Valtellina is a beautiful Alpine valley that borders Switzerland in Northern Italy. Famous for Bresaola it’s also known for its cheeses, in particular Bitto and Valtellina Casera. These cheeses used to be difficult to find outside of the region, but now they are generally available everywhere in Italy. So I thought I’d try this typical Valtelline recipe.

It’s an earthy dish made with Pizzocheri pasta which is made from a mixture of buckwheat and regular flour. They are similar in shape to the tagliatelle though shorter. The recipe calls for few simple ingredients that are cultivated and produced in the valley starting with the buckwheat flour for the pizzoccheri, savoy cabbage, butter and Valtellina Casera cheese from the Alps.

Ingredients:

For the pizzoccheri
7 oz./ g. 200 buckwheat flour
1.7/ g. 50 all purpose flour
3/4 cup lukewarm water
a pinch of salt

For the condiment
10.5 oz./ g. 300 savoy cabbage or chard
10.5 oz./ g. 300 potatoes
7 oz./g. 200 Valtellina Casera or  Bitto cheese*
3 oz./ g. 90 unsalted butter**
5 fresh sage leaves
1 clove of garlic peeled
salt and black pepper

Instructions:

1. In a bowl whisk together the two flours until well combined. Make a well in the center and slowly add the water and mix until you have a firm and playable dough. If your dough becomes too tough add small amounts of water until it gets softer.
2. Sprinkle some flour and roll the dough possibly in a rectangular  shape. Cut it with a sharp knife in vertical slices 2 inches/5 cm. wide then horizontally 1/2 inch/1 cm. long.
3. Peel and cut the potatoes in small cubes, slice the cabbage in thin stripes.
4. Bring the water to a boil in a large pan then add the cut vegetables cook them  for 10-15 minutes.
5. Add the pizzoccheri and cook them for 5 minutes or until soft but still firm. Strain the pizzoccheri and vegetables.
6. Flatten the clove of garlic. Then in a skillet melt the butter together with garlic and sage.
7. In a oven-proof dish spread a layer of pizzoccheri and vegetables  and then a layer of Valtellina Casera cheese thinly slices or grated and a drizzle of  butter. Continue with a layer of pizzoccheri then butter and cheese. Finish with the butter.
8.  This dish gets cold quickly so I like to leave it few minutes in the oven at 300°  until the cheese melts better and then I immediately serve it.

Notes:

* Valtellina Casera or Bitto cheeses are typical from Valtellina if you don’t find them you can substitute them with Fontina cheese.
** This dish calls for a lot of butter, I used less but feel free to add or subtract to your tastes.

This year I’ve made only one simple resolution and that is to not waste food, which also means saving money that, in this period of economic crises, isn’t a bad idea at all. I don’t know about you but I waste way too much food. I tend to buy more than I need and then it goes bad in the fridge or expires in my kitchen cupboards. Most important of all though I will make better use of the leftovers and leftover ingredients using them to make other exquisite dishes. Italian cuisine is well known as the cucina povera for its simplicity and for not wasting but rather for utilizing everything in the kitchen as my grandparents used to do.

As you can see I’ve started my only new year’s resolution right away with this bread pudding recipe. Over the holidays I’ve accumulated this huge amount of old dry bread. I usually bring it to the ducks and geese living close to us, but seeing the quantity I have on hand I decided to use it in many tasty recipes and this bread pudding is one of them. My grandma used to prepare bread pudding and I have fond memories of it, but up until now I’ve never made it myself. I don’t have a precise recipe I just made it according to how I remembered my grandmother’s. I added the ingredients and spices my grandma used to use and figured out the quantities on my own. This recipe is very versatile and can be changed according to your own tastes, but this is how I remember bread pudding.

Ingredients:

8.5 oz./ g. 250 dry bread
2 cups + 2 Tbsp./ ml. 500 milk
2 large eggs
4 Tbsp. Muscovado sugar or a packed dark brown sugar of your choice
2 golden apples about 1.2 lbs/ g. 500
1/3 cup/ g. 50 raisins
a handful of walnuts, about 1.7 oz./ g. 50
1 tsp. cinnamon
a pinch of nutmeg
2 tsp. natural vanilla extract
unsalted butter for the top
Muscovado sugar to sprinkle on top

Instructions:

1. Cut the bread in small cubes, pour lukewarm milk over it and combine well.
2. Add 4 Tablespoons of sugar.
3. Soak the raisins in lukewarm water for 10 minutes. Dry them before adding them to the cake.
4. Cut the apples in small cubes then add them to the bread mixture together with the raisins and walnuts.
5. Flavor the mixture with cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and mix it with a wooden spoon until well combined.
6. Lastly add the 2 beaten eggs and mix until well incorporated.
6. In a baking pan lay oven paper and make sure it also covers the sides. Pour the bread mixture and spread it with a spatula until even. The pan I used for this recipe was 11 x 14 inches.
8. Dot the top with small pieces of butter and sprinkle it with the Muscovado sugar.
9. Bake it in a preheated oven at 350°/180° for 45 minutes. Let it cool completely then serve.

Squash is the vegetable that I cook the most during the fall and winter season. Thanks to its sweet, rich and nutty flavor squashes are amongst the most versatile of vegetables and ideal in many preparations.

I often make cream of squash, it’s fast and really tasty. I also like a spiced version inspired by my Dutch friends. Risotto with squash has always been one of my favorite dishes but lately squash gnocchi have been getting a lot more attention at my house. I’ve been trying different recipes and experimenting for some time now. Finally I’ve come out with my own version that I think is wonderful.

The most important thing for success with this recipe is the squash. It has to be sweet, very sweet. If the squash isn’t good the gnocchi never will be either.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash of about 2 lbs. you need 2 cups/ g. 500 of cooked squash
2 cups minus 2 Tbsp./ g. 250 unbleached all purpose flour
a pinch of sea salt
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
5-6 fresh sage leaves
freshly grated parmigiano or grana

Instructions:

1. Divide the squash in two, discard seeds and filaments. Place it on a baking dish cut side down and bake it in a preheated oven at 320° for 1 hour on until tender.
2. Scoop the pulp out of its skin and purée it with a potato ricer.
3. Add flour to the squash a little bit at the time and mix with a wooden spoon until well incorporated but don’t overdue it.
4. Bring the salted water to a boil. When boiling drop the gnocchi in the water using two spoons. I used about a  1/2 Tablespoon each for the gnocchi, but you can make them smaller.
5. In a nonstick skillet melt the butter with the oil and sage until golden.
6. When the gnocchi reach the surface drain them with a slotted spoon and place them directly in the nonstick skillet. Combine them well and serve them with freshly grated parmigiano.

December is here and Christmas is definitely in the air. Christmas lights (luminarie) abound in Verona and the 28th International Nativity Set Exhibition is underway inside the Arena di Verona. The exhibition hosts more than 400 nativity sets from all around the world and Italy too. The famous comet star has been placed as every year and now it seems to fly out from the Arena. A part of Verona for more than 25 years now it  has become  a symbol of our city. You can see the comet star live here on the county webcam.

For the Veronese there are some more important events before Christmas though. Piazza Bra is being happily invaded by the Santa Lucia stands “banchetti di santa Lucia”, coming from every part of Italy. It’s a magic and joyous moment for children and adults: mandorlato, torrone, croccanti, cotton candy, bomboloni and much more will  sweeten up the atmosphere for about a week. Sweets won’t be the only delight there are numerous stands that sells typical regional products one of them is pane con la porchetta (bread with porchetta) a specialty from Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio, cheeses and salami. Food is not the only thing on display there are also stands that sells toys, Christmas decorations, clothes and other gift ideas.

Not far from the high mountain plain pictured above lies a small town where my family is from.  This is the place where I recharge my energy and soul. A place full of happy memories from my childhood  with  clean fresh air,  silence from the big cities and  slower rhythms.  I grew up in Verona, but I spent many summers in Piedmont at my grandma’s house. Grandma is long gone but I still go visit my relatives and with great surprise I still find the same atmosphere I did as a child. Nothing has changed much during the last thirty years or so, and if it did changes are minimal. The mountains still dominate the landscape and the cool evening air is always welcome during the hot summer. My Aunt and Uncle are still living in there and the aromas from the kitchen are as wonderful as they have ever been.

As you might already know every time I go to Piedmont I come back with few extraordinary recipes from my auntie. She can prepare veggies like no one else I know. With just a different style cut or a few ingredients she is able to create simple but flavorful vegetable dishes and this time was the same.  She exemplifies the notion of simple Italian cuisine.

This year I brought her  three crates of vegetables from my garden and so my auntie had to improvise every day to prepare something different with almost the same vegetables, zucchini, eggplants and tomatoes, and as always, she did it superbly.
A single herb just changed the flavor of zucchini, a tiny amount of anchovy paste and a drizzle of vinegar and eggplants were ready, I would have never made a salad with red bell peppers and tomatoes but she did and the result well I let you be the judge.

Here are some of the recipes she made for me this time:

Zucchini with Savory herb
The easiest eggplants ever
Red bell pepper and tomato salad

More of my aunties recipes from a previous visit:
Zucchini in carpione
Tomato and potato salad

I’m not that crazy about eggplants. The only way I like to eat them is in parmigiana di melanzane, fried or in caponata. That was until I tasted my auntie’s recipe during my last visit in Piedmont. I never would have imagined I’d like eggplants like this.
She added a simple ingredient that is unrecognizable when you taste it, but it brings the eggplants to life, anchovy paste. I know for a fact that many of you don’t like anchovies but before turning up your nose try this dish.
Eggplants made this way are also a good condiment for your pasta and if you prefer you can also add some tomato sauce in your pasta dish.

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, about 1.5 lbs./g. 700
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. anchovy paste or 3-4 small anchovy fillets
3 small cloves of garlic
apple vinegar
sea salt

Instructions:

1. Cut the eggplants in cubes, salt them and place them in a colander,  with a weight on them, for about 20-30 minutes. If you use the sweet and light violet eggplants avoid the salting part.
2. Heat up the 1 Tablespoon oil in a non-stick skillet, add the garlic and let it sizzle until you smell its perfume.
3. Add the eggplants and cook on medium high heat for about ten minutes then add the anchovy paste or anchovy fillets and when well combined drizzle the eggplants with the vinegar.
4. Turn the stove to medium heat and cook the eggplants until tender or to  the consistency you prefer. If they get too dry add few spoons of water.

My husband cultivates a wonderful vegetable garden for us but its tomatoes stand out above the rest. We not only have a huge harvest but our tomatoes grow perfect and without using any chemicals. Our vegetables are 100% organic and every year we’re blessed by these unbelievable sweet fruits.

I brought these tomatoes to my auntie during my last visit in Piedmont and she prepared this monochromatic salad. I always like to arrange and balance colors in my dishes so I was little but disappointed when I saw this one, but not when I tasted it.  These two vegetables complemented themselves with bursting flavors.
My tomatoes are the bull hearts  variety which have beefy consistency and few seeds. The red bell peppers had thick and sweet flesh.

Ingredients:

1/2 red bell pepper about 5.2 oz./ g. 150
2 big tomatoes about 10.5 oz./ g. 300
extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Slice the tomatoes and cut the bell peppers in pieces.
2. Salt to taste, a drizzle of olive oil and mix well. Serve.

Every summer I’m buried with tons of fresh zucchini from the garden, which I love, but after a while it gets difficult to find new recipes and making them the same way too often is just plain boring. I start the season by frying the first flowers then I add them in risotto, or in frittata, the zucchini are also employed in many different dishes like grilled or rolled in ricotta cream. Lately I started preparing parmigiana di zucchine, I’ll post the recipe soon. Once I’ve made them all a number of times though I just  need something new.

My auntie from Piedmont saved me this year with this simple dish that I just can’t make enough. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare and a minute to eat. The first time I tasted them I loved them but I couldn’t figure out which herb she used. I asked if she added garlic which she didn’t and I would have swore she did because they were so flavorful. In the end she explained that she put an herb called “cerea” that grows everywhere even between stones in the sidewalk. In Italian is called, santoreggia, Savory in English. Oh, she also put in one basil leaf.

It’s true that you don’t need much to prepare a healthy and tasty dish and this is the proof. I hope you can find Savory herb, my auntie gave me a small plant in a pot to plant in my garden.

Ingredients:

1 lb. zucchini, preferably baby zucchini
5-6 zucchini flowers
a small twig of savory
one basil leaf
1 Tbsp. olive oil
sea salt to taste

Instructions:

1. Cut the zucchini lengthwise in four parts  and then in pieces to get the desired length. Remove the pistil from the zucchini flowers.
2. Heat up the oil in a non-stick skillet and add the zucchini, the savory and the basil leave.
3. Cook for about 10 minutes and then salt to taste. Continue cooking until zucchini reaches the consistency you like. I prefer them when they’re still a little bit crunchy. If they get too dry add few spoons of water.

Insalata russa is a cold appetizer originally from Russia that became a staple of Italian cuisine. It seems that the dish was invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, chef of the famous Hermitage restaurant in Moscow and became the restaurant’s symbol. The recipe was kept secret but it’s known that some of the ingredients were caviar, grouse, veal tongue, lettuce, crayfish tails, capers, smoked duck that may vary seasonally. The dressing wasn’t mayonnaise alone but a combination of mayonnaise made with French wine vinegar, Provençal oil and mustard and of course some other secret ingredients that have never been entirely discovered. Ivanov, one of his sous-chefs arrived close to discovering the recipe when he spied in Olivier’s private kitchen during  a brief absence of the chef.  He tried to recreate the same dish when he went to work as a chef for the Moskva restaurant and added the salad to the menu. He changed some ingredients  and gave the dish a different name: The Capital salad. All the customer of the Hermitage thought that the Capital salad was missing something from the original version. It seems that the capital salad has more ingredients in common with the Italian version than the Salad Olivier (Салат Оливье in Russian), as it’s called nowadays in Russia.

Here in Italy it’s mainly made with diced vegetables like potatoes, peas, carrots, green beans, pickles and combined with mayonnaise. There are many different versions that uses less vegetables but base is always made with potatoes, carrots and peas.  Some add tuna fish,  eggs or decorate the dish with capers or pickles too.

The secret to making a perfect salad is to keep the vegetables firm and almost crunchy, but cooked. I find that steaming them is easier to get the right consistency and the vegetables more flavorful.  If you make homemade mayonnaise this would be a good time to use it.

Ingredients:

7 oz./ g. 200 potatoes
7 oz./ g. 200 carrots
7 oz./ g. 200 peas, frozen are good too
7 oz./ g. 200 green beans
3-4 small unsweetened pickles
1 Tbsp. capers preserved in vinegar
3.5 oz./ g. 100 tuna fish preserved in extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. sea salt

Instructions:

1. Cut the potato and the carrots in 1/3 inch. thick slices.
2. Place the vegetables in a steamer, place the potatoes slices first then the carrots and the green beans on top. Steam the vegetables for about 12 minutes, 15 for the carrots and few more minutes for the green beans.
4. While the vegetables are steaming cook the peas in hot salted water until tender, about 5 minutes depending on the peas. Drain and place them in a big bowl.
5. Let the cooked vegetables to cool down then cut them in small cubes and add them to the peas.
6.  Lastly add to the same bowl the cut pickles, capers, tuna fish and the mayonnaise. Mix gently until well combined.
7. Line a plum cake pan with plastic wrap leaving some wrap hanging over the the sides. Spread the vegetable mixture with a spatula until even, cover the top with the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours.
8. Open the plastic wrap and turn the insalata over on a serving dish. Remove the plastic wrap.
9. Decorate with capers, pickles and/or eggs if you like. Swirls of mayonnaise also make the dish prettier. Serve accompanied with crostini.