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Proposal indecent! |
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Region Abruzzi |
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| Chicory, pecorino cheese and eggs |
Cooking time: about 1 hour and 10 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
broth/stock: 2 pints
carrots: 2
wild chickory: 1 lb 2 oz
onion: 2
grated Pecorino cheese: 2 oz
lard: 2 oz
olive oil:
parsley:
salt:
celery:
eggs: 2 |
| Wash the chicory well and boil in plenty of boiling water; once cooked, drain and then leave to soak in cold water for about 2 hours, allowing it to lose its bitterness. Pour the broth into an earthenware pan, add the carrots, 1 onion, 1 stalk of celery and a few sprigs of parsley, all finely chopped. Put the pan on the stove and cook the vegetables over moderate heat. Prepare a mixture of finely chopped bacon fat and 1 onion, put into a saucepan, add 2 or 3 spoonfuls of oil and sauté. Drain the chicory, squeeze it well between your hands and then chop it up finely and add to the ingredients being sautéed. A little before serving, beat the whole eggs in the serving bowl along with the grated pecorino cheese, add the sautéed chicory and pour over the boiling hot broth. Mix and serve immediately. |
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| Peas with streaky bacon |
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
• spring pearl onions: 4
• streaky bacon (made from pig's cheek): 3 ½ oz
• olive oil:
• pepper:
• peas: 2 lbs 4 oz
• salt |
| Pod the peas. Chop the onions finely and put them into a wide pan, add a few tablespoons of olive oil and the chopped up streaky bacon. Sauté for a moment and then add the washed and drained peas to the pan. Season with salt and pepper, mix up well and add a little water to prevent them from hardening; leave them to cook, stirring frequently. They should be ready after about 30 minutes. Serve them hot. |
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| Lentil soup |
Cooking time: about 1 hour
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
garlic: 1 clove
toasted canapes:
lentils: 7 oz
olive oil:
salt: |
| Put the lentils in plenty of warm water to soften over night, then remove the ones which float to the top, drain the others and put into a casserole dish. Add the olive oil and the clove of garlic; cover with 2 litres (3 ½ pints) of water and cook the lentils over moderate heat. When they are cooked, season with salt and serve the soup with croutons of bread toasted in the oven or fried in oil. |
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| Fettuccine pasta Abruzzi style |
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
• basil: 4
• onion: 1
• 'fettucine' pasta: 12 ½ oz
• grated Pecorino cheese: 2 oz
• olive oil:
• pancetta (Italian spiced bacon): 3 oz
• pepper:
• parsley:
• salt |
| Chop up finely the pancetta and the onion; put this mixture into a small casserole dish together with three tablespoons of oil, sauté and then add the finely chopped parsley and basil. Season with salt and pepper. While cooking, from time to time add a little water or broth to the sauce (keeping in mind, however, that it should remain quite concentrated). Cook the fettuccine pasta in boiling water, drain, place in a serving bowl, sprinkle with pecorino cheese, pour over the prepared sauce, mix well and serve. |
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| Dried codfish Abruzzi style |
Cooking time: 4 and a half hours
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
garlic:
bay leaf: 2
broth/stock: a little
cinnamon powder:
clove: 5
onion: 1
dried mushrooms: 2 oz
olive oil:
purée of tomatoes: 2 oz
potatoes: 1 lb 2 oz
pepper:
red chilli pepper: a little
parsley:
salt:
soaked air-dried small cod: 1 lb 12 ½ oz |
| Wash the mushrooms and leave to soften in warm water. Cut the fish into 4 cm (1½ inch) long pieces: wash them and dry them. Pour the oil into an earthenware dish, add the sliced onion and sauté: when it is almost golden, add the pieces of fish and cook over a moderate heat for 10 minutes. In the meantime, chop up the parsley finely, 1 or 2 cloves of garlic and the small piece of chilli pepper: cover the fish with the mixture, then add the bay leaves, a pinch of cinnamon, the cloves and the tomato sauce diluted with a little broth. As soon as the liquid comes to the boil, add the dried mushrooms and their water, taking care not to disturb any sediment which has been deposited in the bottom of the cup. Cover the dish and cook the fish over low heat for about 3 and a half hours. Then add the peeled potatoes cut into pieces, taste and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook over a low heat until the potatoes are cooked. |
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| Rustic pizza |
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 6 people:
butter: 3 ½ oz
white flour: 11 oz
grated Parmesan cheese:
'mozzarella' cheese from the Abruzzo region: 2
cooked ham: 7 oz
salt:
eggs: 5 |
| Pour the flour onto the working surface, add a pinch of salt, the melted, cooled butter, two whole eggs and one yolk; work the pastry for a few minutes, just enough to mix the ingredients together, then take a large piece of the pastry, roll it out using the rolling pin and cut out a circle large enough to line the bottom and sides of a previously buttered flan dish 28 cm(11 inches) in diameter. Prick the pastry on the bottom of the dish well with a fork; slice up the mozzarellas and place them in the dish, then add the cooked ham, two whole eggs beaten up with one yolk (keeping a little to one side for brushing over the surface of the pastry on top) and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese. With the remaining pastry, cut out another circle and use to cover the filling, sealing the edges of the two circles of pastry. Prick the pastry well with the prongs of a fork (to allow the pizza to ‘breath’ while cooking) or pierce a hole in the centre which will function like a ‘chimney’. Brush the pastry with the remaining egg left to one side and then put the pizza in the oven preheated to 220° C/425° F/Gas Mark 7, leaving it to cook for about 20 minutes. Serve warm. |
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| Anchovies Abruzzi style |
Cooking time: about 30 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
• fresh anchovies: 1 lb 5 oz
• salted anchovies: 5
• white flour: a little
• lemon: 1
• olive oil:
• breadcrumbs:
• pepper:
• parsley:
• salt:
• eggs: 2 small |
| Clean the fresh anchovies well, open them in half from the stomach side, then remove the intestines and the backbone, along with all the bones attached to it; wash the fish well, allow to drain and then place them on the chopping board with the open part facing upwards. Wash and bone the salted anchovies, then cut 4 fillets from each fish. Place a fillet inside each fish (if the fillet is large, then use just a half fillet) and then close up again, giving it its original form. Break the eggs into a deep plate, season them with salt and pepper and beat them a little with a fork. Flour the stuffed anchovies, dip them into the beaten eggs and cover with the breadcrumbs, pressing down with your open hand to make them stick well. Put the frying pan containing plenty of oil over heat and when boiling hot, put in the anchovies and fry, turning them until they are golden on both sides. Once cooked, drain and place on absorbent paper to remove the excess oil; keep them warm while you are frying the remaining fish. As soon as they are all ready, arrange them on a serving plate and garnish with parsley and slices of lemon; serve immediately so the anchovies can be eaten while they are still crunchy. |
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| ardoons in broth with meatballs |
Cooking time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 6 people:
Ingredients, amounts for 6 people:
• capon or turkey broth/stock: 3 ½ pints
• cardoons: 1 weighing 3 lbs 6 oz
• ground/minced pork: 11 oz
• white flour:
• chicken livers:
• grated Parmesan cheese: 7 oz
• grated Pecorino cheese: 5 oz
• lemon: 2
• salt:
• eggs: 8 |
Clean the cardoon well: remove the tougher, outside stalks and, from those remaining, remove the strings and the thin white skin. Cut these stalks into small pieces and put them into a container; cover them with plenty of cold water acidulated with lemon juice (to prevent them from turning black) and leave like this for at least three hours, allowing them to lose any bitterness which they sometimes have. At the end of this time, drain them and cook them in boiling, salted water acidulated with lemon juice and into which a little white flour has been blended. Drain them once again and immerse them in cold water for a few minutes: remove them, squeezing lightly with your hands and place in a mixing bowl. Mix the pork with 3 eggs (yolk and white) and with the pecorino cheese. Mix together well and then form into small meat balls about the size of cherries which should then be cooked in a little salted water. To one side, beat the remaining 5 eggs with the Parmesan cheese and a pinch of salt. Pour this egg mixture onto the cardoons, mixing well with a wooden spoon, then pour the mixture into a saucepan, adding also the broth, the meatballs and the chicken livers cuts into small pieces: place the saucepan over heat and leave until it comes to the boil and then serve. |
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| Fiadoni or small cheese pies |
Cooking time: about 15 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 4 people:
cinnamon powder:
white flour: 8 oz
olive leaves: 13
grated sheep's milk cheese (not very mature): 2 oz
salt:
rendered pork fat/lard: 2 ½ oz
eggs: 3
sugar: 2 oz |
| Put 180 g (6 oz) of flour onto the pastry board, mixing together with the sugar and a pinch of salt: form into a heap and place on the top of it 50 g (2 oz) of lard, 1 whole egg plus 1 yolk. Mix together quickly to obtain a smooth pastry; wrap in a sheet of greaseproof paper and keep in the fridge for 30 minutes. In the meantime, grease a wide oven tray with lard and sprinkle with flour. Put the grated cheese into a small bowl with a pinch of cinnamon and the whole egg: beat with a wooden spoon until you obtain an evenly blended mixture. When the indicated time is up, roll out the pastry on the lightly floured pastry board into a layer about 3 mm (1/8”) thick; with a round, jagged pastry cutter of about 9 cm (3 ½”) in diameter, cut out 13 pastry circles. Place a little of the prepared mixture on one half of each of the circles and fold over the other half of the pastry on top of it and press down well around the edge to prevent the mixture from coming out while they are cooking. Place these 13 half-moons onto the baking tray and poke an olive leaf into each one of them. Cook the ‘fiadoni’ in the oven heated to 190° C/375° F/Gas Mark 5 for about 13 minutes, until they are golden on top and cooked inside. Allow them to cool on a wire rack and then serve. |
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| Stewed leg of lamb |
Cooking time: 2 hours and 15 minutes
Ingredients, amounts for 6 people:
carrots: 2
onion: 1
leg of castrated lamb: 2 lbs 11 oz
olive oil:
oregano:
pancetta (Italian spiced bacon): 3 ½ oz
pepper:
ripe tomatoes: 14 oz
parsley:
salt:
celery: a few stalks
dry white wine: 1 glass |
| Finely chop the pancetta, put it into a wide casserole dish and add the leg of lamb. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with oil, add the sliced onion, a few stalks of celery and the 2 small carrots cut into small pieces. Cook slowly and when the lamb is well browned, splash with white wine, allowing it to evaporate and then add the tomatoes chopped into small pieces, the finely chopped parsley and a pinch of oregano. Cover with the lid and finish cooking over a very slow heat, mixing frequently; once cooked, remove the dish from the heat and arrange the leg of lamb on a warm serving plate. Pass the vegetables and the cooking sauce through a sieve, put this mixture back into the dish and boil down over high heat. Pour this sauce over the leg of lamb and serve. |
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