Pizzoccheri (Buckwheat pasta with cabbage, potatoes and lots of butter)

19/02/201610/11/2016 ~ stefano arturi ~ 5 Comments

Pizzoccheri is a substantial, earthy buckwheat pasta dish from Valtellina, the northeast, mountainous part of Lombardy, near to the Swiss border. It is an earthy dish with lots of cheese and butter, with potatoes and savoy cabbage, suitable for cold weather and big appetites – comfort food. Actually, there is also a lighter, more spring-like version of pizzoccheri, where cabbage is replaced by fagiolini, fine spring green beans. In other words, there is always a right time to enjoy this beautiful pasta dish. Continue reading “Pizzoccheri (Buckwheat pasta with cabbage, potatoes and lots of butter)” →

Risoto de peoci (Risotto with mussels)

19/02/201610/11/2016 ~ stefano arturi ~ Leave a comment

This is a risotto from Veneto, North-east Italy, a region that offers a magnificent but restrained fish and seafood cuisine, well exemplified by this sober, briny risotto with mussels – Peoci is local dialect for mussels, cozze in Italian. If you happen to spend a few days in Venice, the capital of Veneto, do check the Rialto fish market, which is a cornucopia of marine life and whose charm made Elizabeth David write one of most celebrated pieces of food writing in English. It is as magical now as it was sixty years ago. Continue reading “Risoto de peoci (Risotto with mussels)” →

Pitta ‘nchiusa (Raisin, nuts, honey pastry from Calabria)

28/01/201631/12/2020 ~ stefano arturi ~ 13 Comments

Pittanchiusa (or Pitta ‘mpigliata o pittacupassule) is a typical Christmas pastry from Calabria, the southernmost part of the country. Strips of an olive oil and white wine pastry are filled with walnuts, raisins, orange zest, clove, cinnamon and syrupy vincotto, rolled into coils (or rosette, as we say in Italian, meaning “little roses” – much more poetic), doused with honey and baked into a glistening, caramelized, bronze-coloured “flower”.

Pittanchiusa is crisp and deliciously gooey at the same time, sweet, spicy, and citrusy, the muted bitterness of the walnuts counterbalancing the overall sweetness. It would be a pity to limit this lovely pastry to Christmas only. Continue reading “Pitta ‘nchiusa (Raisin, nuts, honey pastry from Calabria)” →

Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (Spaghetti with garlic, oil and chilli)

04/01/201610/11/2016 ~ stefano arturi ~ Leave a comment

Contrary to popular myth, authentic Italian cooking is actually rather cautious when it comes to garlic – a little goes a long way. In a dish feeding four to six people, one or two cloves are plenty. It is actually English (and American) versions of Italian dishes that tend to overdo the garlic, what Anna del Conte calls “Britalian” food. Continue reading “Spaghetti aglio, olio e peperoncino (Spaghetti with garlic, oil and chilli)” →

Biscotti al mais (polenta shortbread biscuits)

20/11/201510/11/2016 ~ stefano arturi ~ 5 Comments

One can find biscuits made with corn (maize or polenta) flour in many parts of Northern Italy. They can be plain or with sultanas, are always rather buttery, and are most often flavoured with vanilla, lemon or orange. Sometimes they’re crisp and short, sometimes softer and more cakey.
I particularly like this version: not too rich, sweet but with a salty bite, super crisp and with that lovely crunchiness of polenta flour. I have them for breakfast with my espresso and in the afternoon with tea, but they also go very well with fruit compote and ice cream. Continue reading “Biscotti al mais (polenta shortbread biscuits)” →