Stuffed capon Milanese style

Here is a typical Milanese dish that is always present on the Christmas table. As a double homage, to the Nativity and to Caravaggio.

Ingredients (serves 6):

1 capon of about 2 kg
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 onion
1 tablespoon coarse salt

For the stuffing

1 large onion
1 bread roll
1 cup milk
1 cup broth
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 knob of butter
1 bunch of parsley
2 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Preparation

Have the butcher clean the capon well, remove and give you the entrails (heart, liver). The capon must be cooked whole.

Chop the entrails into small pieces and scald them in the broth for a few minutes. Chop the onion and fry it in a knob of butter. Soak the bread roll in milk and crumble it. Chop the parsley. Beat the eggs with salt and pepper.

At this point, prepare the filling: place in a bowl the crumbled bread roll soaked in milk, the entrails, the grated cheese, the parsley, the chopped onion previously browned in a little butter, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Bind everything together with the two beaten eggs. Mix all the ingredients well.

Season the outside and inside of the capon with salt and pepper. Place the stuffing in the cavity and sew it up with kitchen string.

Now boil some water in a large pot with some coarse salt, the carrot, the celery and the onion; when it starts to boil, put in the capon, which should be completely covered by the water; cook in this way for 2.5 hours; halfway through the cooking turn the capon over so that it cooks evenly on both sides. Serve with fruit mustard.