Italian Food Recipes

Chestnuts are autumnal fruits that can be used to prepare a great number of Italian recipes, from first courses to second courses, and are a good ingredient for many Italian desserts. In Italy the most famous chestnuts are that of Mugello or that of Marradi. There are many way to cook them: chestnuts roasted on a flame or on oven, chestnuts boiled with a bay leaf, glased chestnuts. Flour of chestnuts is ideal to prepare many Italian recipes such as special kinds of pasta, polenta, fritters, cakes like Castagnaccio or Montebianco, Necci a sort of piadina that you can serve with cheese, bacon or lard and many other delicous recipes. A particular kind of chestnuts are named Marroni: a bigger kind of chestnuts with a sweet taste ideal for jam, cream or cakes. Chestnuts cooked in the way presented in this recipes are good after a meal or as a snack.










INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
300 g of Chestnuts

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Recioto della Valpolicella (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Clean the chestnuts with a towel.

Make a cut over the belly of them. Place the chestnuts in a large pan and start to cook on a high flame for 5 minutes then continue to cook on a low flame until the surface of the chestnuts become dark.

Peel them paying attention because they are hot. Serve warm with a good glass of red wine.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

In my garden there is a fig tree that bore a lot of figs in the begining of the last september: I was thinking about a simple way to use them and I decided to make some pots of figs jam! Home made figs jam is ideal to prepare simple italian recipes like tart and cakes, and it is also perfect for a tasty italian breakfast. Try it on a slice of bread!









INGREDIENTS:
3 Kg of Figs
1,5 Kg of Sugar
1 Lemon

PREPARATIONE TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 1hour and 30 minutes / 2 hours

WINE: Passito

PREPARATION
Wash, dry and peel the figs.

Place the figs, the sugar and the lemon juice in a casserole and mix all together.

Bring slowly to boil. Stir frequently to prevent sticking and remove the seeds of the figs that go up to the surface.

Continue to cook until the jam become thick.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

Pizzocheri are a traditional Italian food, typical of Teglio, a town situated in Valtellina in the northern part of Italy. The pizzoccheri are tagliatelle-like pasta made of buckwheat, that you can prepare in different simple way. This italian dish is typical of the autumnal period and they are prepared with seasonal vegetables. They are delicious if prepared with Bitto, a typical Italian cheese that can be found in Valtellina.










INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)
500 g of Pizzoccheri
500 g of Potatoes
180 g of Butter
500 g of Savoy cabbages
500 g of Herbs
1 Clove of Garlic
300 g of Bitto
200 g of Parmesan

PREPARATION TIME: 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

DIFFICULTY: easy

WINE: Pignola Valtellinese (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Clean, peel and cut into cubes the potatoes.

Clean and cut into pieces the savoy cabbages and the herbs.


Cut the Bitto cheese into pieces.

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the potatoes, the savoy cabbagges and herbs.

After 5 minutes add the pizzoccheri and let them cook for 12-15 minutes.

In the meantime in a pan put the clove of garlic with the butter and let it melt. When the butter is melted remove the clove of garlic.

Drain and place in a large pan, cover with some pieces of Bitto, the Parmesan and some melted butter. Cover with the rest of the pizzoccheri and cover again with the Bitto, the Parmesan and the melted butter.

Gently mix all together and serve hot.
This the result:

BUON APPETITO!