ricette della tradizione

Basil is a cherished ingredient from the Italian region of Liguria. Combined with  extra-virgin olive oil, pine nuts, Grana Padano and Pecorino, it is the backbone of pesto. Tossed with trenette, potatoes and green beans the fragrant sauce shines.

Trenette with Pesto

dry trenette (or linguine)

potatoes,

olive oil

green beans, cleaned

basil leaves

pine nuts

Tbsp. Pecorino Sardo cheese (or other Pecorino), grated

Tbsp. Grana Padano, grated

garlic clove, unpeeled

salt

Cut the potatoes into ¼” cubes and chop the green beans into ½” segments.&nbsp;

For the pesto, blend together the basil, pine nuts, olive oil, garlic, Grana Padano cheese, Pecorino, and a bit of salt.

Bring water to a boil in a large pot and salt. Add the potatoes and green beans and cook for 2-5 minutes. Then add the trenette and cook until al dente.

Toss the pasta with the pesto and serve immediately.&nbsp;

Sarde a Beccafico is a flavor packed Sicilian dish. It's an inexpensive version of a dish enjoyed by nobles. Beccafico (fig-pecker) refers to a bird with was considered a delicacy. Sardines a Beccafico are said to resemble the cooked, stuffed birds. 

Sarde a Beccafico (Sardine Roulades)

2LB. sardines

2CUPS bread crumbs

1/2CUP raisins

bay leaves

parsley

pepper

Soak the raisins in water for around 30 minutes, then drain and chop them.&nbsp;

Preheat the oven to 350 °F.&nbsp;

Clean the sardines and open them like a book, removing the central bone.&nbsp;

Brown the bread crumbs and the pine nuts in a pan with 1/4 cup oil for 5-7 minutes, until it golden. Add plenty of chopped parsley, the raisins, salt and pepper. Spread the mixture over the sardines and roll them to close. Coat a baking dish with 1-2 Tbsp. oil and place the sardine rolls in it with their tails pointing upward. Add 2 bay leaves, top with remaining bread crumbs and bake for 7-8 minutes.

Mortadella and Parmigiano Reggiano, two key ingredients from the region of Emilia Romagna make this Bolognese-style soup, anything but ordinary.

Bolognese-Style Soup

1/2CUP, PLUS EXTRA semolina

1CUP Parmigiano Reggiano, grated

1/3CUP unsalted butter, softened

2OZ. mortadella

eggs

nutmeg

beef broth

Preheat the oven to 350°F.&nbsp;

Finely chop the mortadella. In a mixing bowl, combine egg yolks, Parmigiano Reggiano, and 1/2 cup semolina. Add some grated nutmeg and a pinch of salt. Add 4 Tbsp. butter and mortadella. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and add to the mixture.

Butter a wide, shallow rectangular pan with 2 Tbsp. butter. Dust with 1 tsp. semolina. Pour in the mixture spreading it out evenly and bake for around 20 minutes. Let cool and cut into cubes.&nbsp;

Bring broth to a boil and cook the cubes for another 5 minutes. Serve.&nbsp;

Classic Sicilian caponata is a sweet and vinegary eggplant stew with onion, celery, capers, olives and pine nuts. Served cold, warm, or hot, it is addictive. 

Classic Caponata

eggplant

plum tomatoes

red onion

1/4CUP white wine vinegar

celery hearts

green olives, sliced

basil leaves, torn

salt capers

brown sugar

Cut the eggplant into 3/4” cubes. Toss with 1 Tbsp. salt and mix together with your hands; place in a <a href="https://www.lacucinaitaliana.com/glossary/colander" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">colander</a> and let drain over a bowl for 30-40 minutes.

Thinly slice the onion and brown in a pan with 1/4 cup oil over low heat, for around 10 minutes.

Cut the tomatoes into wedges and remove the center section and seeds. Cut into strips. Slice the celery heart (the light, tender part in the center) and chop the leaves. Rinse the capers well under running water.

Add the tomatoes and the celery to the pan with the onions and, after 5 minutes, add the olives, capers and pine nuts.

Gently squeeze the eggplant, transfer to paper towels and dry well; heat extra-virgin olive oil (2” deep) in a shallow pan and fry the eggplant in small batches for 7-8 minutes or until golden. Remove with a <a href="http://%E2%80%8Bhttps%3A//www.lacucinaitaliana.com/glossary/skimmer%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B%E2%80%8B" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">skimmer</a> and add to the pan with the onions.&nbsp;

Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add torn basil leaves, vinegar, 1 Tbsp. sugar and, if necessary, a pinch of salt; increase the heat and let vinegar evaporate, then remove from heat and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Ideally, prepare a day in advance.

Learn how to make sbrisolona, a classic dessert of Mantua that has been prepared by local farmers as far back as the sixteenth century.

Classic Sbrisolona (Crumble Cake)

1/2C. butter, room temperature

2/3C. cornmeal

2/3C. almonds, blanched

1/3C. hazelnuts, blanched

white wine

Salt

Learn how to make the classic sbrisolona recipe, a typical dessert of Mantua that has been prepared by farmers in the area as far back as the sixteenth centuryFor the classicsbrisolona recipe, process 1/3 cup of almonds along with the hazelnuts and sugar, but not too finely.|Mix the cornmeal on a work surface along with a pinch of salt, then add the chopped butter and sugar-nut mixture.|Mix the ingredients with your fingertips without ever fully pressing the dough, which should be very crumbly.|Add the Italian 00 flour to the dough and continue to work it with your fingertips until the mixture is even more crumbly and dry - almost sandy.|Add the wine, a little at a time.|Continue to mix it, adding a touch of wine and each time working the dough to keep that dry and crumbly,

yet wet, consistency.|Lined a baking sheet with parchment paper and place two greased and floured ring cake molds (ø 7 in.), or 2 classic cake pans lined with parchment paper, on top. Spread the crumbly dough inside the rings or cake pans,

letting it fall from your hands and forming a layer just over half an inch thick.|Decorate the cake with the rest of the almonds, whole or sliced, then sprinkle with a spoonful of sugar.|Bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes, until the surface is golden. Remove from the oven, let cool, then remove them from the pans and serve, breaking it with your hands.

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, butter and a pinch of salt; then knead in the egg, egg yolk, wine and aquavite. Cover the dough and refrigerate f...

Carfogn: Traditional from Belluno

3 1/3CUPS flour

sugar

3 1/2OZ. butter

dry white wine

apple aquavite

Peanut oil

poppy seeds

dark chocolate

dry biscotti

1 1/2OZ. sugar

1 1/2OZ. milk

Combine the flour, granulated sugar, butter and a pinch of salt; then knead in the egg, egg yolk, wine and aquavite. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the filling: toast the poppy seeds in a pan for 2-3 minutes. Melt the chocolate over a bain-marie. Coarsely chop the biscotti. Purée the poppy seeds with the sugar, then add first the biscotti, then the chocolate, and finally the milk and the aquavite. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then transfer the filling to a pastry bag. Roll out the dough into 2 rectangular sheets, about 1/8-inch thick. Add small mounds of filling to one sheet, spaced about 2 inches apart.

Cover with the second sheet, pressing along the edges to remove any excess air, then cut the rectangular carfogn using a pastry wheel. Fry the carfogn, a few at a time, in plenty of peanut oil for a couple of minutes, until they start to turn golden. Drain on paper towels, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Learn the three traditional ways that artichokes are made in Lazio: alla romana (Roman style), alla giudia (Jewish style) and fritti (fried). 

Artichokes Three Ways: alla Romana, alla Giudia and Fried

artichokes

all-purpose flour

garlic

mint

lemon

peanut oil

Artichokes alla Romana: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Fill a bowl with water and halve and squeeze 2 lemons into it. Trim and clean all artichokes. Transfer cleaned artichokes to bowl of lemon water as you go. Mince 2 cups parsley, 5 mint leaves and 1 garlic clove. Put them all in a bowl and season with 2 Tbsp. oil, salt and pepper to taste. With a melon baller, remove the chokes from 4 artichokes. Stuff with minced herbs and set them, upside down, next to each other in a tall baking dish (5 1/2" across). Sprinkle with salt and cover with 1 part water to 2 parts olive oil. Bake for around 1 hour.

Artichokes alla Giudia: &nbsp;Heat oil over medium-high heat to 350°F. Open 4 artichokes like flowers by gently opening the leaves and pressing them as flat as possible. Dry them, season the insides with salt and pepper. Fry for 10 minutes in enough olive oil to cover them halfway. Turn over and cook for another 10 minutes. Serve.&nbsp;

Fried Artichokes: Bring peanut oil to 350°F over medium-high heat. Beat the eggs with 2 Tbsp. oil, 2 Tbsp. flour, salt and pepper. Cut the remaining artichokes into 4 wedges, dip them in the batter and fry for 3 minutes.

Serve one piece of each preparation per person. Serve hot.&nbsp;

Top 7 ricette della tradizione recipes from across the web

The most viewed ricette della tradizione recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine

Top Tags

Trenette with Pesto

Sarde a Beccafico (Sardine Roulades...

Bolognese-Style Soup

Classic Caponata

Classic Sbrisolona (Crumble Cake)

Carfogn: Traditional from Belluno

Artichokes Three Ways: alla Romana,...

Top 7 ricette della tradizione recipes from across the web

The most viewed ricette della tradizione recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Trenette with Pesto

Sarde a Beccafico (Sardine Roulades...

Bolognese-Style Soup

Classic Caponata

Classic Sbrisolona (Crumble Cake)

Carfogn: Traditional from Belluno

Artichokes Three Ways: alla Romana,...

The most viewed ricette della tradizione recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 6,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine