Name: Bollito misto piemontese
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 3 h 10 min
Total time: 4 h 10 min
Cuisine: Italian, Piedmontese
Ingredients: 900 g beef chuck or shoulder; 700 g beef brisket or short rib; 700 g beef tongue, well scrubbed; 1.2 kg small chicken; 500 g cotechino, fresh or packaged; cook according to type; 2 onions, halved; 3 carrots, large pieces; 3 celery stalks, large pieces; 2 bay leaves; 6 black peppercorns; 2 cloves; 20 g coarse salt; 5 L water, approximately; 50 g flat-leaf parsley, leaves and tender stems; 2 anchovy fillets; 1 tbsp capers, rinsed; 1 small garlic clove; 40 g stale white bread crumb; 2 tbsp wine vinegar; 90 ml extra-virgin olive oil; salt only if needed

Bollito misto piemontese: wide hero view of the finished traditional dish

Prep45 minutes

Cook3 h 10 min

Total4 h 10 min

Yield8 servings

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The dish

About Bollito misto piemontese

The grand traditional service is famous for long lists of primary and secondary cuts, but a domestic recipe does not need to imitate ceremonial scale to preserve the method.

The governing principle is staggered cooking. Beef cuts, tongue, poultry and cotechino do not all enter and leave the broth at the same moment.

Starting the main beef in hot aromatic water keeps flavour concentrated in the meat while still producing a useful broth. Cotechino is cooked separately so its fat and seasoning do not dominate the pot.

Bagnet verd brings acidity, parsley and anchovy against the richness of the meats; mustard or mostarda can also accompany the platter.

Technique

Three things that matter

Simmer, never boil hard. A gentle surface movement keeps meat fibres tender and broth clear.
Respect different timings. Remove each cut when tender rather than waiting for the last item.
Slice just before service. Hot meat dries quickly once exposed; keep cuts moistened with broth until plating.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Meats

900 gbeef chuck or shoulder
700 gbeef brisket or short rib
700 gbeef tonguewell scrubbed
1.2 kgsmall chicken
500 gcotechinofresh or packaged; cook according to type

Broth aromatics

2onionshalved
3carrotslarge pieces
3celery stalkslarge pieces
2bay leaves
6black peppercorns
2cloves
20 gcoarse salt
5 Lwaterapproximately

Bagnet verd

50 gflat-leaf parsleyleaves and tender stems
2anchovy fillets
1 tbspcapersrinsed
1small garlic clove
40 gstale white bread crumb
2 tbspwine vinegar
90 mlextra-virgin olive oil
saltonly if needed

Step by step

Method

Start the long-cooking meats

Build the aromatic water. Bring water with onion, carrot, celery, bay, peppercorns, cloves and salt to a gentle boil.
The liquid should smell aromatic before meat enters.
Add beef cuts. Lower chuck and brisket into the hot liquid, return just to a simmer and skim foam.
The surface should tremble gently, never roll violently.
Cook tongue separately or alongside with control. Simmer tongue until a skewer enters easily, usually 2 1/2–3 hours; peel while warm.
The skin should pull away cleanly once properly tender.

Stagger poultry and cotechino

Add chicken later. When beef has cooked about 90 minutes, add the chicken to the main pot and maintain a gentle simmer.
The chicken should remain submerged without breaking apart.
Cook cotechino separately. Poach cotechino according to whether it is fresh or pre-cooked, keeping it at a gentle simmer.
The casing should stay intact and the centre hot throughout.
Remove each meat at tenderness. Take chicken out when its thickest part reaches 74°C; remove beef when a skewer slides in with little resistance. Hold each cut in a little hot broth.
Do not keep already-tender meat cooking simply to synchronize the platter.

Sauce, slice and serve

Make bagnet verd. Soak bread crumb with vinegar, then chop or pulse with parsley, anchovy, capers and garlic; stream in olive oil.
The sauce should be loose, bright green and spoonable, not mayonnaise-smooth.
Slice the meats. Slice beef and tongue across the grain; joint chicken and cut cotechino into thick rounds.
Slices should stay moist and intact.
Assemble hot. Arrange meats with cooked broth vegetables and ladle over a little hot broth. Serve bagnet verd, mustard or mostarda alongside.
The platter should reach the table steaming, with sauces separate.

Practical guidance

Ceremonial tradition

Descriptions of the grand Piedmontese bollito can list seven principal cuts and seven accompaniments; this is a practical home-scale interpretation of that method.

Broth

Strain and save it for soup, risotto or reheating leftovers.

Holding meat

Cover cooked cuts with a small amount of hot broth rather than leaving them dry on a board.

Troubleshooting

The meat is tough. It either needs more gentle cooking or was boiled aggressively. Continue at a bare simmer until connective tissue softens.
The broth is cloudy. The pot boiled too hard or was not skimmed early. Flavour is still usable, but next time keep only a tremble.
Chicken falls apart. It cooked too long while waiting for beef. Add later and remove as soon as it reaches safe temperature.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: mixed meat portion, about 1/8 platter
Calories: approximately 760 kcal
Carbohydrates: 9 g
Protein: 63 g
Fat: 51 g
Fibre: 2 g
Sodium: 1240 mg

Actual values vary substantially with the cuts of beef, cotechino and amount of sauce served.

Allergens and food safety

Cook chicken to 74°C in the thickest part away from bone.

Follow package or butcher guidance for fresh cotechino and ensure it is cooked through before slicing.

Keep cooked meats above safe hot-holding temperature for immediate service or cool rapidly and refrigerate within 2 hours.

FAQ

Does bollito misto require seven meats?

The famous ceremonial Piedmontese formula is larger, but a home recipe can use fewer cuts while preserving staggered simmering and mixed service.

Why cook cotechino separately?

Its fat, salt and spices are strong; a separate pot keeps the main broth cleaner and lets its cooking time be controlled.

What sauces belong with bollito?

Bagnet verd is a classic Piedmontese partner; mustard, horseradish-style sauces and mostarda are also commonly served.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Tender slices of several meats served steaming with broth vegetables and a sharp parsley-anchovy bagnet verd.
Key: Use a bare simmer, stagger each meat by its own cooking time and hold finished cuts in hot broth until slicing.