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Regional Italian Cooking - Yahoo Recipe Search
Food52This classic Emilian lasagne involves the staples of the region's cuisine: fresh egg pasta (plain or green pasta made with spinach, known as lasagne verdi), full-flavoured beef and pork ragu, bechamel sauce and the region's favourite cheese, Parmesan, layered in a casserole dish and baked. Slowly, and particularly after the Second World War, it became more common to see lasagne in regions all over the Italian peninsula, where regional touches were added, creating variations that have become specialties, strongly linked to those places. In the south, mozzarella or provola might replace or be added to the Parmesan. In Sicily and Naples, you'll find fresh ricotta substitutes the bechamel and the ragu might be plumped up with the addition of hard boiled eggs, meatballs, sausage, fried vegetables like eggplant, salumi or more cheese. In Liguria, the home of pesto, a vegetarian version has pesto replacing the ragu and sliced, boiled potatoes substituting the bechamel. Le Marche and Umbria have the unique vincisgrassi. Their hearty ragu of beef and pork usually includes an array of offal (chicken gibblets, crests or calf brains, for example) or even local truffles and the handmade pasta dough is often spiked with marsala. Lasagne is also known in some households as pasticcio, a charming name which also means “mess”. Whatever it's called and however it's made, lasagne is a dish made to satisfy and comfort. A homely but hearty dish, often made for family gatherings and special occasions like Christmas. To paraphrase Elizabeth David in Italian Food, all you can manage (and all you need) after a meal of lasagne is perhaps some salad and fruit. This classic way to prepare lasagne as is traditional in Emilia-Romagna involves preparing a loose bechamel sauce and a beef and pork ragu. Some add dabs of butter in between the layers as well. If you're really keen you can even make the pasta yourself (take a look here - http://food52.com/blog/8498-how-to-make-fresh-pasta). If you're time-strapped, leave that part out and go with pre-made, store-bought pasta. Whether you're using store-bought, homemade, dried or fresh pasta, it is usually best to cook the pasta in boiling, salted water before layering – it results in a better consistency. A handy tip – let the lasagne rest 10-15 after you take it out of the oven and before serving. During this time, the pasta will absorb some of the excess liquid from the ragu, which means cutting will be easier and the filling in portions will be more even.Food52This is a Roman recipe from Ada Boni's Italian Regional Cooking, a 1960s cookbook. It's a classic side dish to go with some roast beef or other roast vegetables. Extremely low maintenance, just throw everything together in a pot and cover -- just cook it very, very slowly and gently, and remember to take a peek every now and then. Mint is a really typical Roman herb, but you could basil or fresh oregano for the mint leaves. You can prepare this ahead of time and simply warm it up gently in the same pot before serving.Food52As walnut cakes go, this must be the simplest and most essential of them all. The cake itself is made of just three ingredients–walnuts, eggs and sugar. A little lemon zest adds a delicate, fresh aroma and powdered sugar makes it pretty. It's a traditional cake from Calabria in southern Italy–the sort of cake that was born out of age-old peasant traditions; the sort of cake that your nonna might whip up and have sitting on her kitchen bench, ready to be offered to guests with a short, dark stove-top espresso for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Yes, cake for breakfast. This walnut cake seems rather humble when compared to other Calabrian sweets, which have a tendency to be deep fried, filled with custard or jam, and covered in honey, dark chocolate, or sprinkles. This cake, however, is elegant in its simplicity and so incredibly moist–it reminds me of the Spanish Tarta de Santiago Almond Cake. The walnuts are pulverized in the food processor, so it's chunkier and a little more rustic than a cake made with almond meal. In my opinion, it needs nothing more than a dusting of powdered sugar. This recipe is taken from a 1960s volume of Italian Regional Cooking by Ada Boni, who suggests splitting the cake and sandwiching it with a light lemon butter icing. It remains moist for several days–if it isn't eaten all by then. **** An update to this recipe 11/9/14 **** After reading a couple of comments that people have had difficulty with this cake (removing it from the pan, crumbling, being underdone inside), I wanted to retest this recipe again and offer some more advice–including testing the suggestion by the original author of this recipe, Ada Boni, who advises to fill this cake with a lemon buttercream. So–first, some better description on the texture of this cake. It is a very moist cake, it may even appear underdone to some - but do not fear. Let it rest a day. This cake is possibly even better a day or two old. Secondly, I would advise using baking paper to line your cake tin. Use springform if you prefer. Bake as described (I actually find personally that this cake cooks better at a slightly lower temperature, around 350F as walnuts–like a lot of nuts–have a tendency to burn easily). Remove from the oven when the top of the well-browned cake is firm to the touch. Let the cake cool in the tin before removing from the tin. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator until chilled. This seems to give it a bit of time to settle and will be easier to handle. It will still crumble a little when slicing but if you are careful, you won't have any problem getting pretty, nice slices. Now on to the buttercream. This is a WONDERFUL idea! It's even better than the cake on its own, lifts it to something extra special. I followed a couple of recipes I found online for lemon buttercream using 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 stick of butter and the zest of 1 lemon. Whip the whites with the sugar over a double broiler for a few minutes minutes or until the mixture is warm and you can no longer feel the sugar granules if you rub it between your fingers. Remove from heat, beat 8 more minutes or until mixture has returned to room temperature. Slowly add the butter bit by bit, beating all the way until you have a glossy, smooth buttercream. Add zest and chill the mixture. Carefully cut the cake in half so you have two thin discs (this is a little tricky with a crumbly cake but if the cake is well-chilled it is easier). Fill with about half of the buttercream mixture. Place the top disc on top and cover the rest of the cake with the rest of the icing (I covered the top and just did a "crumb coat" around the sides). I topped it with some diced candied fruit for decoration but it's lovely just as it is. This lemon buttercream is a great pairing for this cake and it also is wonderfully forgiving as it hides any flaws, including crumbling, splitting or even an inside that might seem too soft/moist - it's hard to describe but the buttercream just holds it all together in the most amazing way! It also keeps very well for a few days and holds together very, very nicely. So for anyone else having a little trouble handling this flourless cake, I would highly recommend trying the lemon buttercream filling!Food52A favorite of Emilia-Romagna, these ricotta fritters usually appear as part of the array of Carnival treats found at this time of year. I took inspiration from Roman food writer Ada Boni's Italian Regional Cooking. Her castagnole recipe is extremely basic (I added sugar and citrus to the mixture), but I like that she calls only for a little flour, as many of today's recipes use half ricotta and half flour for a more solid fritter. There are so many was to play with this recipe: Take out the orange and/or lemon, use an aniseed (or any other) liqueur instead of rum, add vanilla, or substitute confectioners' sugar instead of granulated sugar. I often see this recipe with baking powder too, which makes them puff up more and become spongier -- but they remain much more delicate without it. You can also bake these if you prefer not to deep fry, though they do come out crunchier.Food52"Aztec Two Step" popped into my head when I heard what this contest was called. Then I had to set about learning what Aztec Two Step refers to (I didn't know), and then follow the path of chocolate from the Aztecs to Spain, and then the rest of Europe, with an especially helpful stop in Italy. I found an amazing video at www.gourmetsleuth.com, which shows two women from Oaxaca (now living in LA) making "Mexican Chocolate" from raw cacao beans into the dried disc used to make the chocolate drink whirred with a molinillo. Then Blue Corn and Chocolate, by Elisabeth Rozin, told the story of chocolate from the Aztec court of Montezuma to the modern chocolate bar. Two Step? I wanted something like a terrine with two different layers, two different colors.. Somehow ricotta seemed like a fit, and a spicy cocoa rub for pork roast was reinvented to come closer to the pantry of pre-invasion Mexico and the recipe in my head.. Helpful resources: Budino di Ricotta from Ada Boni's Italian Regional Cooking; Cocoa Rub from the blog http://dailybreadjournal.blogspot.com/. We loved the outcome, decided it was a coffee cake, and tried it warm, cool, and next day. Each is different, each is good. It is very moist at first, but the next day the moisture is redistributed and the texture much more firm. It has an endearing look, but it's not pretty. A sieving of confectioner's sugar, a spoon of barely sweetened vanilla whipped cream, sliced strawberries -- you can dress it up for looks and a bit of contrast, but the cake stands on its own. My sources say that sugar was not used with cacao, and cinnamon was brought to Mexico by the Spaniards. Necessarily, liberties have been taken.Food and Wine"Grandmother's cake" is a traditional Tuscan dessert, though everyone's nonna makes it slightly differently. In his version, Joe Sponzo combines a delicate pastry crust with a silky pastry cream, which he flavors with vanilla and lemon zest (other Tuscan cooks add ricotta cheese). He tops the tart with pine nuts, another regional staple. More Italian Desserts
