Minestra
Maritata
Neapolitan meat & leafy-green soup
Tender pieces of pork and chicken meet leafy greens in a savory broth, a substantial Neapolitan soup finished with grated cheese.
Meat, leafy greens & a rich brothMeat and greens,
a Neapolitan pairing.
Minestra maritata pairs meat and leafy greens in a rich broth. Maritata refers to that pairing, or marriage, of ingredients. In the Neapolitan tradition, different cuts of pork and other meats simmer until tender before joining vegetables with a little bitterness.
The mix changes between households and seasons, and some local greens are difficult to find elsewhere. The home recipe uses pork ribs, sausage and chicken with escarole, curly endive and broccoli rabe. It makes substantial bowls that can serve as a meal.
Explore by food: Meat · Soups · Vegetables & cheese
At the table: Primi · Secondi.
Let’s make minestra maritata.
Six substantial bowls with pork, chicken and three leafy greens.
Six substantial bowls; use a 7–8 l stockpot and a separate pot for blanching greens.
Blanch greens during the meat simmer, then remove bones while the greens finish in the broth. Cooking includes heating the water and straining the broth.
What you’ll need
- 600 gpork ribs, cut into manageable sections
- 500 gbone-in chicken thighs
- 300 gfresh Italian pork sausages, left whole
- 150 gonion, halved
- 100 gcarrot, cut into chunks
- 80 gcelery, cut into chunks
- 3 lwater, for the meat broth, plus up to 500 ml more as needed
- 400 gescarole, trimmed weight, washed and roughly chopped
- 300 gcurly endive, trimmed weight, washed and roughly chopped
- 300 gbroccoli rabe, tough stalks removed, washed and chopped
- 4 lwater, for blanching greens
- 30 mlextra-virgin olive oil
- 2garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 50 gParmigiano-Reggiano, grated
- to tastefine salt and black pepper
This makes broth from the meats during the stated cooking time; no overnight broth preparation or chilling is assumed. Blanching greens and removing bones overlap the broth and final soup cooking. Escarole, curly endive and broccoli rabe are an accessible home mix rather than a claim to reproduce every local wild green.
How to make it
- 01
Begin the broth
Put ribs, onion, carrot, celery and the 3 l water in the stockpot. Bring slowly to a simmer, skimming foam, then cook gently with the lid ajar for 90 minutes. Keep the meat submerged, adding some of the extra water if needed.
- 02
Add the other meats
Add chicken thighs and simmer for another 30 minutes. Add sausages and continue for 30 minutes more. The ribs should be fork-tender, chicken must reach 74°C/165°F away from bone, and sausage must reach 71°C/160°F. Extend cooking if needed.
- 03
Blanch the greens
During the final meat simmer, bring the 4 l blanching water to a boil in a second pot. Blanch the mixed greens in batches for 3–4 minutes each. Drain and press out excess water with a spoon.
- 04
Strain and combine
Lift meats onto a clean tray. Strain the hot broth into a large heatproof vessel, discard the spent vegetables and skim excess surface fat with a spoon. In the emptied stockpot, warm oil and garlic for 2 minutes, then remove garlic. Add greens and turn in the oil for 2 minutes. Return about 2 l strained broth and simmer for 15 minutes.
- 05
Finish the soup
While the greens simmer, remove all bones and chicken skin and cut or tear the meat into bite-sized pieces. Slice sausages. Return meats to the pot and simmer for 5 minutes. Add more reserved broth for a spoonable consistency, taste for salt and pepper, and serve with grated cheese.
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