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ALTO ADIGE A leg of salted pork cured for 20-24 weeks. It is eaten thinly sliced on thick slices of buttered black bread made of rye and/or whole wheat. Speck is considered more flavorful and drier than Parma ham. Canederli These are dumplings made of white or whole wheat flour and egg. They are served as a main dish with butter, cheese or cheese. They can be added to soups, or served as a side dish with meat in gravy. Spinach and speck are often added to the dough before cooking. Crauti Cabbage sliced into thin strips and cooked in water with vinegar or wine, bay leaves, juniper berries and flour. Spätzle Thick finger-rolled noodles made of white or whole wheat flour and egg. Spinach is sometimes added to the dough. The noodles are cooked in boiling water, drained and served with butter and Parmesan cheese. Strudel A dessert treat made thin layers of pastry filled with fruit (apple) and poppy seeds. It is best eaten warm, accompanied by custard or cream.
Crostini di fegato Tuscan chicken liver canapès : a toasted slice of unsalted Tuscan bread topped by a paté of chicken liver, anchovies and capers. The topping ingredients are cooked and then puréed to render it smooth. \ Tuscan Prosciutto There's a difference between the Prosciutto of Parma and the Tuscan variety. Tuscan ham is tougher, denser and tastier. It is carved by hand using a long, razor-sharp knife while anchored on a wooden cutting board made solely for this purpose. Ribollita
Fiori di Zucca Farcita A fried vegetable treat typical of spring and early summer found in everywhere in Rome. The zucchini flowers are stuffed with bread crumbs, minced anchovies and parsely, dipped in egg, rolled in flour, then fried in olive oil. Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe A very simple traditional recipe where boiled spaghetti is dressed with abundant sharp pecorino and plenty of pepper. Spaghetti alla Carbonara Spaghetti dressed with beaten egg yolk and parmigiano, added to a mixture of onion fried with bacon. Spaghetti alla Matriciana This pasta dish using spaghetti of bucatini takes its name from its unique sauce, composed of hog jowls or bacon, white wine, tomatoes and spicy peppers. It is traditionally served topped with aged pecorino. Abbacchio This is this the dish which most characterizes Roman cuisine. Abbacchio is milk-fed lamb prepared in several different ways: oven-roasted, or hunters' style with rosemary, white wine, anchovies and peppers. Carciofi alla Romana Roman artichokes are a special variety called "mammola". The stems are severed and minced fine with mint, garlic, salt and pepper, then used to fill the artichokes, which are then cooked atop the stove with water and olive oil. Puntarelle This unique member of the chicory family is sure to be found among the side dishes at any Roman restaurant, but most likely nowhere else in Italy. The hollow spears of the puntarelle are sliced VERY thinly lengthwise, and set into a large quantity of cold water for some hours. This causes the thin strips to curl up in an extraordinary manner. The crispy curls are served raw, dressed with olive oil, vinegar, garlic and minced anchovies. Capperi Capers: they are the obligatory garnish on pizza or on a dish of spaghetti "alla puttanesca". Capers are the buds of a beautiful plant that grows on rocky cliffsides and walls, and seem to contain the sharp tang of the sea . They are tiny, green beads of flavor preserved in salt. Before using, rinse them well in tepid water to remove excess salt. Pizza True Neapolitan pizza is baked in a wood-burning oven. It is very thin and covered with tomatoes, mozzarella, oregano and anchovies. If you are having trouble cutting your pizza, don't be surprised if a real Neapolitan comes to your rescue, saying "Strappala!" (Tear it!) It works. Polpo A tiny octopus whose tentacles are covered with suction cups. The Neapolitans say that a "real" octopus has three rows of them! Polpo is best cooked in a terra cotta pot and -another tip- if you put a wine cork in the pot while the polpo cooks, the enzymes in the cork will tenderize the octopus. Another way of obtaining the same result, is to leave the polpo in the water it's been boiled in, until cold. Pastiera napolitana A sweet cake rich in ingredients and difficult to make. The secret ingredient is orange blossom water. The "real thing" is available only in Campania. Anything else is a pale imitation. Babà These light and spongy "turbans" soaked in rum are typical of Napoli. Limoncello A strong, dense lemon liqueur, to be served chilled. Limoncello is best home-made, so they say. Ingredients:
Instructions:
Maccheroni In Abruzzo, the word "pasta" maccherone (sounds like macaroni, but it's more of a band noodle) to be precise, is the maccheroni alla chitarra. This unique method of preparing pasta has become a gastronomic symbol of the region. The procedure consists of laying a rolled out sheet of fresh pasta on the box with its metal strings (the "guitar") which cut the pasta into the desired form. The dressing of choice is lamb ragù or the standard classic tomato with basil. Minestrone della virtù (Soup of the Virtues) This regional favorite merits a mention. The Abruzzese soup takes its name from the fact that its ingredients number seven -- the total number of the cardinal virtues. To prepare the soup in the traditional fashion, you'll need seven types of vegetable, seven types of meat and seven sorts of both dried and fresh legumes and aromatic herbs. Even the condiments used number seven! Pecorino di Farindola Among the products typical of this region, the Pecorino cheese made in and around Abbruzzi is without comparison in all Italy. Particularly famous is the Farindola Pecorino, which uses a very unusual sort of rennet: pork stomach, to be specific, which is cut into strips and set in wine, salt and pepper for three months. Fontina This cheese which, depending on its age, can have either a delicate or more piquant taste, has become the symbol of an entire region! The process involved in its production dates back hundreds and hundreds of years, and it was first officially documented in 1480, when its characteristic form was recorded in a fresco in the castle at Isogne along with other typical products of the valley. Fontina appears in all the valley's typical dishes: fonduta (fondue), soups, gnocchi and costolette alla valdostana (cutlet). The recipe for fonduta is really quite simple, but at the same time very appetizing! Cut the cheese into cubes and put the into a rectangular baking dish. Pour milk over the top to cover the cubes and leave in the fridge overnight. The next day, add butter and heat in the top half of a double boiler, stirring until the fontina is completely melted. Remove from the head and stir in 4 egg yolks. one and a time; salt and pepper to taste. Return to the double-boiler and heat through. Do not boil. When creamy and well-blended, serve with chunks or bits of toasted bread. Polenta Valdostana (Cornmeal) Polenta, similar to hominy grits or slowcoach, remains an indispensable part of the Valdostan diet! Curious to think that it was only in the second half of the 16th century that corn was grown in the area. As the years passed, polenta di granturco, with butter, fontina, meat and gravy came to be the most important source of nutriment, often the only source, for shepherds who remained in their mountain huts for nearly the entire winter. In Gressoney, "polenta grassa", polenta enriched with butter and cheese, still remains a well-entrenched favorite. (another polenta is in Veneto region) Milano is famous in al the world for two dishes: its risotto alla milanese and its specially prepared cutlets. The story goes that near the end of the 1500's, a young glaziers' apprentice was called to the capital to work on the restoration of the cathedral's stained glass. The young man had a mania for putting a pinch of saffron in all the dyes used to color the glass. "He'll be putting it in his food, next thing you know," his colleagues joked. When the works on the cathedral were finished, the young apprentice married his master's daughter and the joyous event was celebrated just behind the cathedral. Most likely at this point a bit drink on the steady stream of wine flowing through the festivities, the young groom decided to further the joke, adding saffron to the risotto before it was brought to the table. According to popular belief, this is how risotto alla milanese, which soon became a standard local favorite, was born. Gorgonzola Uncontested Big Cheese of Lombardy, gorgonzola takes its name from the city of the same name not far from Milano. This Italian blue cheese has a unique, characteristic taste, delicious on its own or ideal as a seasoning for pasta dishes or polenta. Its inception was the result of the herds of cattle that were moved through the village on their way down from the northern Alps. By the time the poor beasts reached the town, they needed badly to be milked. Much of this of milk was then given or traded to local inhabitants. Quite often, curdled milk from the morning milking was mixed with the then cooled milk from the evening. A chunky, uneven paste formed, and a greenish type of mold began to grow in the cracks. Some farmers, either quite thrifty or very hungry, decided to try and eat this smelly, veined cheese -- and found it marvelous! Caviale dei Poveri (Poor folks' caviar) 'Caviale dei poveri' is a dish which more than any other represents the true essence of Calabrian cooking. Consisting of anchovy eggs in oil spiced with peppers, it has all the characteristics of the cuisine of the poor: the ingredients are simple and immediately available, the taste and smell are strong, almost violent. It's appearance is less refined than its celebrated Mediterranean compatriots, but no less delicious!
Tortellini A delicious dish typical of Emiila which has become popular all over the world. The tortellini's unmistakable form recalls a bandana worn on the head and knotted behind, pirate-style, hence the name. The pasta itself is made of just flour and water, but the filling is a blend of chicken, pork, prosciutto ham, cheese, egg and mortadella. The pasta is set to rest overnight, and then is rolled out and then cut either by hand or by machine into squares. The filling is place in the middle of each square and the squares are folded into triangles. Holding one corner down with thumb and forefinger, the other two meet in the middle and "kiss". Tortellini is generally served either in broth or with a cream sauce. Mortadella e ciccioli Mortadella is a lunch meat available almost anywhere in the States, though perhaps it's often sold as "baloney" (also referred to as Bologna in Italy), and may not always have the characteristic mosaic chunks of other ingredients. In the distant past, it was often paired with ciccioli, or those bits of the hog which couldn't be used for anything else. In principal, they closely resemble the cracklin's popular in the American south, and the ciccarones enjoyed by Mexicans and Mexican-Americans. They consist primarily of first layer of fat and rind which is pressed and seasoned to form delicious savory tiles (very crunchy!) which can be eaten as an antipasto accompanied by a good wine. Mortadella is also made from the less importatn pork bits, which are cooked, blended and seasoned with herbs and a dash of sugar, then made into large sausage rolls. Salsa Bolognese (Ragù) For citizens of Bologna traveling abroad, it's always excited and surprised to see "spaghetti Bolognese" written on the menu. Wondering what this could be, some are prompted by curiosity to order the dish and chuckle when they recognize their native ragù (as Bolognese sauce is known in Emilia, indeed in most of Italy as well.) Less amusing is the spaghetti, however, as this is the type of pasta least adapted to a meat sauce, which traditionally calls for a egg pasta (spaghetti is semolina-based and much too thin and slick). Ragù is prepared a bit differently from one part of Emilia Romagna to another, but the basic ingredients are: minced onion, carrot and celery sautèed inn olive oil, to which are added peeled and seeded red tomatoes. The mixture is then cooked down for about 15 minutes after which equal parts of choice ground pork and beef are added to simmer over a low heat for at least one hour. Salt, pepper, basil and sage are added to taste. Iota Beans are among the most prominent celebrities of Friuli's cuisine, starring in many of the region's most typical dishes, such as iota. In addition to beans and sauerkraut, this minestrone calls for cornmeal flour and a generous helping of pestat, a local condiment which consists of minced onion, lard, sage, garlic and parsley. The variations of the classic theme are nearly unlimited, adding vegetables, barley, beef or pork. Gulash friulano (Stew) The cuisine of Trieste is a marvelously successful blend, combining the traditions of Veneto, Autria, Hungary, the Balkans, Greece and the Jewish culture. The recipes are often transformed as the various traditions meet and local ingredients such as cumin marjoram and garlic replace those time-honored, but often the dish appears at the table in Friuli completely unaltered! It is therefore not surprising to find a wide variety of specialties offered in Trieste's osterie as diverse as riso alla greca, sanguinaccio alla boem, the recipes that has been especially well-received is the local reinterpretation of gulash. Indeed the Trieste version has proved so popular for so long, it is now listed as an official specialty of the Friuli region. The recipe has been improved upon and enriched over the years to result in the recipe as it stands today. It calls for ham fat, beef. onion, tomato, peppers, paprika and a selection of typical Italian spices such as rosemary, sage, bay leaves. Peperoncino (Little hot peppers) In the town of Basilicata, the little red pepper plays a fairly large role in popular cuisine. Indeed, in local dialect there not one, but four different names for them! Once, they were known as the 'il pranzo del contadino o pastore ', or "farmer's or shepherd's lunch" because they did represent a main staple of their rudimentary diet. Characteristic of this might be the sugna piccante, a condiment made of pork fat, fennel, salt and hot peppers, accompanied by thick slices of homemade bread. Salumi (Sliced meats) A basic element of the local specialties is pork. The salamis and sliced meats produced in this area have been famous and highly appreciated since these days of antiquity. Particularly fond of the product appear to have been the Romans who picked up the art form the Lucanians. The Lucani are naturally therefore quite proud of their centuries of experience and the quality reflected in their hams, sausages and pancetta. It is thought that the name of the famous north-eastern sausage, the luganega, is derived from Lucania, in honor of the indescribably yummy sausage produced there. Original and interesting here is also the method of production, where the sausage is kept under ashes and conserved in terracotta crocks. Pesto alla genovese The Genoese cuisine is known throughout the world by its most familiar regional delight: pesto! In Liguria, pesto can be found in every house, the most elegant restaurant and simplest osteria. The condiment is based primarily on basil, with garlic, and oil...but the real secret is the proportions. For truly authentic pesto, a marble mortar and pestle are absolutely essential. Each city in Liguria have its own variations, as well, the most interesting of which is from Savona, whereby the taste is rounded out with the nutty flavor of pinoli (pine nuts). Pesto accompanies any manner of pasta and main dishes, but is usually seen in the company of lasagne (with pesto poured on top!), gnocchi, trofie, minestrone and most especially trenette, the traditional spaghetti of Liguria. Ingredients:
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MARCHE Olive ascolane (Stuffed and breaded fried olives) Olives all'ascolana are probably the dish most representative of typical Marches cuisine; a cuisine characterized by a tradition of delicious stuffed foods. The giant olives of this zone enjoy the renown of centuries. The ancient Romans enjoyed them, and they delighted the hungry Carthaginians when they had struggled over the Alps. The ascolana olives get their unmistakable flavor from the stuffing which fills the center of each pitted olive, made of ground beef, ground prosciutto, egg, Pecorino, Parmigiano and spices. After they're filled, the olives are dipped in beaten egg and dredged through bread crumbs and then fried in oil. Optimal eaten piping hot! Le zuppe di pesce (Fish soups) A seafood lunch on the coast of the Marches just has to start off with a 'brodetto', or fish soup. There are two main versions, and the one preferred in Ancona calls for thirteen types of fish, including scorpion fish, eel and red mullet. The fish is cooked with onion, tomato, parsley, pepper, oil and vinegar. The other alternative, in vogue around Porto Recanati, calls for the fish to be browned and then cooked in a sauce enhanced by saffron. Pesce d'acqua dolce (Fresh water fish) Speaking of fish, Umbria's first-class regional specialty is provided by Lake Trasimeno, where they catch carp of up to 30 lbs.! The most famous dish prepared with this magnificent bounty is known by the interesting name of The Queen as Suckling Pig (la regina in porchetta). The dish consists of carp cooked in a wood oven in the same way as porchetta is baked. The roasting pan yields something quite special, the juices being somewhere between a fish soup and a rich stew comprising all the fish in the lake, plus fine olive oil, white wine and herbs. L'olio d'oliva (Olive oil) The olive of Umbria goes back a long way, indeed all the way back to the Etruscans! Its quality is determined by the climate, which allows for a slow ripening period. This in turn permits making the most of the harvest: 80 percent of the olive oil produced results from the first cold pressing. La selvaggina (Game and fowl) Pheasants, thrushes and hares (great when prepared alla cacciatora, seasoned with prosciutto and herbs), partridges and quail. There are of course many diverse ways the Umbrians prepare the various meats. In Terni, cooks are fond of baking game inside a bread dough crust, a bit along the lines of Beef Wellington. The technique del pillotto, on the other hand uses twin spits, turning one above the other. The upper spit slowing drips lard onto the beef or lamb turning below. Il tartufo (Truffles) This is the pride and joy of the Umbrian cuisine: the black truffle gathered here from March to November in Val Nerina and in Spoleto. This is a truffle of superior quality which has been threatened in the past few years with extinction due to the volume of demand. To ensure the viability of the species, and the satisfaction of gourmets around the world, numerous oak trees have been artificially inseminated with truffle spores. The black truffle is an essential ingredient used in many meat and fish dishes as a base, and to enrich spaghetti and egg creations. One of the more important of the traditional dishes is wild boar with truffles (cinghiale al tartufo) and it is often used in salads. For use as a condiment it is often cubed and browned in butter.
Among the recipes for preparing the numerous sorts of local fish, scapece di Gallipoli is perhaps the most typical: it involves frying up a batch of pupiddi (tiny, tasty fish) which are then marinated with vinegar and saffron. The word scapece come from the word 'escabeche', Spanish for the method of cooking in which fried fish or vegetables are set in vinegar. Aragosta con patate (Lobster with potatoes) A dish typical of Stintino, it originated in Asinara, where it was considered the evening meal of fisherman who hadn't managed to sell his lobster and cooked it up with potatoes. Ingredients:
Arancini (Molded rice balls) Arancini, which means "oranges", are one of the most famous and widespread Sicilian specialties using rice. They can well take the place of a pasta course, as they are particularly nutritious and their small molded forms are attractive to serve. They are actually a specialty of Palermo, but are typically made all over the island, usually with some alterations on the classic theme. In eastern Sicily, in Messina and above all, Catania, they more egg-shaped than rounded. The rest of the island however likes them round as an orange -- hence the name. The balls are filled and the fillings vary as well: with the addition of cheese in Catania, with onion and white wine in Enna as well as with cacio cheese; in Ragusa, no saffron is added. Sarde a beccafico (Stuffed sardines) This is very traditional Sicilian dish, where the cleaned sardines are served "open-face" filled with bread crumbs, pinoli (pine nuts), passolina, sugar and lemon juice. Many people add egg to the other ingredients to hold the filling together. The characteristic sour-sweet taste comes marinating the fish in lemon juice. Frittella This is another specialty typical of Palermo that is used in a number of ways. It's great as an antipasto, a little in-between course, a main course or a one-course meal. Contrary to what its name may imply, the frittella (pancake) is not a dessert or an egg dish. It is, you'll be surprised to know, a dish made of fresh fava beans fried in oil or lard, sometimes combined with peas, artichokes or other vegetables. Il riso (Rice) In Veneto, the first course, or primo piatto, consists primarily of rice. Cultivated in the province of Verona, it is prepared in dozens of ways, with each area adding its own local flavor to the recipe. Perhaps the most common example of this is Risi e Bisi (rice with peas) of which there are at least ten different versions to choose from. Besides this famous dish which opened the Doge's lunch menu during the fest of San Marco, Veneto claims up to 40 recipes, all combining rice with all manner of other ingredients: meat, fish and, above all, vegetables. Sarde in saor (Sardines in sweetened vinegar) This dish best reflects the Asian influence of the local cuisine. It consists of braised plump sardines, accompanied by onions, sultanas, pine nuts and vinegar seasoned with diverse undertones of sweet and savory. The key to success with this dish is marination: the sardines are left to marinate for at least ten hours before serving, cementing the happy union of all the ingredients.
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