Italian Food Recipes

Pumpkin is one of the most traditional Italian foods used in Italy for the preparation of delicious Italian recipes; from autumn to spring the pumpkin appears in the Italian recipes with its sweetness and its nutritive properties, adult and child appreciate it and it’s easy and cheap to cook. Pumpkin is particularly used in the Mantua cuisine, where it becomes the main ingredients for the preparation of special menu, like the menu of the Christmas Eve that is composed of the Mantua traditional pumpkin recipe:Tortelli di Zucca

This delicious recipe is prepared not only in occasion of Christmas Eve but also the 17th of January in occasion of the feast of Saint’ Anthony that is famous for the proverb “Sant’Antoni da la barba bianca mi magni i turtei a ti gnanca” that means “Saint Anthony with white beard, I eat tortelli and you don’t”; the 15th of August and the 11th of November for San Martino feast. In the tortelli recipe the sweet taste of pumpkin’s pulp, in particular the type Marina di Chioggia, is accompanied with the taste of amaretti (Italian biscuits) and the delicious taste of the pears mustard of Mantua, you can serve tortelli seasoned with melted butter and sage. You can find this recipe in the list of the first courses recipes: here I describe the traditional stuffing of tortelli but you can also make changes. For example you can use the mustard of apple instead of the one of pears, you can add pine kernels, peel of lemon and spout. You can also change the seasoning making a one red seasoning prepared with tomatoes and bacon.
The pumpkin is ideal for the preparation of any type of tasteful dishes: from appetizers to first courses, from second courses to desserts. To obtain a good pumpkin Italian recipe you should be sure that the pumpkin is good, in particular the pumpkin might have these characteristics: you might check if the pumpkin is mature, beating on it with the hand, if it makes an empty and dull sound the pumpkin is ready. Then you should be sure that the pulp is fresh and thick, the stalk is soft and well attached to the pumpkin, the rind is clean and without bruises, the seeds aren’t black. Also consider that the thickness of the pulp is directly proportional to the quality. You can use all the parts of pumpkin, the pulp, the flowers and the seeds, to prepare delicious pumpkin Italian recipes
Others traditional pumpkin first course recipes include Gnocchi di Zucca seasoned with a delicate cream of ricotta cheese;

risotto with pumpkin;

soup of pumpkin, or minestrone with pumpkin accompanied with others vegetables. Therefore you can use the flowers of pumpkin to prepare delicious sauce as seasoning for pasta based recipes. Pumpkin is an ideal food also for the preparation of second courses like slices of fried pumpkin spiced with rosemary,


flat bread with pumpkin that is a dish that comes from Sestri Levante in Liguria where this recipe has been invented, the best pumpkin to prepare it is that round and lumpy; parmigiana pumpkin with Fontina cheese; stuffed flowers or fritters of flowers that are similar to the fritters made with flowers of zucchini; delicious flan of pumpkin and many others. For its sweetness flavour pumpkin is an ideal ingredients also for dessert recipes: my favourite dessert recipes with pumpkin are the tart of pumpkin and apples and the biscuits of pumpkin that are traditionally made in occasion of Halloween and they are so simple to prepare that are ideal also for child. Pumpkin can be used to prepare conserves like jam or mustard or to prepare the “zuccata” that are candied pieces of pumpkin used as piping of dessert. The seeds of pumpkin can be used to obtain oil or generally they are dried and roasted and use as appetizers.
Pumpkin is traditional fruit used for many Italian recipes and traditional fairs about pumpkins are organized during the year in many villages of Italy, where you can taste delicious pumpkin recipes. Two of these fairs are:
- Fair of Mantua that happens from 8th September 2007 to 9th December 2007 during which exhibitions, courses and menu with traditional pumpkin recipes are organized in the farmer court.
- Fair of pumpkin in Venzone (province of Udine) that is the 27th and 28th of October; in this occasion the village prepares itself for the fair: in the square, in the windows shop, on the newsstand there are pumpkins everywhere. Pumpkins decorated and carved are exhibited and the most weight will reward. Pumpkins recipes are prepared and people can taste them.
Pumpkin is a low-calorie fruit (15 calorie each 100 g) because it contains a high concentration of water (93%) and low quantity of sugar. It, as all the orange and yellow fruits, is rich of vitamin A and C, beta-carotene, potassium, calcium, phosphorus and many fibbers; it has an anti-oxidant action and prevents the ageing. The seeds instead contain protein and oily substances.
Pumpkin is a fruit that belongs to the genus Cucurbit and to the family of Cucurbitaceous; it is a berry with a fleshy pulp in which the seeds are dipped. The plant of pumpkin is vigorous with long crawl shaft or short shaft, according to the variety. The leafs and the stalk are scraggy and cover of hair. The flowers are big, of yellow colour and they can be male or female on the same plant. It is a plant easy to cultivate, that doesn’t need excessive quantity of fertilizer and it is able to stand to droughts, diseases and insects. Pumpkin needs a mild weather with a temperature from 10 to 20-25° C. It can be cultivated in any type of ground, but if you want to obtain the best result the ideal ground might be soften, fresh, organic, sunny and with acidic pH. The period of cultivation change according to the region but generally it begins in spring from April to May and the fruits become ready in summer and autumn. The plants need normal quantity of warm water during the germination and a big quantity of warm water in the following phase. The maturation of the pumpkin starts with the beginning of the summer period and continue also in autumn, the pumpkins result mature generally 150 days after the seeding when the plants become dry and the fruits big. When the pumpkins are mature, you can harvest them and then expose them to sun to complete the maturation. After the harvesting the pumpkins can be preserved in dark, fresh and dry ambient, and they traditionally must be eaten before Carnival. The pieces of raw pumpkin are preserved in fridge enveloped in film and must be eaten in few days because the pumpkin easily dehydrate or you can freeze them.
Pumpkin probably comes from Central America, in particular from Mexico where in 6000 – 5000 B.C. the first seeds of pumpkin were found. The first to use pumpkin has been the Indian, which were able to use it as a main ingredient of their diet, and they were able to cultivate it. Then from America pumpkin diffused in all Europe. A great quantity of varieties of pumpkins exists, each of which is different for shape, colour and taste. The most know are:
- the variety Cucurbit Maxima or sweet pumpkin is the most diffuse; it includes pumpkin of different shapes and dimensions like the big winter pumpkin, the oval shape pumpkin, or the pumpkin with shape of turban. Its rind is green and thick and can be smooth or with longitudinal stripes.


Its weight can reach also 80 kg and its pulp is sweet and floury with a yellow-orange colour and white seeds. This is the kind of pumpkin that is most used for the preparation of Italian recipes, in particular the variety cucurbit maxima includes the following sub-types: Marina di Chioggia (with green fruits) ideal for tortelli and gnocchi, Quintale and the Melone Gigante (both very big), Hubbard (tapering) and Butternut (with pear shape).
- the variety Cucurbit Moschata has a stretched shape with enlargement at the extremity. It has medium dimensions, its colour can be dark green or orange



and its pulp is tender and sweet. This kind is traditionally used with other vegetables for the preparation of pumpkin soup and minestrone. This variety includes Piena di Chioggia, Lunga invernale di Napoli and Tromboncino di Albenga.
- the variety Cucurbit Lagenaria is the traditional ornamental pumpkin. When it is mature it is almost without pulp and with rind and pulp hard. This type of pumpkin can be used to obtain flasks or vessels, it can contain wine or water indeed it is called the “Pumpkin for wine”. In Africa this type of pumpkin, cut in half, is used to realize spoons and ladles.
- the type of pumpkin called Cucurbit Ficifoli, that grows in Asia, has a pulp that when it is cooked, it breaks up and makes filaments like angel’s hair that are traditionally used as spaghetti, for this reason this type of pumpkin is also called Spaghetti Pumpkin.
- the variety Cucurbit Pepo that includes the ordinary pumpkin of zucchini.
The sub-types of pumpkin most used in Italy for the preparation of Italian recipes due to their particular taste are: - Marina di Chioggia cultivated in the northern part of Italy, in particular in the province of Piacenza and Mantua. This type of pumpkin is ideal for recipes such as gnocchi, tortelli and pasta because its pulp is thick and sugary.
- Lunga di Napoli (Long of Naples) cultivated in the southern part of Italy
- Zucca Lunga invernale (winter pumpkin)
- Zucca Quintale
- Lagenaria particularly used as ornament.
Pumpkin is an ideal ingredient for the preparation of Italian recipes, but it can be useful also for the preparation of cosmetic, natural medicine, hand-crafted object and for the realization of the traditional Jack-o'-lantern, the traditional lantern of the Halloween feast. Pumpkin is an important fruit also for the care of the body and to preserve health. It is possible to prepare with the pulp of the pumpkin face pack that make the skin more smooth and clean: to prepare it mix the pulp of raw pumpkin with the seeds and some honey. It also can stimulate tan thank to the presence of vitamin A. Furthermore the pumpkin has digestive, refreshing and anti-tumoral action because it contains high quantity of carotenoidi. The pulp can be used as soothing for the cutaneous inflammation instead the rind can be used for small burn and the extract can be used to solve gastric problem and for the treatment of diabetes and insomnia.

This is the traditional Italian recipe for spatzle, a delicious first course diffuses in the northern part of Italy in particular in Val D’Aosta and Trentino Alto Adige. Spatzle are similar to gnocchetti with small dimension and irregular shape, they are easy to prepare and the recipe presented below is simple made with flour and milk in order to obtain a soften dough. To prepare this type of spatzle you should be use a sort of grater with big holes on the surface and a mobile container where the dough is poured; this container moves back and forth so when you pour on in the dough you can cut it.The type of seasoning that I use here its one of the most traditional used for spatzle, it is a white seasoning made with speck and cream but you can serve them also with tomato sauce or any type of seasoning that you like. Spatzle can be made also with flour, eggs and water or instead of water you can use beer. The dough of spatzle can be soften, like this shown here, or can also be firmer, in this case you might knead the dough with the hand and cut it in small pieces. Spatzle can be white like this but if you want with the addition of spinach in the dough you obtain green delicious spatzle.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
380 g of Flour
2 Glasses of milk
200 ml of Cream
2 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
50 g of Speck cut in small cubes

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 10 minutes

WINE: Alto Adige Lagrein Dunkel (Red Wine)

INSTRUMENTS: grater for spatzle

PREPARATION
Let salted water boil for spatzle. Place the flour and the milk in a bowl


and mix all together in order to obtain a soften dough without lumps, like this shown in the picture below.


Then prepare the seasoning: place in a pan the extra virgin olive oil and the cubes of speck and let them brown;

add the cream and let the sauce cook for about 5 – 10 minutes in order to reduce it.

When the water boils place the grater on the surface of the pan,



pour slowly in its container the dough of spatzle and move the container back and forth in order to cut the dough in small irregular gnocchi with drops shape.



The spatzle are ready when they rise to the surface and this takes about 3 – 4 minutes.


Drain them and pour on them the sauce of speck and cream.

Serve hot!
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

The way to cut the aubergines gives the name to this delicious Italian second course indeed the word “fungitielli” comes from “funghi” that in Italian means mushrooms and the aubergines are cut with the shape of thin and long mushrooms. This is an easy recipe to prepare that you can serve as a second course or it can be also an ideal side dish accompanied with Italian cheese or meat. To obtain the best result: use round or long aubergines and cut them without remove the peel; the tomato sauce is better if it is tomato puree and use the right quantity of oregano to season the recipes in order to obtain the best flavor so for this reason taste the aubergines during the cooking.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
2 Aubergines of medium dimension
750 ml of Tomato sauce
Extra virgin olive oil for fry the aubergines
3 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil for the tomatoes
1 Clove of garlic
Salt
Oregano

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 40 minutes

WINE: Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino DOC (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Preheat the extra virgin oil olive for fry in a pan. Clean the aubergines and cut them as thin and long “mushrooms” as shown in the picture below.


Place the aubergines in the hot oil and fry them.


In the meantime place in another pan the 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and the garlic and let them golden. Then add the tomato sauce, the salt, the oregano and let cook for about 15 minutes.

When the aubergines are fried let them drip over a sheet of cooking paper in order to remove the excess of oil, then add them to the tomato sauce

and continue to cook for other 10 – 15 minutes

so the sauce acquire the taste of aubergines. Serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This recipe is a delicious Italian second course that can be ideal also for vegetarian people. It is made with round aubergines and Asiago cheese: the best result it is obtained if you use round and not long aubergines because they allow you to obtain large slices that you can cover with the Asiago cheese. In addition the ideal type of Asiago to use is the Asiago of medium ageing that melt easier and has a sweeter taste than that ageing. This Italian recipe can be use also for vegetables based appetizer.


INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
1 – 2 Round Aubergines
1 Egg
50 g of Breadcrumbs
30 g of Asiago (Italian Cheese) in slices
Coarse Salt
Extra virgin olive oil for fry

PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Riviera Ligure di Ponente Vermentino Doc (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Wash the aubergines and cut them in slices of 0.5 – 1 cm thick. Then place the slices of aubergines in a colander a sprinkle them with some salt in order to remove their excess of water, after 10 minutes squeeze them gently.

Preheat the oil in a pan. Now place in a dish the egg and beat it and in another dish the breadcrumbs. Put each slice in the dish with the beaten egg and cover them with the egg then put them in the dish with the breadcrumbs and cover them with it.

Fry the aubergines until they become golden,

when they are ready place them over a sheet of cooking paper in order to remove the oil in excess.

Cover the bottom of a baking pan with a sheet of baking paper, place over it the slices of the aubergines and place on it the slices of Asiago cheese and bake for about 10 minutes until the Asiago cheese become melted.

Serve them hot with the addition of tomatoes.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This delicious Italian dessert is made of sweet cachi, dark chocolate and eggs white cooked as meringue: this ingredients use together can allow to obtain a sweet Italian dish ideal for the most gourmand. The cachi are fruits typical of the autumnal period, they have an orange colour and a sweet and soft pulp. For this recipe you might be use cachi well mature but not too, that generally have a thin peel almost transparent, and a tender pulp. You pay attention in the choice of cachi because if they are not right mature they can result bitter.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
2 Persimmons
1 Egg white
2 Tablespoons of confectioners’ sugar
40 g of Dark chocolate
20 ml of Milk
10 g of Grain of almonds

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 5 minutes

WINE: Marsala DOC (White Wine)

PREPARATION
To prepare this recipe use Cachi of medium maturation, indeed if they are too mature they can break. Clean the cachi and cut them in half,

then beat the egg whites until stiff, add the sugar and beat again for 1 minute.

Place the cachi in a baking pan covered with a sheet of baking paper, pour on it with the help of a sac a poche the egg whites and sprinkle with the grain of almond.

Bake to 180° C for 5 minutes in order to dry the egg white. In the meantime place the chocolate in a pan with some milk and let it melt.

Remove from the oven the cachi and prepare the dish. Place the cachi in the middle of a platter and pour on it the melted chocolate.
Serve hot. This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

In this Italian recipe the spicy taste of the Italian cheese Gorgonzola and the sweet taste of the pears and potatoes are joined in order to obtain a delicious second course. In addition what I like of this recipe is the match of the crunch consistency of the potatoes fritters with that soft of the Gorgonzola and the pears. To prepare this dish use yellow potatoes, Gorgonzola of medium ages, that is a blue veined Italian cheese, and the type of pears called Abate, that are sweet and.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people):
4 Potatoes
120 g of Gorgonzola (Italian cheese)
2 Pears
4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
20 g of Butter

PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 minutes

WINE: Colli Morenici Mantovani del Garda bianco Doc (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Preheat the extra virgin olive oil and the butter in a small pan. Clean and peel the potatoes, cut them as thin matches.

Fry a small quantity of them as shown in the picture and try to form a sort of fritter of potatoes.

Proceed in this way until you obtain other 7 fritters of potatoes. Then clean, peel the pears divide them in half and place them in a pan with some rosemary, cook them for about 5 minutes in order to let them golden.

When the fritters are ready prepare the dish.
Place 1 fritters on the dish, put over it 30 g of the Italian cheese Gorgonzola,

cover with another fritters.

Place over the pears and the rosemary and serve.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This Italian recipe is an ideal second course but if you use a smaller quantity of ham is also an ideal side dish. It is simply prepared with these two main Italian ingredients: fennels and ham squared cut with the addition of Italian cheese that give them a spicy taste.
Fennels preferentially grow in the southern part of Italy where the seeds of fennel are usually used to season meat, in particular sausage and other Italian dish. Instead the Italian cheese that I use in this recipe is Asiago. Its name comes from the town of Asiago, province of Vicenza, in the Veneto region where different types of Asiago are produced. The type of Asiago that I use is Asiago Dolce that is a mildly maturing spicy Asiago.

INGREDIENTS (for 6 people):
3 Fennels
150 g of Ham
40 g of Asiago (italian cheese)
1 / 2 Onion chopped finely
4 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil
20 g of Butter
Salt
Blak pepper


PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 30 – 40 minutes

WINE: Alto Adige Chardonnay DOC (White Wine)

PREPARATION
Preheat the extra virgin olive oil and the butter in a pan, add the chopped onion and let it cook for about 10 minutes in order to give it the pulp concistency. Pay attention to not brown it and so cook it on a low flame.

In the meantime clean ad cut in small squared pieces the fennels


and also the ham. When the onion is ready add the ham

and let it cook for 5 minutes, then add the fennels and mix all togheter.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper and continue to cook fo other 15 minutes.

Grate the Asiago cheese.


Add then 3 tablespoons of water in order to obtain a sort of sauce. 5 minutes before the end of cooikng add the Asiago cheese and let it melt.

Serve hot.
This is the result:


BUON APPETITO!

Stare ribs with tomato sauce is an Italian dish that has a double function. Indeed, it is a tasteful second course of which you can use the tomato sauce as a delicious seasoning for a good first course. This Italian recipe is simple and easy to prepare and allow you to save time because you obtain two dishes in one. I usually prepare this recipe when decide to make as first course potato gnocchi because the type of tomato sauce that you achieve is ideal for them. You need only stare ribs, onion, extra virgin olive oil and tomato sauce and this excellent recipe is ready.


INGREDIENTS (for 6 people):
15 Spares rib
2 L and 500 ml of tomato sauce
4 – 5 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil
1 / 2 Onion in slices
5 – 6 Leafs of Basil
1 Teaspoons of Sugar
Salt

PREPARATION TIME: 10 minutes

COOKING TIME: 1 hour and 30 minutes

WINE: Dolcetto D’Alba DOC (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Preheat in a large pan the extra virgin olive oil, place in it the onion and let it brown

then remove it and add the spares rib.

Let the spares rib cook for about 10 – 15 minutes or until they become golden.
Then add the tomato sauce, the salt, the sugar and the basil.

Let it cook for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

Potatoes gnocchi are a famous Italian dish that you can prepare with different type of season. There are many variety of gnocchi made with different type of flour such as gnocchi with semolina flour, also called Roman Gnocchi; gnocchi with maize flour; gnocchi with chestnuts flour; but the most know are potatoes gnocchi. You can prepare them simple with flour and potatoes or also with the addition of some vegetables like spinach, swiss chard or pumpkin, and so you obtain green and orange gnocchi. The best ingredients to prepare potatoes gnocchi are: the yellow potatoes that are slightly floury and so do not attach; and the right quantity of flour, if you use too much flour the gnocchi might be hard instead if you use few flour the gnocchi might be too soften. The element that best characterize potatoes gnocchi is the stripes on their surface. They are important because allow gnocchi to best absorb the seasoning and so give them a delicious taste. In this recipes potatoes gnocchi are prepared with sauce of spares rib try them and let me know if you like it!


INGREDIENTS (for 6 –8 people):
2 Kg of Potatoes
1 Kg of Flour

PREPARATION TIME: 1 hour and 30 minutes

COOKING TIME: 20 minutes

WINE: Dolcetto D’Alba DOC (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Bring salted water boil for gnocchi. Wash the potatoes, place them in a large pan with water and bring to boil for about 10 – 15 minutes or until they become tender.

You can control the cooking point with a fork if it enters easily in the potatoes they are ready. When potatoes are ready let them cool, peel them and with the potato masher mush them as shown in the picture.


Now add around the mashed potatoes the flour


and begin to knead until you obtain homogeneous and soft dough, this take about 8 – 10 minutes.


Divide the dough in parts and roll each one in order to obtain a sort of longs sausages thick as a finger. Pay attention to have always enough flour on the worktable in order to not attach the dough to it. Cut each long sausage in small pieces of 1 cm length.


When you have all the pieces, you have to give them the shape of gnocchi: to do this take a fork. Hold the fork with one hand and lean it to the work board, with the other hand take a piece of dough and with the index finger press rolling it on the fork: in this way you obtain gnocchi.


Sprinkle the gnocchi with flour and place them on a tray.

When water boils put in it the gnocchi and let them cook until they rise on the surface.

Drain them and pour on them the sauce of spares rib.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

Canederli is a traditional Italian recipe of Trentino in the northern part of Italy. They are similar to gnocchi made with stale bread, they are usually prepared in the autumnal and winter period and their traditional recipe is of farmer origin. Exist many kinds of canederli: all they are made with stale bread with the addition of other ingredients like canederli with speck, canederli with cheese, canederli with spinach, canederli with mushrooms and many others. There are also sweet canederli that you can serve as dessert and these are usually made with stuffed of fruit. Here I show the recipes of canederli with speck: the best type of bread to use for make canederli is the michetta but if you don’t have it you can use also other type of stale bread; the best type of speck is the speck of Trentino, and for make broth of meat I use the rump of beef. This type of canederli can be served with broth as shown in the recipe below or also with butter and sage. In both way you can obtain a delicious Italian dish. Try it and let me know if you like it!


INGREDIENTS (for 6 – 8 people):
600 g of bread (michetta or stale bread)
2 Eggs
80 g of Flour
200 g of Speck
500 ml of Milk
1 Small Onion
3 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil
4 Tablespoons of parsley chopped
Nutmeg
Salt
Black pepper
FOR THE BROTH:
500 g of Rump of beef
1 Potato
1 Carrot
1 Celery
1 onion
1 L and 500 ml of Water

PREPARATION TIME: 2 hours

COOKING TIME: 15 minutes

WINE: Alto Adige Santa Maddalena Doc (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Start with the preparation of broth of meat: peel and clean the carrot, the potato, the onion and the celery, place them in a pan with the meat and 1 liter and 500 ml of water and let them boil for about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Then prepare the canederli: cut the bread in small squared pieces.



Place them in a large bowl, add the egg, the milk, salt, and black pepper, mix all together and let the mixture stand for about 1 hour so the bread soak itself of milk.

In the meantime you can start to prepare the speck. Cut it in small pieces,


chop the onion and place it in a pan with the extra virgin olive oil, let the onion brown

and then add the speck and cook for about 5 minutes.

Let the mixture of speck cool. When the mixture of speck is cool add it to the bread with the parsley, the flour and nutmeg. Mix all together and let the mixture stand for other 30 minutes.



Bring salted water boil for canederli. After 30 minutes make canederli: you have to do ball of mixture of medium size.


When canederli are ready, start add 1 of them in the water and pay attention that it remain entire; if the canederlo breaks add some flour. Add all the canederli to the water and cook them for about 15 minutes.

Drain them one by one with the help of the skimmer. Place 4 canederli in a platter and add 2 ladles of broth. Serve hot.
This is the result:

BUON APPETITO!

This is the delicious Italian recipe of polpettone that my mother uses to cook on Sunday when there are guests at home. Polpettone is so good so I decided to learn how to cook it. The thing that makes polpettone delicious is the stuffing. It is a simple recipe with only one difficult step: when you close the polpettone and when you turn it, you have to pay attention to not pull out the stuffing and to not break it. But with a little bit of attention all become simple. In this recipe I make a simple stuffing with spinach and egg in order to obtain a light dish; it is also good if you add some slice of ham steak and some slice of Italian cheese like Fontina. After you try it tell me if you like it!

INGREDIENTS (for 4 – 6 people):
500 g of Meat minced of pork
3 Eggs
1 Egg white
300 g of Spinach
30 g of Parmesan
Olive Oil for fry
1 Glass of white wine
Fresh rosemary
Fresh sage
Salt
Pepper


PREPARATION TIME: 15 minutes

COOKING TIME: 1 hour

WINE: Crognolo (Red Wine)

PREPARATION
Start preparing the stuffing of the polpettone: cook the spinach that you can use fresh or frozen and the hard-boiled egg. Bring the spinach to boil for about 10 minutes, when they are ready drain and let them cool.