Bombette di Cisternino
Bombette di Cisternino are rolls of cured pork shoulder filled with canestrato pugliese cheese, cooked over hot coals in a "fornello pronto" — the butcher shops with grills that are the true gastronomic heart of Valle d'Itria.
In Cisternino, the ritual is simple: you enter the butcher shop, choose your meat, have it grilled, and eat it at a small table with a glass of wine. No fuss, just substance.
Preparation
- 1
Gently pound the capocollo slices to thin them out.
- 2
Place 2-3 cubes of canestrato and a pinch of parsley in the center of each slice.
- 3
Roll the meat over itself to form a compact roll and secure it with a toothpick.
- 4
Prepare the hot coals using oak or olive wood.
- 5
Grill the bombette over the coals for 8-10 minutes, turning frequently, until evenly cooked.
- 6
The cheese inside should be melted and stringy, the meat golden on the outside.
- 7
Serve immediately with Puglian bread and a glass of Primitivo.
Chef's Tips
The coals must be hot but not flaming: the bombette should be cooked over glowing embers. Semi-aged canestrato is the ideal cheese: it melts well without leaking out.