Colli di pollo ripieni (stuffed chicken necks)

This typical Tuscan recipe born of thrift looks gruesome, but it’s very popular and nobody baulks at it in Florence because they are so used to it. If you can get over the idea of chicken-heads, complete with beaks, on your plate, you’ll find it’s very tasty, too. Florentine butchers, especially those at the covered market of San Lorenzo, have glass cabinets stuffed full of all manner of interesting cuts and poultry that we are strangers to here in Malta. They make for interesting recipes, and this is just one of them.

Bernard Muscat's wine recommendation: the delicate flavour of this dish calls for a wine with similar characteristics, like that of vernaccia di San Gimignano – try Granducato Vernaccia di San Gimignano 2006. If you are serving it with salsa verde, you need a stronger flavour, like that of vino nobile di Montepulciano – try Coli Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2003. Both are from P Cutajar & Co.

You will need:

For stuffing the chicken necks: finely minced beef, grated Parmesan cheese, egg, parsley, finely chopped garlic, salt, pepper and sometimes, ground pistachio nuts.

The chicken-necks are cleaned out and stuffed. The stuffed necks are simmered for around an hour, with or without other meats, in plenty of water, with a carrot, celery, bay leaves, fresh rosemary, an onion and a bit of garlic. They are left to cool and then sliced and served with salsa verde or mayonnaise. This particular salsa verde is made by mincing a large bunch of clean parsley with hard-boiled eggs, a couple of anchovy fillets, some capers, olive oil and black pepper.
Marmellata di peperoncino (chilli marmalade)

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