How do you cook capozella?
Like most foods, there are many methods based on region.
Capozella, sheep's head, was once a peasant food and now a delicacy
in many cultures.
That said I will give you the Napolitano Recipe:
Lamb, Sheep, Goat's head - split lengthwise ( and horns removed
re: Goat)
For the Boil:
one Lemon - sliced thin
10 sprigs parsley
Small onion - quartered
5 peel garlic cloves
kosher salt (3tbs for boil)
Water to cover
For the Breading:
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 tsp salt
few turns black pepper
(herbs - fresh use heaping or dry use level)
1/2 tsp fresh parsley
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp oregano
olive oil
For the table:
Lemon wedges
Sea Salt
Clean the Capozella:
If not already done by your butcher (best choice) Split the
capozella lengthwise.
This can be done with a large clever, a hard swing and great aim
or use a mallet to drive your clever if you're not a Joe DiMaggio
in the kitchen.
Comb over the halves and remove any remnants of the hide, pay
close attention around the nose, ears and sinuses. Check the back
of the throat for remnants of the wind pipe and remove.
Take some kosher salt and rub the halves vigorously and leave on
a tilted cutting board to drain into the sink for 5min.
Rinse of salt.
In a large enough pot place capozella, cover with cold water
plus 3-4 inches
throw in 3 tbs salt, lemon, parsley, onion and garlic. Bring to
a boil then lower to a simmer. simmer for 30-45min skimming the pot
as the foam forms.
Drain let cool until you can handle by hand.
Baking:
pre-heat oven to 375.
Place Halve cut side up on a shallow baking sheet. Mix breading
ingredients.
Carefully lift brain from cavity and dredge in breading, replace
in cavity. Coat cut side with 1/8" of breading, drizzle with olive
oil.
place on middle rack in oven and bake for 45 min or until
breading brown.
Serve hot with lemon, salt and lots of napkins.
Eating the capozella can be a daunting task for the
un-initiated.
My Method:
Scoop the brain and spread on toasty garlic bread.
With a knife start at the tongue, then flip over and attack the
cheeks, generously squeezing lemon and dusting salt all along as
you go.
Now it's time to use your hands - pull the jaw apart and pull
off all that succulent meat from the inside area. You can eat
pretty much everything but the actual bone and sinuses, all the
cartilage should be very soft, according to lore, is good for
arthritis.
Now the Eye question - should you or should you?
If you choose to, take a fork and slip it between the socket and
the eye, fishing it underneath, lever it out. with your knife,
quarter it, scrape the inside a little, and continue with lemon and
salt.
