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Polenta with pork cracklings (pulènta e gratòon)

Ingredients

Ingredients for polenta:

  • 1L of water
  • 300g fine corn flour
  • 50g butter
  • Pinch of salt

Ingredients for cracklings:

  • 2kg pork fat slices
  • Salt
  • Bay leaves
  • Pepper in grains

Preparations

Prepare polenta in the traditional way: Boil water with some butter and a pinch of salt. Pour in the flour, mixing first with a whisk and then with a spatula. Cook for 30 minutes on low heat.

Usually, cracklings are made in a copper pot by boiling a little water and putting in the sliced pork fat. Once the water has evaporated, add bay leaves and pepper and fry until getting cracklings. Once they are golden, drain them and squeeze them in cloth dish in order to eliminate the excess fat. Finally, let them cool.

The best cracklings are crisp without fat; just salt them before serving with polenta.

Nutrients

Polenta has a low caloric and nutritional value because corn, even if it is rich of starch, contains proteins lacking essentials amino acids.Its nutritional value is linked with its energetic value. Cracklings, thanks to the presence of lipids, have high caloric value.

Pantrito maritato (Pantrid maridaa)

Ingredients

  • 1.5 l beef broth
  • 6 tbs breadcrumbs
  • 40g butter
  • 3eggs
  • 30 g grated parmesan cheese

Preparations

Soak the breadcrumbs in broth and let stand for about 10 minutes.
Add the butter and bring the broth to a boil; then boil for 15-20 minutes.

In a bowl beat the eggs and add the parmesan cheese. Pour the boiling broth while whisking. The soup should be quite liquid , a kind of “stracciatella”.
Serves 6

Nutrients

This bread soup is a simple dish with a good caloric value
It is rich in carbohydrates and low in water; breadcrumbs have a 1/3 higher caloric content than fresh white bread.

The basic ingredient: breadcrumbs

More correctly “Pàan trit maridàat” or “pantrito” with eggs or bread soup called “panada”
A soup of breadcrumbs was mentioned in the well-known work by Bartolomeo Scappi in 1570 and described a popular local soup.

Since the beginning of this century (and in the countryside for a few more decades), breadcrumbs were made almost exclusively in the home- baked or sometimes toasted - using stale bread sometimes.

Rice with cabbage and sausage

Ingredients

Ingredients for polenta:

  • 1 l beef broth
  • 300 g finely chopped cabbage
  • 200 g rice
  • 200 g sausage
  • 40 g butter
  • 40 g grana padano cheese (grated)
  • 20 g chopped parsley

Preparations

Boil the beef broth; add the cabbage and cook for about 15 minutes. Pour in the rice and boil for about six minutes. Peel the sausage and add it to the soup. Finish cooking and season with butter, chopped parsley and grated  grana padano cheese. Add some more broth if required and/or necessary.

This used to be  a  typical autumn recipe; sometimes the broth was prepared with pork knuckles.

Nutrients

High caloric dish due to the presence of lipids in the sausage and carbohydrates in the rice. The protein content is rahter poor as there are no essential amino acids.

Marubini in brodo

Ingredients

  • 2 l beef broth
  • 250 g beef
  • 250 g veal meat
  • 100 g. grated parmesan cheese
  • 7 eggs
  • 5 g nutmeg
  • 10 g bread crumbs
  • 400 g white flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Historical Remarks

This is typical Cremonese pasta for important festivals , meant to be cooked in broth.

The dialect word Marubéen probably derives from “marù”, that is to say chestnut, due to their shape and size, similar to chestnuts, once pasta was stuffed.

Bartolomeo Stefani referred to this special stuffed pasta as “marubini” in 1662 in his cookery book Arte di Ben Cucinare.

Nioccolò Tommaseo, in his dictionary, felt the need to classify each fresh pasta according to its own recognizable shape, dough or type of filling, distinguishing agnolotti, ravioli, cappelletti and tortelli.

Preparations

Stew beef meat and roast the veal and pork meat. Mince mixed meat in a food processor twice.
Put everything in a bowl and add the parmesan, nutmeg, 3 eggs, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper. Mix well until mixture is smooth.
Prepare the dough by mixing the flour, 4 eggs with a little warm water until you get the right texture.

Roll the dough, spread it and make pieces about 5 cm wide.
Roll the filling into small balls and place it on one half of the dough; overlap and press with your fingers on the edge of each corner.
Boil the broth and drop in the “marubini”. Remove from heat as soon as they are cooked, after about 10 minutes.

Boiled meat

Ingredients

  • 700 g lean beef
  • 700 g lean veal
  • 1 medium - sized hen
  • 1 sausage or salami to be boiled
  • 700 g calf nose
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 onion
  • 1 celery stark
  • 2 carrots
  • Bouquet guarni of parsley
  • 2 leaves of laurel

Preparations

Heat water in a large pan. When the water is boiling, put in the beef, the veal, the hen , the vegetables, the laurel and garlic. Add salt and cook for necessary time. About meat, first of all put in the veal and the beef (cooking time: about 2 hours) ; then add th hen (cooking time: about 1.5 hours) Simmer the nose and sausages separately for about 3 hours.
Serve the boiled mixed meat with green sauce and the typical Cremona “mostarda”.

Nutrients

Plate with high protein and lipid value.
Carbs are negligible. The content of B vitamins and minerals is good (phosphor, potassium, magnesium, iron and zinc).

Green sauce

Ingredients

  • 100 g parsley, chopped
  • 50 ml vinegar
  • 30 g white bread
  • 10 g sugar
  • 50 g capers, chopped
  • 50 g pickled gherkins, chopped
  • 2 hard-boiled and minced eggs
  • 1 dl extra virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper

Preparations

In a bowl blend parsley , capers, pickled gherkins, sugar, white bread (softened with the vinegar and squeezed), and hard-boiled eggs.

Slowly add slowly some extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and blend everything with care.

Serve this sauce with boiled meat.
We can find different versions of this sauce depending on the availability of ingredients.
Some housewives add the tipycal Lombard chopped pickled peppers, or anchovy fillet, or cook the sauce some more minutes while adding a little tomato sauce.

Nutrients

This sauce has been defined as a “gastrique” , because it contains vinegar , and it has limited caloric and nutritional value.

Pickled vegetables

Ingredients

  • 200g Carrots
  • 200g Celery
  • 200g White Onions
  • 200g Courgettes
  • 200g Cabbage
  • 2dl White Wine
  • 100g Sugar
  • 3 Bay Leaves
  • 1dl Extra-virgin Olive Oil
  • Chopped Parsley
  • Salt to taste

Preparations

Clean and wash all the vegetables. Cut carrots,celeryand courgettes into sticks; chop caggabe.
Boil 1.2 l of water. with vinegar,sugar,white wine, bay leaves and salt. Cook vegetables separately until they are crispy.
Arrange them on a dishcloth to dry. Dress with extra virgin olive oil and add parsley.

For the preparation of pickled vegetables we suggest to use seasonal  veggies.

Nutrients

It‘s a dish with low calorific valure.
The amount of vitamints, mineral water and fiber is good.
The lipis and proteins are irrilevant. the vegetables contain antioxidant and anticancer substances.

Catfish and fried frogs

Ingredients

  • 10 pcs. catfish of about 200 g. each
  • 15 frogs
  • 1.2l frying oil
  • 100 g. breadcrumbs
  • Chopped rosemary
  • Abundant white flour
  • Salt to taste

Preparations

Clean frogs and catfish carefully and leave everything in water for at least one hour.
Dip frogs and catfish, first of all in breadcrumbs and chopped rodemary and then in white flour. Fry in abundant oil at 100° C; drain carefully, salt and accompany with lemon rinds.

Mostarda

The origins of mostarda present some difficulties due to a poor documentation, and especially because of the scarce knowledge about the products that were originally utilized.

History

Reliable reports concerning this product have been found in writings since 1300, in some areas of northern and central Italy. The noblesse ordered this product to the apothecaries of the time , the only ones who could actually get mustard ( which is the most important ingredient of “ mostarda”).


All the researchers involved have confirmed that the term mostarda comes from the Latin expression “mostrum ardens”: The must obtained from grapes which was sweetened , flavored , cooked and then made spicy with mustard, was mainly used to preserve fruit. Also , the use of honey in the processing should not be neglected.


During the Middle Ages, the Po areas had many difficulties (due to the weather ) to dry up the fruit in order to preserve it during the winter season , unlike the southern regions . So it soon became necessary to store and preserve fruit in a syrupy liquid.
Later, people started to add mustard in order to obtain a particular flavor and help the preservation of fruit for long periods.
In the late Middle Ages the use of mustard became the domain of apothecaries and court chefs; the popular classes started to make use of this ingredient in their kitchens only after the XIV century.


It is possible that the first “ mostarda” were prepared with only one type of fruit that was then cooked and sweetened with sugary items like honey, grape musts or molasses. Mustard was added only at the end of the process.
The substantial difference between “ mostarda” and fruit jams comes from the possibility to obtain a product that still looks as a whole and not as a uniform mass of smashed fruit. During the early twenties, “mostarda” was traded in wooden tanks or barrels and then sold loose. Things remained like this until 1960, when they started to sell the product in tins and small jars made of glass.


The delicatessen owners (who were the first ones to sell this product ) remember that, during Christmas time, the poor used to be satisfied with just the steering fluid that remained at the bottom of the barrels. They used it as a dressing on their Christmas food.

Features of the original product

It might be possible that the ingredients used in the original procedure weren’t actually found as it happens nowadays and that  they presented  themselves with a turbid color. The husking and the quality of the fruit wasn’t always precise  and it’s actually assumed that people  used to utilize rough mustard back in the days ( its seeds were usually crushed because there was no actual knowledge of the essence of this ingredient ).
Today , the main difference between the“mostarda cremonese “ and othersis that   the fruit is maintained whole and  the steering fluid is clear.

The modern production process

The mostarda cremonese nowadays is prepared with candied fruit , dipped in glucose syrup to which mustard in different ranges is added.
The fruit must be picked when ripening ,cleaned with care and then worked separately . The candied fruit must begood of quality , especially cherries, figs, watermelons, melons, pumpkins, peaches, mandarin oranges, apricots, plums, oranges and citrus.

Sometimes the seeds of the different fruits are not removed in order to maintain their compactness .
Nowadays, it is also possible to find mostardas prepared with vegetables instead of fruits , like green tomatoes, celery and peppers.
The use of exotic fruit like pineapple , kiwi and mango is still questionable in the processing of this typical product.
The procedure used to make the fruit candiedhappens by immersion in an extremely sugary solution with percentages that go around 60%-70%, depending on the sugar content of the fruit itself . In this process the fruit releases its liquids and absorbs the sugar present in the solution . Such phase is performed over a long time and requires particular care .

About boiling, it is necessary to first proceed with the preparation of the sugary solution , steep the fruit in and then let it boil for a very short time (about 20-30 seconds)
The fruit is left to cool in the liquid and then drained while the liquid is boiled again and reduced by a 10 %.
Afterwards, the fruit is steeped and treated in the same way as before.
This procedure must be repeated until the steering fluid won’t be reduced about 60-70 % and will become sticky to the touch.

Be careful not to reach a too extreme heat while dipping the fruit, in order to maintain a compact pulp and the bright color of the peel .
The last phase is the addition of the mustard essence , which must be added only after the compound has cooled down, diluting a small part in the steering fluid.
The quantity of the mustard varies from 7drops per Kg of finished product ( in order to obtain slightly spicy mostarda) to 12 drops ( in order to obtain a mostarda with a pungent taste )

A simple recipe: Apple mostarda

In order to obtain a good apple mostarda we need one Kg of apples , not too ripe. Then proceed to peel them and remove the core . Cut the apples in slices, not more than half a centimeter, and put them in a pie dish. Cover everything with half a kilo of sugar; if the apples are too dry, add 1 dl of water. Let it stand for about 12 hours.


Separate the liquid , then bring it to a boil in a steel saucepan . When the liquid is almost boiling , add the apples . After no more than 30 seconds, make the moisture cool down by soaking the pan with hot steaming water .
Let it stand a few hours to cool .


Repeat the procedure for 8 times but be careful not to let the apples boil. Make sure that the steering fluid has reduced for about a good 70%.


Weigh the product obtained , and add the necessary amount of mustard essence by diluting it with the steering syrup (from 7 to 12 drops per Kg ). Be careful not to inhale the essence during the procedure.
Pour the mostarda into the jars quickly ( so that the essence won’t fade away ) and then close the jars tightly.

Suggestions of matches  for the” mostarda cremonese” 

With meats


The most classic match with the cremonese cuisine suggests the mostarda with a boiled mix of red and white meat , with sausage and with the tongue


With cheeses


It’s a very simple and effective match.
Melon mostarda: Fresh Caprino, Mozzarella and Robiola
Figs mostarda : Elaborated cheeses and pecorino romano
Cherries mostarda : Sheep cheese and green cheese
Pumpkins mostarda: Toma, Grana Padano and Provolone
White plum mostarda:Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano
Green lemon mostarda: Can go with any type of cheese
Clementines mostarda: Fresh cheese , robiola and ricotta
Apricots mostarda: Can be matched with many different types of cheese
Chestnusts mostarda : Stracchino and Mascarpone
Strawberries or Blueberries mostarda: Aged cheese , green cheese or goat cheese

As ingredient


Mostarda can be used as filling for the tortelli (a type of stuffed pasta typical of Mantua ) . It is also used for the preparation of quiches or as filling for roasts . It is also used as ingredient in certain desserts .

Bussolano

Ingredients

  • 3 eggs
  • 500gr. white flour
  • 200gr.sugar
  • 100gr. butter
  • Milk
  • 15gr cream of tartar
  • 5gr. bicarbonate
  • Lemon rind

Preparations

Combine the eggs with the sugar, then add the butter and mix well.
Add the flour to the mixture and then lemon rind. Work all with hands . Add milk.
Finally, add the powders (cream of tartar and bicarbonate). Here’s a little secret in working with the powders: keep them separate until the end.


Put the dough into a baking tin greased with butter and sprinkled with white flour and shape it into a bun. Put a cup in the middle so that the “donut” has a central hole.
Place in the oven and bake it (at 180° for about 50 minutes) , then leave to cool down for 30 minutes without opening the oven .

Cream and chocolate pudding

Ingredients

Ingredients for chocolate cream:

  • 50g cocoa powder
  • 50g white flour
  • 50g butter
  • 100g sugar
  • 5dl milk

Ingredients for vanilla cream:

  • 50g white flour
  • 50g butter
  • 100g sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 5dl milk
  • vanilla essence
  • grated lemon rind
  • one glass of alkermes liquor
  • with a low alcoholic content
  • 100g savoiardi biscuits

Preparations

In a saucepan mix flour and butter until brown, add cocoa powder ad sugar; remove from fire and dilute mixture with lukewarm milk. Put everything in the saucepan on fire and boil the pudding for a few minutes.

Prepare the cream : boil the milk with vanilla essence and lemon rind. In a separate bowl stir eggs yolks with sugar and flour. Mix two everying and bring on fire while whisking until you get a dense texture. Add butter at the end. Pour the chocolate cream in a glass bowl. Soak savoiardi biscuits in the alkermes liquor and top with the vanilla cream. Cool for some hours in the fridge before serving.

Years ago this pudding was made with plain grated chocolate melted in hot milk. The kids disputed over the privilege of grating and the mother turned a blind eye if some pieces of chocolate were eaten. Today cocoa has replaced chocolate, even if the outcome is not the same.

Maize porridge cake

Ingredients

  • 500 ml milk
  • 180 g. corn flour
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 egg whites
  • 60 g sugar
  • 120 g butter
  • 50 g potato flour
  • 100 g macarons
  • 50 g icing sugar
  • Pinch of cinnanom

The main ingredient: corn

This cake is also called “sweet polenta”, not only for the presence of corn flour, but also for its preparation, very similar to polenta. Corn or maize  was already known about 5000 years ago. Iit seems to  have  been brought to Europe by Christopher Columbus. Maize, a noun of exotic origin, is today one of the basic cereals of world population. In Italy it is used for the production of flour, oil, cornflakes, popcorn.

Preparations

In a saucepan boil milk. Pour in corn flour and cook for 20 minutes. When the polenta becomes lukewarm, add the yolks one at a time, potato flour, cinnamon, sugar, butter, and macarons pulverized. Finally , whisk in whites until stiff. After making a smooth dough, pour it into a buttered baking tin.

Bake at 180°c for about 30 minutes. Allow to cool before removing it from the oven. Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Nutrients

Corn provides 355 calories per 100 gr and it has a protein content  lower than wheat because it  lacks  two essential aminoacids (lysine, tryptophan). The presence of proteins, which make up gluten,  is poor and  so is the vitamin content.

Nougat

Ingredients

  • Wafers T
  • 350 g honey.
  • 340 g. sugar
  • 50 cl.water
  • 500 g. almonds or hazelnuts
  • 120 g.egg white
  • Vanilla flavouring

Preparations

Toast almonds in a pan and peel them.
Cook the honey slowly in a small steel saucepan for 25/30 minutes, then mix constantly with a wooden spoon. The honey will be ready when it starts to harden.


In another saucepan boil water with sugar ;make the water evaporate without caramelizing;
in a basin whip the egg whites until stiff then with the honey,mix and add the sugar and eventually the almonds.
Put the wafers in a mould Pour the nougat on top and spread it evenly. Cover with wafers.

Be careful, when cooking the sugar – do not caramelize- and cooking the honey- do not cook too quickly. Keep a close eye on them, so you know when to remove from the heat.

You can replace almonds with nuts, and if you want to save even more money, you can use peanuts.

Nutrients

Nougat is rich in calories, especially from sugar  (simple glucides ), honey( simple glucides) and dried fruit( lipids ).