Tender, white, delicate and tasty, capon meat is a typical Christmas dish. Boiled, roasted or stuffed, it is considered an exceptional second course that reflects the culture of the Ligurian hinterland. During the winter, capon can be accompanied by boiled vegetables or by mostarda, a condiment made from fruit and mustard. 

The broth obtained from cooking the capon is highly appreciated and can be served with raviolini, pasta per consumé, and during the Christmas holidays with Natalini, the Christmas macaroni.

In the Ligurian gastronomic tradition, it has always been an important dish, but in times of famine or economic hardship it was replaced by 'cappon magro', a 'poor man's' dish originally prepared with sailor's biscuits, vegetables and discarded fish.

Method

Pluck the meat, mash it over a fire, and empty it of its innards. Wash and dry it well, tie it up with kitchen string, salt it and put it to cook in a pot with the ox meat and enough water.

To make the broth tastier, you can add a carrot, an onion, a stalk of celery and three cloves.

Boil over a gentle heat until, by inserting a fork into the capon, it enters effortlessly.

At this point, serve it adding some sauce of your liking.