 that imported cotechino
has been allowed in this country.
The Levoni company
of Mantova produces our cotechino which comes precooked, requiring
only to be heated in its pouch in simmering water for 40 minutes producing
a delicious dish with its traditional flavor and consistency intact.
Cotechino is a rich, unctuous sausage that is traditionally served
with cooked beans, lentils or mashed potatoes as an accompaniment.
(It also figures in the famous boiled dinner, the bollito misto, traditionally
served in Italy during cold weather.)
Levoni Cotechino is
an I.G.P. product; that is, as Cotechino di Modena, it has a Protected
Geographical Indication of Origin. It must be made to have a certain
flavor and texture and come from a specified area. First described
in the cookbook Apicio Moderno (1790) of Francesco Leonardi, chef to
Catherine II of Russia, it can also be written as cotichin, coteghino,
codechino, or codeghino.
Cotechino's special
texture and unctuousness is given by the amount of cooked pork skins
that are chopped and blended with the meat. It is spiced only with
salt, black pepper, cinnamon, and cloves. Shelf stable and packed one
sausage per pouch in its own box, it just needs to be heated in its
pouch. This is a fall/cold weather dish which normally takes a long
time to prepare. The Levoni Cotechino di Modena just has to be heated.
If you have been provident and cooked beans or lentils
beforehand, they also just need to be reheated and when the Cotechino
is ready, dinner is served. Our special Pescadero and Caponi beans
or Umbrian lentils make this dish
simplicity itself to prepare. All you have to do is prepare the beans
and lentils beforehand.
