Flavors of Treviso: the traditional radicchio rosso
Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Tardivo is an authentic Treviso gastronomic heritage, always used in traditional local recipes and now also included in the kitchens of other regions and nations. Here are some suggestions for bringing “red” radicchio on the table.
RISOTTO WITH RADICCHIO
Take the outer leaves and tips of the heads of Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Tardivo, cut them into small pieces and sauté them in a mixture of onion, a little garlic, oil and butter. Turn off with half a glass of white wine. Add the rice and then, a little at a time, boiling broth. At three-quarters of the way through cooking, bind with a large knob of butter and plenty of Parmesan cheese. At the end of cooking add a grinding of white pepper. (Consorzio Radicchio di Treviso IGP recipe)
GRILLED RADICCHIO
Choose tightly closed and firm heads of Radicchio Tardivo or Precoce, not less than six inches long. Remove the root and, after washing and drying them, cut them in half lengthwise and dip them well in a sauce of oil, pepper and salt. Then place them back on a griddle and cook over low heat, turning them occasionally. (Consorzio Radicchio di Treviso IGP recipe)
FAN OF DUCK AND RADICCHIO
Ingredients (for 10 people): 10 tufts of Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Tardivo, 1.2 kg duck breasts, 2 dl extra virgin olive oil, 1dl balsamic vinegar, 1dl white wine, sage and rosemary, salt and pepper.
Marinate the duck breast with red wine for at least 2 hours before cooking it. In a frying pan let the oil heat with the herbs. Insert the duck breasts and let them cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Wet with the balsamic vinegar and wine and remove from the heat. Slice the breasts lengthwise, arranging them in a fan shape on a serving platter. Season with salt and pepper. Wash the radicchio accurately. Dip each tuft in boiling white wine vinegar for a brief moment. This operation will help ensure that the radicchio remains bright red in color. Grate the tufts of radicchio accurately and place them to cool in the cooking juices of the duck breasts. Then arrange them also in a fan shape in the opposite direction to the duck slices. Season each plate with the remaining sauce. (recipe by Paolo Urbani, secretary of the Treviso Cooks Association and teacher IPSSAR “G. Maffioli”)
Casatella trevigiana
Every season combines its products with creamy casatella Trevigiana to create simple and sophisticated dishes, where the cheese exalts the flavors of the other products.
BRESAOLA ROSETTE WITH CASATELLA CHEESE ON A BED OF RED RADICCHIO
Cold appetizer, simple to prepare. Ingredients (for 10 people): 600g radicchio cut in julienne, 400g bresaola, 400g Casatella Trevigiana, 1/2 dl extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 dl balsamic vinegar, salt and white pepper.
Wash the radicchio and dry it thoroughly. Arrange it evenly on the plates and grind white pepper over it. Prepare the sauce, mixing the oil and vinegar with the help of an immersion blender. You will get a rather thick sauce, which should be spread thinly over the plates. Finely slice the bresaola and make rosettes by enclosing a small piece of Casatella in each one. Finally, arrange the rosettes on the bed of already seasoned radicchio. You can enhance the dish with sesame or poppy seeds. (recipe by Stefania Carlon, IPSSAR “G. Maffioli” in Castelfranco Veneto)
ARTICHOKE BOTTOMS STUFFED WITH CASATELLA CHEESE AND BRAISED RADICCHIO
Ingredients (for 10 people): 30 medium-sized artichoke bottoms (100g), 600g Casatella Trevigiana cheese, 400g Red Tardivo radicchio, 100g leeks, 1 clove of garlic, 1/2 l extra-virgin olive oil, 30g chopped parsley, 40g grana padano cheese, salt and pepper.
Steam or boil the artichokes and arrange them on a baking sheet. Carefully wash the radicchio and cut it into small pieces. Do the same with the leek. In a large skillet, heat the oil and sauté the garlic and leek, add the radicchio and let it wilt over high heat. Season with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and stem the Casatella in the skillet itself. Scent with the parsley. Stuff the artichoke bottoms with the mixture, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and quickly gratinate in the oven. (recipe by David Cattapan, IPSSAR “G. M”)
WHEAT ROLLS WITH CASATELLA CHEESE AND CHERRIES
Ingredients (for 10 people): 800g pasta, 1 l extra-virgin olive oil, 400g Casatella Trevigiana cheese, 200g eggplant trifle, 200g cherry tomatoes, 100g anchovies, basil leaves, salt and pepper.
After washing the cherry tomatoes thoroughly, cut them in halves or quarters and place them in a large container with an emulsion of oil, anchovies, basil leaves, salt and pepper. Reduce the Casatella cheese to flakes and add it to the tomatoes and trifoliated eggplant. Cook the pasta, then drain and pour it into the container. Season well and distribute on the plates, which should be decorated with anchovy fillets, tomato chunks and tufts of curly parsley.(recipe by Anna Dal Bello, IPSSAR “G. Maffioli” Castelfranco Veneto)
Signature cocktails with Grappa Trevigiana
The modern Grappa Trevigiana has also recently been rediscovered as a component of refined and creative cocktails, thanks to the diversity of aromas and scents that each grape variety and each master distiller can obtain from their distillate. Here are some examples of Grappa Mix that AIBES bartenders have come up with.
CAIPIRIÑA DE MARCA
4cl Grappa Bianca Trevigiana, 2cl chopped lime, 1cl wild strawberry, 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Prepare in Old Fashioned glass by crushing lime with sugar with pestle. Add shaved ice. Pour in Grappa, wild strawberry, stir everything and serve with short straws. (Angelo Boscolo, Castelbrando di Cison di Valmarino)
AUTUMN WIND
3 cl Prosecco Grappa, 2 cl triple sec, 1cl grenadine, 1 cl lemon juice. Prepare in a shaker and serve in a cocktail glass. (Gianpaolo Casagrande, Hostaria Via Caprera di Vittorio Veneto)
COURT OF ROSES
2cl Prosecco Grappa, 2 cl orange juice, 2 cl Prosecco Spumante DOC, 1cl Aperol. Prepare by mixing glass with ice. Decoration: orange peel and grape. Serve in small cup. (Fulvio Baldioli, Break Cocktail Bar in Conegliano)
5 types of pasta breads and cakes with honey oil
BIGOLI (Pag. 80)
Origins and history
Veneto region is notable for a production of drawn pasta worked with a manual press, which was once an endowment of every household in the northern egg pasta scene. The most popular format is bigoli, which look like large, rough vermicelli noodles. There are many recipes, often linked to calendar rituals. On lean days, for example, the condiment was the simple sauce made by dissolving salted anchovies in olive oil (bigoli co la sardea). For the Feast of the Rosary-October 7, highly felt because it commemorates the victory of Lepanto over the Turks-on the other hand, bigoli with duck sauce, which is precisely at that time and ready for the market, are traditional.
Features
The term “press” includes two actions: torsion and pressure. To work pasta with this tool mounted on a trestle, you leverage a dumbbell connected to a piston that forces pasta through a bronze die. Bigoli require a fairly firm dough of wheat flour, eggs, milk, and salt, although to improve cooking firmness today we tend to use a percentage of durum wheat flour. Cold processing and natural drying give the pasta an unmistakable texture.
RECIPE – Bigoli in sauce
400 g bigoli
2 dl extra-virgin olive oil
3 salted sardines
Salt
Clean and debone the sardines. Heat Folio in a pan and when it has reached the right temperature for frying, lay the sardines in it and brown them for a few minutes, stirring a little. In the meantime, cook the bigoli in plenty of salted water, drain them and season them with the sardine sauce.
Buy
Homemade pasta, found fresh in certain grocery stores or in vacuum-packed packages with a short shelf life. Numerous restaurants and agritourisms prepare it daily.
Seasonality
Every occasion is good for a plate of bigoli and every season has its traditional recipe: with rabbit ragout in spring; with black truffles in summer; with mushrooms in autumn; with game sauces in winter.
Conservation
Homemade bigoli are by definition a fresh pasta, made at the moment or slightly in advance of serving. The only precaution so that they do not make a mass while waiting is to sprinkle them with yellow flour.
SUBIOTI ALL’ORTIGA (Pag. 81)
Origins and history
In the review of press pastas, bigoli, which have a solid cylindrical section, have as their counterpart subioti, also with a cylindrical but empty section. The term, in fact, refers to the verb “supiàre”, to blow, and the noun subiòlo, zufolo. An entirely analogous term is that of “gargati,” in use in the Vicenza area, again referring to a cylindrical hollow, the one of the throat. Subiòti are tubiform and ridged, but more rustic and substantial than the usual maccheroncini, with double advantage in retaining the sauce both in the cavity and on the surface.
Features
In their basic preparation, subioti have the same dough as bigoli; in the pressing stage, however, a special die is used, making sure they are cut a few centimeters in length as soon as they come out of the tool. For the condiment, you can use a range of robust seasonal sauces. Characteristic of Trevigiano, however, is the spring version with nettle, which is made by adding to the dough a quantity of the plant’s apical shoots previously boiled, squeezed and chopped. The results is a green pasta with a fine herbaceous flavor that calls for a simple butter-and-cheese dressing or otherwise delicate sauces.
RECIPE – Subioti all’ortiga with moesin fondue
350 g of subioti aII’ortiga
200 g of moesin from Fregona
200 g of fresh cream
grated grana padano cheese
salt
Boil the cream in a bain-marie and add the cubed moesin, cooking until melted. Puree in a blender and add salt to taste. Cook the subioti in plenty of salted water; when they are al dente, drain them and finally pan-fry them with the moesin fondue. Serve them by sprinkling them with grated grana cheese.
Purchase
Fresh pasta can be made at home or bought in pasta stores. It is more common to find it in restaurants and agritourisms during the period of wild herb menus.
Seasonality
The product’s uniqueness comes from the vegetable component of the dough. The nettle harvest is mostly in spring, when the apical shoots are very tender. To stock them, once cooked, they should be frozen.
Storage
Subioti are a fresh pasta by definition and the addition of nettle makes them even more perishable. You can freeze them after spreading them out on a tray, bagging them once they reach storage temperature.
TAJADEE DE TREVISO AL TARDIVO (Pag. 82)
Origins and history
Ennobling fresh pasta – tagliatelle, bigoli or subioti – with seasonal ingredients is a traditional resource of Veneto cuisine. Industrial pasta makers resort to dehydrated raw materials, but good results are also achieved at home with fresh products. Radicchio Rosso di Treviso, especially the more intensely flavored late radicchio, is among the happiest choices: the resulting pasta has a bitterish taste that goes well with rustic sauces, such as sausage ginning, chicken livers and venison.
Features
The preparation of pasta does not differ much from the usual procedure, which has its starting visual in the “fountain” of flour on the pastry board with the broken eggs in the center. It is only necessary to provide for the vegetable addition, compensating at the moment for the addition of salt and the amount of water to get the appropriate consistency. Radicchio, in fact, should be added in the form of a puree, after stewing it with a small addition of vinegar so that the heat does not turn the red of the leaf too decisively to brown. The sheet is rolled out, a little thicker than usual to avoid tearing, and slices are cut 3-4 cm wide.
RECIPE – Tajadee de Treviso al tardivo with bacon and smoked ricotta cheese
360 g tajadee de Treviso al tardivo
50 g bacon
50 g onion
smoked ricotta cheese
1/2 glass of white wine
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Clean and finely chop the onion and fry it in a pan with a little oil; add the pancetta, which you will have previously cut into cubes, and season with salt. Cook the noodles in plenty of boiling, salted water; drain them while they are still al dente and pan-fry them with the pancetta, finally sprinkling everything with the julienne-cut smoked ricotta.
Buy
Tardivo tajadee de Treviso are mostly specialties of pasta stores. In the long gastronomic season of radicchio, however, you are likely to find them mentioned on the menus of restaurants and agritourisms as well.
Seasonality
The market for late Radicchio Rosso di Treviso officially begins on December 1 and continues through spring. Pasta production also takes place during the rest of the year thanks to stocks of frozen raw material.
Conservation
In addition to pre-cooked radicchio, noodles can also be frozen, with the caveat that they should be placed in the cell after lying on a tray and then stored in a container without breaking them up too much.
BIBANESI (Pag. 83)
Origins and history
The Veneto region has a strong tradition in the field of long-lasting bread, which can be traced back to the time when the Serenissima Republic of Venice based its wealth on maritime trade and needed little perishable foodstuffs for long-distance sailing. For example biscuit bread which, after first baking, was repassed in the oven for a drying process that made it edible for an almost indefinite time. But in addition to this Venetian tradition, there is an ancient bread-making tradition that contemplates manual processing of the dough, very long leavening times, and the absence of additives and preservatives usually used in the field of bread-making-just this tradition has been leveraged by a Treviso-based company, Da Re Spa of Bibano di Godega Sant’Urbano, in proposing a new product halfway between bread and breadsticks. They find explanation in this way, both the origin of the name, Bibanesi, subjected to a registered trademark, and the market response, so encouraging as to definitively orient production. The company, among one of the largest bakeries in the Northeast already in the post-war period, makes a substantial leap in quality thanks to this new line, without, however, renouncing the artisanal approach to production.
Features
Bibanesi are bread bites, crumbly and crisp, lightly salted and dry, with sesame seeds on the surface. The shape is variable, evidence of a still manual processing; the color is golden yellow, tending to bronzed; the flavor is recognizable. The quality of the product is based first and foremost on the careful selection of raw materials – from flour to locally sourced extra virgin olive oil – with the exclusion of transgenic products, additives or conservatives. The dough undergoes a leavening process of 19-35 hours according to the “long leaven” method. This is followed by manual stretching of the dough and baking at a low temperature that ensures the consistency that has made the product unique. At the end of the cycle, there is a very low internal moisture content (max 2.5 percent), a fundamental prerequisite for the preservation of the product, a result to which the use of extra virgin olive oil with very low acidity also contributes.
Buy
As popular as they are imitated, Bibanesi are a trademarked product, thus traceable only to the Da Re company, as shown by the trademark and the legal inscriptions on the packaging.
Storage
The packaging, made of material laminated with a nine-micron aluminum barrier, maintains freshness as if on the oven; then, the secret to durability lies in the wise selection of ingredients and the very low percentage of humidity in the product.
Pairing
These tasty bites of bread are ideal in many occasions to deceive hunger, from the traditional snack of cheese or sopressa, to delicacies of refined conception.
PAN BISCOTTO (Pag. 84)
Origins and history
In the days of the Venetian Republic, this long-lasting dehydrated bread was shipped on long-distance ships. It was such a fundamental derrata to the fortunes of the state that in 1280 it justified the establishment of a special magistracy to supervise its production. Similar need in some ways existed in the country districts, at the time when bread was prepared in the communal oven every two weeks to make the most of the large amount of wood required for lighting. Stored in a dry place, the loaf kept on for months.
Features
Typical of the lowland Veneto, it is a bread of various shapes that goes through the oven twice: first, for partial baking, that is, without the loaves taking on color and making a crust; second, at a lower temperature and for up to 40 hours to achieve a dehydration that almost dims its weight and makes it crumbly. The ingredients: medium-strength flour, water, brewer’s yeast, extra virgin olive oil, salt. Leavening takes 4-5 hours. To be true to tradition, sourdough, obtained from the previous day’s dough, should be used, and lard as a topping; and for baking, wood fire.
RECIPE – Panada with pegs
400 g cookie bread, 80 g rice
2 l meat stock
20 g grana padano cheese
2 eggs, 2 g nutmeg
0.2 dl extra virgin olive oil
100 g of truffled pegs, salt
Break the cookie bread into pieces and pour three-quarters of it into the bottom of a saucepan, add the broth and bring to a boil. Then add the rice and cover it with the remaining bread crumbs kept aside. Let it cook over a gentle heat without ever mixing for about an hour, that is, when the broth has reduced. After this time has passed, stir quickly, adjust the salt and stir in the grated grana cheese, nutmeg, eggs and a drizzle of oil. Serve accompanying with truffled chiodini.
Buy
This is a product still unfailing on the sales counters of bakeries. The increasing number of agritourisms that produce their own wood-fired pan cookies, often with flours from organic farming.
Seasonality
Pan biscotto is a product that is timeless. It was always available: for a snack in the fields, with cheese or sopressa; for dipping it in milk or wine; for making soup in broth; it was even eaten with watermelon.
Storage
Protected in its original wrapping, it lasts indefinitely and at the first sign of fatigue can be destined for panà (or panada), soaked in water or broth and left to simmer, with a splash of oil in the bowl.
PAN CO’ A SUCA (Pag. 85)
Origins and history
The typical varieties in the Venetian tradition are “suca baruca”, green and lumpy, known from time immemorial, and “suca marina” di Chioggia, which came instead from the Americas and is unmistakable because of the deep ribs in its skin. In Venice, in the days of the Serenissima, it was cooked in the oven or under ashes and offered by street vendors around the calli. Pumpkin, however, excelled in the preparation of main dishes. Fall soups for excellence were risi e suca and minestron de suca. On the other hand, a very tasty dry first course was gnocchi de suca, with the pulp and white flour forming a rather soft dough to be poured into boiling water with the help of a spoon.
Features
The significant sugar content of pumpkin pulp also suggests its use in the preparation of one of those rustic desserts that used to make an appearance on feast days on peasant tables. Pumpkin bread is a heritage that can be said to be regional, but with an area of more heartfelt tradition in the municipalities of the Pedemontana Trevigiana.
RECIPE – Pane co’ a suca
350 g cooked pumpkin pulp.
500 g flour, 2 eggs, 90 g sugar, 40 g brewer’s yeast
25 g cold or barely warm melted butter
raisins, 10 g salt
Process the yeast, previously melted in warm water, with the sifted pumpkin pulp, then add, one at a time, all the other ingredients. After kneading the dough well (for at least 10 -15′), put it to rise in a bowl, covered with a wet and squeezed cloth, for 2 hours in a warm place. Break up the rise and add raisins to taste, kneading the dough again until it makes “bubbles.” Cover the baking sheet with greaseproof paper and lay 18 sausages of dough of 70 g each on it. Let rise for 30′ more, then bake at 180° for 20′, until the bread is nice and golden.
Purchase
This seasonal product is immediately available, from shops to large retailers. To make the latest fortune, the awareness of its high content of carotene, vitamin substance, recognized health virtues.
Seasonal
The pumpkins mature at the end of summer. Once stored in ventilated environments, they represented a food reserve on which to rely for the whole winter, the only vegetable that allowed it.
Conservation
The pumpkin, left as it is, can be kept for a long time in a dry and airy environment. Convenient also the deep freezing, after having cut into wedges and freed of seeds and peel, but also ready to use pieces.
PAN CO’ L’UA
Origins and history
Since the ancient Rome, tradition wants that each harvest ends with a table that brings together those who participated, sealing the moment of celebration with a sweet bread or a focaccia enriched with grapes freshly harvested. This custom, common to all wine regions, has generated in Veneto a confectionery production – the pan co’ I’ua – which over time has become the constant prerogative of every oven, It was enough to use dried raisins, an ingredient imported from the Middle East since the time of the Republic of Venice: from the small, golden sultanas without seeds, the most used in cooking, to the valuable varieties of Corinth and Smyrna.
Features
Ancient oenological vocation and daily commercial with Venice have made the Treviso Brand one of the most popular areas widespread popularity of the pan co’ l’ua. In the houses it was prepared in the form of oblong buns. In bakeries it was baked in loaves or in boxes, to be sliced and sold by weight. The ideal proportions between sultanas and white flour are one to four plus yeast, water and salt, of course – but also sugar and butter in a fair amount so that this bread can be called sweet. A sprinkling of flour and you go into the oven.
RECIPE – Pan co’ l’ua
500 g flour, 2 dl of milk,
10 g of sugar
12 g of yeast,
120 g raisins,
saffron,
1/2 yolk
5 g of salt
Soak the raisins in warm water for about an hour. Meanwhile mix the flour with sugar, dissolve the yeast in warm milk with saffron and add to the dough by mixing. Drain the raisins, squeeze and pour into the dough with salt, continuing to work until soft and smooth. Form a ball and put it to rise in a covered bowl with a damp cloth for 45′. Once leavened, divide the dough into balls giving them the shape of small sandwiches. Place them in a baking sheet with baking paper and let them rise for another 45 . Before baking, brush the surface of the rolls with egg yolk and bake in the oven at 200° for 20′.
Purchase
Typical counter-top product, which is a must in the province’s artisan bakeries. Also found in large-scale retail outlets, which are increasingly equipped with internal bread and pastry workshops.
Seasonal
No calendar vacuum, the raisin is a product of constant availability. If anything, a certain preference for consumption is dictated by the high energy content of the cake, which encourages buying in autumn and winter.
Conservation
The bread with grapes must be soft in the dough and moist in the berries that dot it. If the crumb dries – it happens within a few days – the spell is broken. To be kept in the refrigerator in its paper wrapper.
CORN BREAD (P. 87)
Origins and history
It is said “yellow flour” and you think of polenta, but in the peasant cuisine corn flour was also used to give consistency to soups and the finest grinding, the so-called “fioretto”, in the preparation of cookies, such as the Venetian zaleti, and rustic desserts, such as the tongs, with apples added to dried fruits. It is not known, however, flour suitable for baking – it absorbs little water and rises to fatigue – but it could happen that it was mixed with the most valuable wheat flour, when this scarce, quite frequent occurrence in the districts of half mountain, where maize was the only crop.
Features
What in certain circumstances was dictated by the narrowness, in others could take on a whole different meaning, especially when one was content with little to celebrate. So, kneading yellow and white flour with yeast, salt and a little sugar, you got a sweet bread as simple as pleasant to dip in wine, maybe that Clinto flavor volpino so popular in the first half of the twentieth century. A pleasure that remains unchanged, passing from the years of endemic poverty to those of widespread well-being and which is still renewed today.
RECIPE – Bread of Corn
500 g of flour 00,
500 g of fine corn flour
6,25 dl of water
10 g of yeast
12 g of salt
5 grams of sugar
1 dl of extra virgin olive oil
Dissolve the yeast in water and add the two flours to the mixer. After a few minutes add the salt and then the oil. Continue to knead by hand and then let the dough rest for 3 hours at ambient temperature until doubled. Break the leavening, divide the dough into six parts, giving the shape of a loaf to each piece of pasta and put back to rest in the oven just warm. After about 2 hours, bake them at 210 by 20 degrees with a small bowl of water to create moisture.
Purchase
Sweet corn bread is a typical product somewhat impromptu. You may find it on the bench of some nostalgic baker. More likely to be re-proposed in occasions where maize is the main protagonist.
Seasonal
The end of summer is the time for corn threshing and the events that make it live again in a folkloric way. Among the proposals of frame, inevitable those of pastry made from yellow flour.
Conservation
Sweet corn bread is kept in one of those old, expensive airtight glass jars, which should never be missing in a cupboard; maybe it becomes dry, but without losing the qualities of a sweet to soak.
BUSSOLAI
Origins and history
Every region of Italy has its own doughnut cake inspired by the medieval buccellatus, sweet bread that vassals offered in sign of submission to the feudal lord. The root of the term is in Latin bucca, implying that the homage gave her pleasure. In Venice we talk about bussolai and they are crown-shaped cookies, prepared for the Cresime and threaded on colored ribbons to form long necklaces. They are also known as buranei because of specialties of the island of Burano and precisely for this reason, thanks to the river connection of the Sile, Treviso has acquired them to its own tradition.
Features
The ingredients are the most usual of the domestic confectionery white flour, butter, eggs, sugar and salt – with the addition of a splash of anise liqueur, the so-called “mistrà”, or even grappa. Once you have made donuts 5-6 cm in diameter, with a hole that allows you to put them on your finger, it is necessary to wait a couple of hours for the yeast to take effect, before cooking in the oven at moderate temperature. Very popular, they also generated a proverb: “Chi ga sàntoli, ga bussolai”, who has godparents has cookies, or who has high-ranking knowledge gets favors.
RECIPE – Sweet Bussolai
500 g of flour
300 g of sugar
6 yolks, 150g butter
a pinch of vanilla, anise liqueur
salt
Mix the flour with sugar and a pinch of salt and arrange them in a cone on the pastry; pour the egg yolks in the center and work for a long time with your hands, then add the butter, the anise liqueur and vanilla and continue working with your hands until you get a homogeneous dough, soft and elastic. Roll the dough into small slices that you will cut into pieces of about 1 cm in diameter, forming doughnuts with a diameter of 6 – 7 cm or more, as desired. Place the donuts on the oiled and floured baking plate and bake in 1 oven at 180° to ensure they have not taken a nice golden color.
Purchase
It is a product of immediate availability in the area most felt by tradition, between Venice and Treviso: from artisan bakeries, which often produce them themselves, to large-scale distribution, supplied by the confectionery industry.
Seasonal
The season of Creses is spring. This is the traditional reference calendar for the preparation of the bread makers, even if the shelves of the bakers are never lacking.
Conservation
The bussolai are biscuits that can be kept for a long time in the characteristic airtight glass jars, but also dried ones are ideal to dip them in sweet wine. More recently, plastic packaging, which provides similar protection.
FREGOLOTTA
Origins and history
In the Po area there are several productions of cakes that answer the name “sbrisolona”, “fregolotta” and others similar, prepared with a shortcrust dough of considerable granularity and therefore prone to crumb, as it stands out in the first name, or frégola, in Venetian dialect. The origin of these cakes is peasant, as evidenced by the frequent use of yellow flour, but the recipe is ennobled in princely courts, especially in Mantova, with valuable ingredients: almonds, spices and sugar itself. The fregolotta cake is sweet and nowadays it is mostly linked to the name of a company in Castelfranco Veneto.
Features
It was Angelo Zizzola who opened a bread oven in 1924 in Salvarosa, a town in the Castellana since then also known for the restaurant run concurrently with his sister Evelina. Among the house specialties, a shortcrust pastry of noble Venetian recipe, exceptionally appreciated when wet by a passito Marzemino of Refrontolo or accompanied by a cinnamon-scented mascarpone cream, another ancient Venetian heritage. An extraordinary success, which has generated the present industrial reality, always in that of Salvarosa, faithful to the craft tradition of fregolotta.
RECIPE – Fregolotta
500 g of flour
150 g sugar, 3 eggs
0.3 dl fresh cream,
butter
15 g salt,
lemon peel
Sift the flour with salt and add sugar and lemon zest. Grease with butter a large and low baking dish and drop the “fregole” of pasta that you will get by wetting your fingers in the right hand in the cream obtained by mixing the eggs with the cream and then placing them on the flour. Continue until the flour is used up, rubbing their hands. Spread the “fregole” in the baking pan so as to obtain a uniform layer and bake at 150° until the surface of the cake will be a beautiful golden color. Let cool or even cool before you feel on the table, perhaps decorating the fregolotta with whole almonds.
Purchase
Fregolotta is one of the most popular desserts in the region, offered by many companies. Unmistakable, in the packaging now semi-transparent, that lets you see the content.
Seasonal
This sweet doesn’t know the seasons. The combinations change: from creams, appreciated in the cold season, like a warm eggnog, to a glass of passito wine to refresh your mouth in the hot one.
Conservation
The consistency of the fregolotta is a factor that facilitates its conservation. Enclosed in the airtight wrapping, it is sweet with several months of shelf life; once started to consume, it keeps without problems for a week.
FUGASSA VENETA (p. 90)
Origins and history
Fugassa is the most characteristic dessert of the Venetian peasant tradition. Traditionally linked to the Easter holiday, in relatively close times it has become more frequent consumption. Our grandparents bought it for Sunday in the same bread shop. Flour, milk and eggs; the dough was simple but well leavened and it was enough a little ‘grain of sugar’ as garnish to make a cake to be dipped in the house wine to cheer up the table. There is also a noble version of fugassa, the Veneziana, made with richer ingredients, scented with vanilla, with lemon zest in the dough and almonds on the topping.
Features
The term “fugassa” is recognized as the Latin focus, hearth, which refers to the environment of the oven and probably to the beginnings of Christianity. The preparation is indeed born in the home as a significant moment of the Easter rituals, but over time it becomes the prerogative of the bakers because the soft honeycomb that makes the fugassa so pleasant, as we know today, Requires repeated kneading and each time prolonged leavening. In short, a small masterpiece that over the centuries has been enriched with some ingredients, such as grappa, discreet but now constant presence.
RECIPE – Fugassa
500 g of flour,
150 g of softened butter,
150 g of sugar,
150g of yeast bread dough,
the shavings of 1 lemon and 1 orange
1 sachet of vanillin,
10g of yeast,
5 eggs,
milk,
salt
for the icing: 50 g of chopped sweet almonds, 50 g of sugar in grains
Purchase
Popular dessert par excellence, you buy both from the bakers, the most faithful to the simplicity of the origins, as in pastry shops, the more inclined to versions that have nothing to envy to the wealth of the Venetian.
Seasonal
Despite the invention of the Easter dove, the fugassa still makes its good figure in the period that is tradition. Now, however, it is produced without paying too much attention to the calendar, so that it is also required for New Year’s Eve.
Conservation
Like all the long-rise sweets, the fugassa is a champion of resistance. Well closed in its bag – this, the secret – the sweet surprises for freshness even months after production.
GALANI OR CROSTOLI (P. 90)
Origins and history
The term “crostolo” means a very light pancake. Intrigues rather than that of “galano”, which could have the same origin of the adjective “gallant” and refer to a grace that is a mixture of beauty and joy, which is then the same as the noun “gala”, because similar to a knotted ribbon. Both these interpretations would find a calendar in the Carnival of Venice, the time of soft frittole, maybe filled with custard, but also of friable galani, blanched with icing sugar. From Venice to Treviso the step is short, even very short when it comes to pleasant things.
Features
Pancakes of this kind, to be honest, are present in every Carnival. The ingredients are always the same – flour, eggs, milk, butter, sugar and lemon zest – except in Tuscany where they call them “cenci” – obvious parallel also in the name – and it’s added vin santo and in Veneto they call them Galani and put a glass of grappa. Drawn the dough and cut with a wheel, the last step requires oil from deep-fried fine and hand able to turn into gold pancake.
RECIPE – Crostoli
500 g flour,
200 g sugar
150 g butter,
4 eggs
1 small glass of grappa
salt, icing sugar
Pour the whole eggs into a bowl, add the sugar and beat until the sugar has melted; add the butter softened and diluted with grappa. Add the flour and salt and mix very carefully until you get a smooth and soft dough. Let it rest a little, then sprinkle on the flour and roll the dough with a rolling pin until you get a very thin sheet without smears. Cut it into lozenges in the desired size, using the appropriate toothed wheel. Fry the lozenges in boiling oil or lard, drain them quickly and then sprinkle with icing sugar.
Purchase
These are typical pastry pancakes, often presented in trays with transparent wrapping. The industry is no different, offering baked croûtes for those who find traditional crostoli too expensive.
Seasonal
There is no doubt that the appointment is during Carnival, but in fact you start to see crostoli around immediately after the Christmas holidays, in the perspective of a queue that then takes almost all the Lent.
Conservation
Their lightness plays in favor of durability. The frying oil, however, does not exclude that they can become rancid. Protected in their wrapping, better if sealed airtight, crostoli are sweet to keep in the cupboard.
PINZA
Origins and history
The understanding of appellations is interesting. The term “pincer” comes from the Latin pinsere, which is about to fill with plenty, in short a cake full of ingredients.
Features
This recipe came from country tradition: originally, the dough was made of yellow flour; today it is added a percentage of white. Other ingredients: milk, butter, dried fruit, apples cut into small pieces, a little glass of grappa. Once the cooking took place under the ash of the fireplace, using a large metal lid. The use of raisins, dried figs and pine nuts refer to the ancient trade of the Serenissima with the Levant. Originally rather coarse, today the pliers have been refined for the use of corn flour from cakes, the so-called “floretto”, to fine grinding.
RECIPE
100g wheat flour,
120g corn flour
1l of milk and water in equal parts,
50g raisins,
50g dried figs
50g fennel seeds,
100g sugar,
50g lard or butter
1/2 glass of grappa, salt
Pour first the salt and then the yellow flour in a saucepan with boiling water and milk, always keeping it mixed. When the polentina is almost ready (about 25), add sugar, raisins, dried figs, fennel seeds, melted lard and grappa, making sure that the dough is a little tender, but well amalgamated. Remove from the heat and let cool, then add a little at a time wheat flour, until you get a good solid and consistent dough. Spread the dough on the buttered baking sheet (it should be about 3 cm high). Put in the oven, at 180° for about 40′. It should be eaten cold.
Purchase
Typical bakery product, prepared in trays and sold in boxes. It is well represented in the taverns and farms more attentive to tradition. Ideal drink during its tasting, a lovely Verduzzo.
Seasonal
The only binding ingredient, although not strictly essential, is the apple, but nowadays with fruit that comes from every latitude, you can move from one season to another without interruption.
Conservation
Overall, it is not a particularly perishable sweet and the addition of grappa helps with that. However, the high moisture content, which on one hand keeps it cool for a long time, on the other hand recommends a brisk consumption.
TIRAMISU (p. 93)
Origins and history
The paternity of this famous sweet is claimed by Treviso and in particular by the historic restaurant Le Beccherie, which it was born as a soup of tripes and over time became a temple of the city gastronomy. The most mischievous have advanced the hypothesis that a sweet so caloric served to restore those who dedicated themselves to loving conventions in the nearby Cae de Oro, but it is only a note of color, also because the times do not coincide: The cake was born in the second post-war period, when the bombing of 1942 and the Merlin law had erased the memory of that alley of sin.
Features
Beppe Maffioli, historian of the Venetian cuisine, has moved the date of birth of tiramisu in the seventies attributing the paternity to Loli Linguanotto, then chef pasticcere delle Beccherie, in collaboration with Alba Campeol. Obvious source of inspiration is the English soup, but replacing the liquor with coffee. By name, a neologism contracted to the Venetian, tiramesù, with obvious reference to the tonic and caloric complex expressed by the Savoy biscuits soaked in coffee and the mascarpone cream, eggs and sugar, without forgetting the final sprinkle of cocoa.The first form of tiramisu was circular.
RECIPE
6 yolks
250 g of sugar
500 g of mascarpone
30 Savoiardi, sweetened coffee
bitter cocoa
Whip the yolks with sugar, then add the mascarpone until you get a soft and creamy mixture. In a plate or on a tray, preferably rectangular, place one layer with half of the savoiardi, moisten them with coffee until they soak completely and spread with half of the mixture of eggs and mascarpone. Arrange another layer of savoiardi, soften with coffee and cover with the remaining creamy mixture. Sprinkle with cocoa and store in the refrigerator, removing only at the time of serving.
Purchase
The tiramisu has followed in the footsteps of pizza, becoming one of the most globalized Italian products, with sometimes aberrant results. The real sanctuaries of this specialty are the pastry shops and restaurants of the Marca Trevigiana.
Seasonal
The considerable calorie intake of a portion of tiramisu would suggest limiting its consumption during cold winter days, but there is no season that allows you to win the temptation of this sweet.
Conservation
Prepared with mascarpone, one of the richest and most perishable products of the Padana dairy, tiramisu must be kept strictly in the refrigerator and consumed in the short shelf life of this milk.
ZALETI (Pag. 94)
Origins and history
Whether for its famous coffee, or for the trade with the countries of spices, Venice has a reputation unmatched for pastry and especially for biscuits. The most refined are the baìcoli that are thin and soft, to be dipped in rosolio; the biscuits that are homemade are the zaleti, that from the name reveal a dough based on yellow flour, with an addition of white flour that depended on the resources of the house. The resulting biscuits are shortbread that contrast the rustic grain of the flour with the sweetness of the butter with the extra touch of sultanas. Tradition wants them to be consumed with a glass of wine.
Features
The zaleti are unique cookies for shape, pointed lozenge, and color, the yellow of the prevailing flour, soiled by the icing sugar. The recipe has many variations, because these biscuits have gained ground in mainland Italy along with the Venetian armies, becoming a regional specialty. One of the most popular, the finding of sultanas in grappa. Among the aromatic additions, lemon zest and vanilla essence. In addition or as an alternative to raisins, pine nuts or jujubes. In Trevigiano the combination of practices is with the Torchiato di Fregona or the Marzemino di Refrontolo.
RECIPE
125g corn flour,
125 g flour 00
100g butter, 50g raisins
25 g pine nuts,
125 g sugar
3 egg yolks, salt
Sift together the two flours and form the fountain, pour the slightly melted butter and a pinch of salt at the center, Beat the egg yolks with sugar and also pour them into the center of the fountain. Start mixing the ingredients and kneading vigorously; then add the raisins previously found in water (or grappa) and pine nuts. Knead again the whole forming rolls, which you will break and give the shape you want (traditionally oval or rhomboid. Butter the baking sheet and arrange the zaleti at a regular distance of about 5 cm. Cook in a preheated oven at 170° for about 15′.
Purchase
Sweets of extraordinary popularity, available from bakers in rustic versions and pastry in the most sought after variants. Industrial production, which is largely successful, is also worth mentioning distribution.
Seasonal
The Zaleti are classic cupboard cookies to be taken out at the first good opportunity in winter, proposing with chocolate in a cup; in summer, with a glass of wine passito at cellar temperature.
Conservation
Easy to store, these cookies were once stored in classic glass or tin cans. Today, packaged in airtight bags, they have expiration times of several months.
ZONCLADA (P. 95)
Origins and history
It is a cake with a singular name, which gave plenty of trouble to the scholars, without revealing its origin could derive from the verbs “zoncar”, attributable to the Italian tritare, or “zontar”, or add, with reference to the richness of ingredients of the filling, but some others also point out the assonance with “ganzega”, that is the revelry that accompanied every remarkable event, as still today the conclusion of a construction. Whatever it is, there is no doubt that it was sweet, worthy of being given also on official occasions and a special statute in Treviso, in 1313, to manage its preparation.
Features
The list of ingredients evokes the scenarios of medieval pastry. In the wrapper of shortcrust pastry, a ricotta filling (in the most traditional versions, semolina, barley or rice cooked in milk or cream) with added dried fruits (almonds, raisins, apricots, dried figs, nuts, pine nuts) and candied fruit (orange), flavored with grated lemon peel, cinnamon and grappa. The appearance is that of a normal tart, but the taste is out of time, similar to those of other courteous period desserts, such as the “spongata” emiliana.
RECIPE
500 g ricotta cheese,
100 g honey or sugar
50 g raisins,
50 g candied cedar
40 g melted butter,
2 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
500 g of shortcrust pastry,
butter for the cake pan
Pour into a bowl and mix well the ricotta, honey (or sugar), butter softened, whole eggs, raisins, small cedar cubes and cinnamon. Spread the dough with a rolling pin, line an internal butter-greased cake pan and pour in the previously obtained mixture. Cover with a disc of shortcrust pastry on which you have made star-shaped cuts or other and bake at medium heat for 30′. Serve the zonclada warm or even cold.
Purchase
This sweet is available in a very limited number of bakeries and town shops. A dessert for connoisseurs, one could say, rather singular in a confectionery production oriented to more creamy products.
Seasonal
Ingredients are not subject to calendar requirements. Rather, it is the considerable energy charge generated by dried fruit that suggests the proposal in autumn-winter key.
Conservation
The use of preserved fruit, sugar and grappa ensures good margin of storage up to 15-20 days.
HONEY OF THE GRAPPA (Pag. 96)
Origins and history
Beekeeping is a very ancient form of breeding, evolved from the collection that prehistoric man operated on natural combs. The fact already evident at that time was not only the exceptional energy power of honey but also its therapeutic virtues. In the tradition of Veneto, a region rich in honey blossoms, beekeeping and an activity that is still handed down from father to son to complement the care of the fields, especially in the area of Monte Grappa and active a consortium of about 150 producers, Who mostly practice nomadic beekeeping, moving the hives following the blooms.
Features
From 150 meters of the contact line with the plain to 1775 meters of Grappa summit, this is the altimetric band that characterizes the beekeeping of the massif. The blooms proceed accordingly; the acacia in the first woods, the chestnut and the meadows of the hill from 200 to 800 meters; the pastures and high mountain grasslands beyond a thousand meters. The production complies with a specification which provides for a consortium label and seals showing the name of the producer, place of collection, altitude and type of honey. The recent pairing of honey with cheese, with particular reference to the Grappa’s morlacco.
RECIPE- Honey pudding
200g of Grappa honey,
0.5 l of milk
6 eggs,
20 g vanilla sugar
1 small glass of rum
1 sheet of fish glue
In a small pot, heat the honey until it becomes liquid, then dissolve it in milk and add the egg yolks. Mix carefully until well blended then add the rum and vanilla sugar. Dissolve the fish glue in a little water and meanwhile bring to boil for a few minutes or heat well in a double boiler for ten minutes, keeping it stirred so that no lumps form. Let cool, add the fish glue, always stirring, mix and pour the pudding in a buttered mold that you put in the fridge until serving.
Purchase
The beekeepers of Grappa do direct sale every Sunday in Crespano del Grappa, at the exhibition site of Piazza San Marco, but also supply the company store of Latteria Sociale di Cavaso del Tomba.
Seasonal
The availability of vintage honey proceeds with their respective blooms. The pairing goes hand in hand: ricotta cheese with acacia honey; thyme morlacco curd with high mountain honey; ripe morlacco cheese with chestnut honey.
Conservation
Honey has no special needs, as long as it does not suffer excessive temperature changes and is protected from direct light. At low temperatures it may crystallize, becoming semi-solid but not damaged.
HONEY FROM MONTELLO (Pag. 97)
Origins and history
The Montello and the green ridge that rises a few hundred meters on the plain of the Piave, was protected by the Serenissima to safeguard this resource for the benefit of the shipbuilding of the Venice Arsenal; so, wisely managed, and despite the considerable looting that took place between Otto and twentieth century, has maintained until today a remarkable tree cover and an interesting flora also with regard to the production of honey.
Features
The dominant tree species and the robinia, which with its flowering ensures the production of so-called acacia honey, little more than white or straw, with a floral flavor. Almost contemporary and spring millefiori, also light and delicate, while later the summer millefiori is more intense in color and flavor because influenced by the flowering of chestnut, which gives a single-flower product of amber color and balsamic flavor, slightly bitter. Of darker color and less sweet taste, it is finally the honey of honeydew, that the bees do not produce from nectar, but parasitizing a “butterfly”, the Metcalfa, which metabolizes the sap of trees, in this case oaks.
RECIPE – Honey biscuits
350g of flour,
720g of butter
700 g of Montello honey,
120 g of cane sugar
the grated peel of a lemon,
1 egg
2-3 tablespoons of milk
Sift the flour well, then add the melted butter, honey, cane sugar, grated lemon peel, egg and milk. Knead the mixture well, work it at least 10 ‘until it is well homogeneous, then spread the dough so as to obtain a sheet of half a centimeter, give shape to the biscuits with moulds or cut them into small squares. Place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and bake at 200° for 15.
Purchase
Montello honey is mainly purchased from producers in the municipalities of origin – Crocetta del Montello, Giavera del Montello, Nervesa della Battaglia, Montebelluna, Volpago del Montello – at the headquarters of the Beekeeping Association of Belluno, Treviso and Venice in SS locality. Angels in Nervesa della Battaglia and in the shops of typical products.
Seasonal
From spring to autumn, the Montello, crossed by twenty almost parallel forest roads, is a traditional destination for field trips, during which it is easy to buy the latest production.
Conservation
Being composed of 70% sugar, mostly fructose, honey has no particular problems of conservation, but this does not mean that it should be properly stored, protected from heat and light, and consumed in the vintage.
VENETO DEL GRAPPA EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Origins and history
In ancient times, olive oil was already a product of extraordinary importance in terms of both symbolic meaning and economic value. In the Old Testament we read how it was used to consecrate kings, and even today it represents the descent of the Holy Spirit on the believer in Confirmation and the anointing of the sick. In the past it was the main fuel for lighting, in fact it is referred to as “lamp oil,” but it was also a pharmacy product as the basis of ointments and restorative preparations. Moreover, in the cuisine of past centuries, oil replaced lard in the seasoning of raw vegetables and it was indispensable to the cooking of lean days, starting with the popular baccala dishes. For this sum of reasons, the Venetian Republic, after encouraging olive growing in the colonial islands of the Ionian and Aegean seas, promoted cultivation in its mainland possessions to shelter itself from the uncertainties of maritime trade and interference from competing powers, first and foremost Genoa, another major producer. Already established since Roman times, the olive tree thus gained ground wherever the climate allowed it: around Lake Garda first of all, but also in other various hilly areas of suitable climate.
Features
The olive tree is the Mediterranean plant that is immediately associated with the landscapes of Southern Italy, Greece, Spain, and Tunisia. In our country, however, its climatic range rises north of the 45th parallel to close to the Alps. These are a few places privileged by particular climatic situations, and among them the foothills of Monte Grappa stands out, where olives cover most of the south-facing slopes. The substrate of glacial origin and a compact agglomerate – made of sand, silt and clay – in contact with weathering tends to crumble, resulting perfectly suited to the olive tree. The thing that occurs along this strip is a pedoclimatic combination as singular as it is favorable to the best quality of the oil, which is enriched with particular aromas, a bit like what happens to wine produced in the mountains, giving credit also to those producers who find the additional advantage of a lower incidence of plant diseases and parasites, starting with the infamous oil fly, in favor of a crop that in the most favorable cases does not require the use of pesticides and synthetic chemicals. The production for Veneto del Grappa Dop extra virgin olive oil specifies first of all the territory of jurisdiction, which has its nominal nucleus around Monte Grappa, but then widens westward to Thiene and Breganze, and on the other hand, follows eastward to the hills of Asolo, Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, where the olive tree proceeds hand in hand with the vineyard. Further specification concerns the varietal composition, which includes at least 50 percent Frantoio and Leccino, the national cultivars best suited to cold climates. Rounding out the review, in terms of typicality: Grignano, of Veronese origin, which gives the oil a certain musky aroma; Padanina and Leccio del Corno, also from the Triveneto area; Pendolino and Maurino, from central Italy. The result is an oil that, on average, has a green color, with modest variations in yellow, a balanced aroma initially endowed with a fruity charge, with ripe hints of tomato and almond at the end, and a sweet flavor with a bitter and spicy finish.
Purchase
Veneto del Grappa Dop extra virgin olive oil can be recognized by the Dop stamp on the label. For reference, the Cooperativa Trevigiana Olivicoltori (Tapa Olearla), with outlets in Maser, Cavaso del Tomba and Vittorio Veneto.
Seasonality
When tasted at the threshold from the mill, the new oil is in a state of grace that expresses itself with an unmistakable intensity of aroma and flavor. As the weeks pass, the organoleptic profile subsides toward sweeter tones.
Storage
Extra virgin olive oil should be consumed in the year of production, – otherwise, it tends to lose aromas and scents – also keeping in mind that it fears high temperatures, intense light and oxidation resulting from contact with air.
The sausages of Treviso
FIGALET (P.54)
Origins and history
The historic nature of this production is attested by various ancient sources: the most reliable is about Maestro Martino. who lived in the 15th century, author of the famous treatise De Arte Coquinaria, and who served, among others, the patriarch of Aquileia. Implicit confirmation of the historical placement of this sausage comes from the complex of flavors evocative of Renaissance cuisine: the bitter note derived from the liver, which accounts for almost a third of the mince; the strong spiciness, based on pepper and cinnamon; and the probable addition of candied lemon or orange peel.
Characteristics
The production of figalét concerns the pedemontana belt, where charcuterie has the oldest tradition, but it also concerns the Marca Trevigiana. The appearance is that of sausages 2.5-3.5 cm in diameter and 8-12 cm long, tied in strands. The mixture consists of ground pork – bacon (40%), shoulder (30-35%) and liver (25-30%) – mixed with salt, pepper and cinnamon, with the possible addition of raisins macerated in vin santa. It is eaten after cooking, mostly in the pan or roasted, with toasted polenta. The slice is dark red in color; the flavor is intense and characteristic, with sweetish notes in the presence of raisins.
RECIPE – Figalét in tecia with polenta
200 g of figalér
50 g of butter
1 I of water
100 g of cornmeal
Salt
Bring the water to a boil and pour in the cornmeal. Let it cook for about 40′, stirring often, until you get a very liquid polenta. Adjust for salt. Prick the figalét in several places with a fork to let the sauce escape and brown them in a pan with a little butter. Then add the liquid polenta and let it thicken for a few minutes but without allowing the sauce to dry out.
Buy
A niche product, figalét is mostly produced at artisanal charcuterie level, often by those same agritourism companies that offer it in typical restaurants. In its area of origin, it can also be found more frequently in butcher shops.
Seasonality
In the past, sausages made from liver and other offal were to be consumed in the weeks following slaughter, thus between autumn and early winter. Today, the seasonality of slaughtering has disappeared, they are available at any time of the year.
Storage
Figalét is not a sausage suitable for seasoning. In a cellar environment it will keep a few weeks. Consumption can be deferred in time if vacuum-packed and stored at refrigerator temperature.
LENGUAL (P. 55)
Origins and history
The Latin term cutis (skin), which evolved into the vernacular “cotica,” makes clear the role played by the rind in the preparation of this small sausage that has to be consumed within a few months. It has to be boiled and garnished with sauerkraut or roots in tecia, with pickles or horseradish sauce (cren). ln origin, cotechino combined in its mixture rather tough parts such as ears, lard, cartilage, and tendons, but there was no shortage of mellowed versions, such as the “museto,” when the head chop prevailed, or the “lengual,” which contained a piece of salted tongue.
Features
In its current formulation, the lengual consists of minced pork meat that is three-quarters fatty (40 to 50 percent rind, 10 to 20 percent throat, 15 to 20 percent head pinch) and one-quarter lean (shoulder), flavored with a mixture of spices (cracked pepper, cinnamon, clove, etc.), and a compact insert of salted tongue (macerated for a day in spiced red wine). The proportion by weight between mince and tongue is one to one. The resulting sausage weighs 500-600 g and after a week’s rest it is ready for consumption.
RECIPE – Stewed lengual with beans
1 Iengual
250gof dried beans already soaked
1 bay leaf
1 red onion
1 carrot
1 stalk of celery
4 peeled tomatoes
1 dl extra virgin olive oil
4 slices of bacon
salt and pepper
Thread the lengual with a few toothpicks and then place it to boil over a gentle heat for at least a couple of hours in a saucepan completely submerged in water. In another pot, cook the beans in plenty of salted water scented with the bay leaf. Then, drain them when they are al dente and keep them aside. Clean and finely chop the onion, meat and celery and then sauté them in a pan with oil. Add the beans to the sauté and finally the tomatoes, allowing them to flavor for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the bacon slices. Pour the beans into a ‘large ovenproof dish and then add the previously drained and sliced lengual and the bacon slices and finally place in the oven at 120° for 20’.
Purchase
Lengual is sausage with an unmistakable slice, marbled on the outside and dark red inside. Production is limited simply because each animal can only supply one tongue, but gourmets know which butchers and charcutiers to turn to.
Seasonality
In the past, when pig slaughtering had set times, cured meats such as lengual ran out as winter progressed. Today, they remain products for the cold season table, but with no problem of availability.
Storage
The heterogeneous nature of mince once suggested that lengual should be consumed fairly quickly. Thanks to advances in storage, the product today has increased its shelf life to a few months in the cellar or ventilated refrigerator.
LUGANEGA DA RISO (P.56)
Origins and history
The production of rice or “broth” luganega is ancient, in relation to the tradition of using them in the preparation of soups, which take flavor from the flavors released by the sausage during cooking. References to rather fatty sausages, as it were for seasoning, they are already found in the gastronomic treatises of Giulio Tirelli, a chef at the court of the doge of Venice in the first half of the seventeenth century. These ancient readings indicate the composition of these small sausages, with a large prevalence of fine pork lard (loin, coppa, belly), and intense spicing, as was customary in the cuisine of the time.
Characteristics
These are sausages of small size (4-6 cm) and low weight (about 50 g). The mince is made from pork underbelly, bacon and throat, stripped of rind and minced with a 5-mm die, and possibly veal. In addition to salt (2.5 percent), a “dose” of spices is added: cinnamon, clove, pepper, nutmeg, mace and coriander in varying proportions at the discretion of the individual charcuterie maker. The paste results quite clear. Taste and aroma are intense. The exchange of aromas, between soup and sausage, is reciprocal with a very pleasant result.
RECIPE – Risotto with pumpkin and rice luganega
200 g of rice luganega
400 g of raw pumpkin
320 g of rice
1 I of meat stock
1/2 onion
extra virgin olive oil grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Sauté the chopped onion in a little oil and, as soon as it is browned, add the peeled and chopped pumpkin and the crumbled luganega; cook for about 5′. Drop in the rice, stir, allow it to flavor well, then bring it to cook, keeping it stirred all the time and basting with ladles of boiling broth. Toward the end of cooking, adjust the salt or add a generous grinding of pepper. When almost cooked, remove the rice from the heat, stir in the Parmesan and serve immediately on hot plates.
Purchase
It is an easily available product throughout the province of Treviso. The production involves charcuterie companies and butcher shops, but also agritourisms that process pork or offer menus that refer to the tradition of “far su el mas-cio.”
Seasonality
Rice luganega is mostly used in the preparation of soups and winter soups, which is why production kicks off with autumn. At other times, given the ease of preparation, it is supplied on request by butchers.
Storage
By composition and caliber, rice luganega is a sausage to be consumed in the short term. Ready for consumption as soon as they are packaged, they can be stored a few weeks in a cool environment or in the least cold compartment of a ventilated refrigerator.
MUSET DELLA PEDEMONTANA TREVIGIANA (P.57)
Origins and history
From the hog everything serves – it was once said – in the sense that each of its cuts has a specific butchery or charcuterie use. This is also true for the rinds, intended for the preparation of cotechino, as the name stands out, and in particular for what was taken from the head, used for a cotechino of a significantly different consistency noticeably different, which was called “musetto.” Due to the greater presence of cartilaginous and gelatinous tissues, the color of a slice of musetto is lighter and of a sticky consistency, but precisely for this reason more palatable.
Features
Nowadays, Pedemontana muset is processed using three-quarters fatty pork (40-50% rind; 10-20% throat; 15-20% head offal) and one-quarter lean meat (shoulder), minced with a 6-mm die. Sausages of cylindrical shape 6-10 cm in diameter, 15-20 cm in length and 400-500 gl in weight are made from it. The product’s typicality derives from the use of locally raised pigs, in compliance with a specification that prioritizes their well-being, and from a spiciness of characteristic aromaticity. One week after preparation, muset is ready for consumption, after boiling for at least two hours.
RECIPE – Muset and Lentils
1 muset from the Pedemontana Trevigiana region of about 800-900 g
250 g of dried lentils,
80 g lard,
7 onion,
2 cloves of garlic
6 -7 sage leaves,
a handful of chopped parsley
olive oil,
salt, pepper and a bay leaf
Soak the lentils in cold water overnight. The next day prick the muset and place it with the lentils in a saucepan. Cover with cold water and cook over moderate heat adding a bay leaf (no salt). Let it simmer almost undetectable until the lentils and muset are tender. Beat the lard with the heated blade of a knife and sauté it with the chopped onion, chopped sage and parsley with garlic. Remove the muset from the cooking water and keep it warm; drain the lentils and season them in the sauté; season with salt and pepper. Then place them on a serving platter laying the slices of muset without the skin on top, then serve.
Purchase
A widely traded product, Pedemontana muset can be found at the outlets of the producing companies, as well as at those who process pork at an artisanal level, such as butchers and agritourism companies in the area of origin.
Seasonality
Muset are products in demand in winter cooking, especially around the Christmas holidays, so this is the period of most intense demand, when they are served with horseradish sauce (horseradish), stewed field radicchios or legumes, such as stewed lentils and beans.
Storage
Muset and sausages of similar composition are not products intended for aging. While awaiting consumption, they can spend a few weeks in a suitable cellar environment or in the least cold compartment of a ventilated refrigerator.
OSOCOL DI TREVISO (P.58)
Origins and history
The most prized pork meats – thighs, shoulders and loin – are traditionally processed in blocks to obtain highly prized sliced cold cuts. In 1632, the Belluno canon Giovanbattista Barpo in his treatise “Le delizie dell’Agricoltura e della Villa” mentions the processing of persuti, referring precisely to this category of salted meats. Osocol, otherwise known as coppa, is a specialty that qualifies from its name as the sausage made from the strong muscles that graft the head to the pig’s trunk. The resulting slice is unmistakable for its round shape and veining of lard that sweetens the flavor.
Features
The production involves the municipalities of the foothills, with the most deeply rooted charcuterie tradition. The cut between the first and fourth vertebrae of the hog is boned and each of the two resulting muscle masses is processed whole: first salted and flavored with pepper, cinnamon, cloves, juniper, bay leaf and vin santo (Prosecco passito), then stuffed into a large gut and tied with special netting, finally hung to mature for 15 days in a suitable humidity environment. After this drying, the cured meat is slightly pear-shaped and weighs 1500-1600 g.
RECIPE- Osocol with giardiniera, white asparagus and bruscandoli in oil
250 g of osocol from Treviso
for the giardiniera: 12 white asparagus tips from Cimadolmo,
200g bruscandoli tips, 2 carrots, 1 cauliflower, 1 celery stalk,
7.5 dl vinegar, 3 bay leaves and a sprig of thyme,
10 g black peppercorns, a few cloves,
extra virgin olive oil, salt
Peel and cut the carrots and celery into julienne strips; clean and peel the asparagus; clean and cut the cauliflower into pieces; and finally, clean the bruscandoli. Boil 2.5 dl of water with the vinegar and herbs in a saucepan and plunge the vegetables in, blanching them for about 4′. Drain them and lay them out to dry on top of a kitchen towel; then place them in a jar that you will fill with extra virgin olive oil. Let stand for at least 48 hours. Serve by arranging slices of osocol on each plate, accompanied with the giardiniera.
Purchase
A product in high demand, it is available at any time of the year at every level of the commercial network in the province of Treviso: both at origin, at the producers’ outlets, and on the shelves of large retailers.
Seasonality
Nowadays a cured meat such as oscol, suitable for seasoning, is among the highlights of the Treviso antipasto every moment of the year.
Storage
The substantial mass of the cured meat, protected by a strong casing, allows for prolonged aging. Before cutting, it is customary to wrap the osocol in a cloth soaked in white wine to soften and flavor the exterior.
PORCHETTA TREVIGIANA (P.59)
Origins and history
Spicy pork skewer, mentioned by various Latin authors, is undoubtedly a specialty of the regions of Central Italy-Lazio, Umbria and Marche, in particular-but some more recent traditions, so to speak extraterritorial, should also be recorded. One of these is the porchetta trevigiana, whose debut, according to gastronome Maffioli, dates back to 1919 and can be attributed to Ermete Beltrame, owner of the brewery still in operation under the arches of the Palazzo dei Trecento, who is said to have learned the secrets of this roast from great occasions during the Great War, when he was director of a canteen officers in Tuscany.
Features
The preparation of porchetta Trevigiana requires a piglet about one year old and 50 kg in weight. Carefully boned, the meat must be seasoned internally with a dressing of salt, rosemary, pepper, garlic and white wine, then sewn and tied with string to form a large cylindrical roast. It is baked in the oven, with a possible first pass through the spit to give the rind a coIpo of heat, and takes about 7 hours. It is served at room temperature, as a snack, as is the case in the place of origin, or as a summer dish.
RECIPE – Focaccine with porchetta
For the scones: 2 dl of milk,
750 g of white flour,
70 g of cornmeal,
50 g of boiled spelt flour,
30 g of spelt flour,
baking powder,
2 eggs,
salt
for the filling: 250 g of sliced porchetta trevigiana, 200 g of savoy cabbage,
lemon, mustard, extra virgin olive oil, salt
Mix the flours, spelt, eggs, milk, a teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and mix everything together to make a heavy batter. Take it by spoonfuls that you will lay in a hot nonstick pan: with heat the batter will expand into a round shape and swell like a scone; prepare 16 in the same way. Cut the savoy cabbage into strips, collect it in a bowl and season it with an emulsion of oil, lemon juice, a tablespoon of mustard, and salt. Cut the scones in half, stuff them with the porchetta and seasoned savoy cabbage.
PURCHASE
Most of the supply is provided by a major charcuterie company, represented at every commercial level. For the rest, the activity of rotisseries and agritourisms loyal to the spit tradition should be noted.
SEASONALITY
There was a time when the hog’s life cycle had a precise calendar. Today it no longer does, and even the showcase of its products is always favorable to the gourmet, with a peak in consumption during the many summer festivals.
CONSERVATION
Despite the absence of any preservative product, whole porchetta can be easily stored for up to two weeks in a properly refrigerated environment. In slices, it should be protected in vacuum packaging.
SALADO DELLA PEDEMONTANA TREVIGIANA (P.60)
Origins and history
In the review of Veneto cured meats, the salado is the intermediate consumer sausage between sausages and soppresse. Ready for consumption after a maturation of about a month, salamis were in such numbers as to satisfy domestic needs for several weeks, until the availability of the first soppressa at first, rather fresh, then drier and of concentrated flavor, but no less appreciated. Fine meats, ground to a medium grain, in proportions of fat and lean to form a slice with good hold to the cut and characteristic marbling, were intended for the preparation of salami.
Features
Production covers the municipalities of the eastern foothills, from Valdobbiadene to Vittorio Veneto. The mince requires about two-thirds lean parts (shoulder and mince) and one-third fat (25 percent bacon, 5-10 percent throat), destined for a 6-mm die. Sea salt (2.4-2.8%) and pepper are added to the whole, providing for a soaking of Prosecco Doc wine, which is one of the most typically aromatic elements. Once bagged, the salado turns out to be 6-8 cm in diameter and 20-30 cm long, weighing 600-700 g.
RECIPE – Mashed potato bread cookie imbriagà with Pedemontana salado
250 g Pedemontana Trevigiana salado
200 g of bread cookie
0.5 dl red wine
0.5 dl chicken broth
1 sweet and sour bell pepper
Place the bread cookie in a bowl along with the wine and broth, letting it soak for 20′; then puree in a blender to finally obtain a smooth, velvety mixture. Pour the puree into the bottom of each plate, arrange three slices of salado vertically on it and garnish with the sweet-and-sour bell pepper cut into strips.
BUY
Because of its small size, salado is the sausage of most wide popularity, available at every commercial level, including at agriturismi and trattorias that renew the pleasure of “marende da contadin” or “salado su le bronze” with polenta.
SEASONALITY
In terms of tradition, given the autumn-winter slaughtering of pigs, the availability of salami did not go beyond spring. Having overcome this constraint, in today’s production reality, Pedemontana salame is a cured meat that knows no seasons.
CONSERVATION
Pedemontana salado is a medium-aged sausage, on the order of a couple of months, with variability directly proportional to weight. Precisely for this reason, salumieri of the past prepared small salami for ready consumption and larger salami for duration.
SALADO FRESCO TREVIGIANO (P. 61)
Origins and history
The softness of a cured meat is not a characteristic dependent only on the aging grade, but can also be sought by intervening in the composition of the mince in favor of the fat percentage. In the Treviso tradition, this attitude is typical of the Marca, that is the territory that stretches flat from the Pre-Alps to the Venice lagoon. The result is a salado mollo surrendered to the blade, which can almost be spread on bread, or which, heated in a frying pan or over embers, generates abundant seasoning in which to make tocio or dip toasted polenta in the same way.
Features
Characteristic of fresh salado is the ground meat with a higher than usual fat component and slightly higher grain size (0.6-0.8 mm), with an aromatic tanning – coarse salt, pepper, cinnamon and clove – added at the discretion of the individual producer. A further element of typicality is the addition of white wine flavored with garlic, which gives the sausage a fine but unmistakable aroma. The size of the sausage, on the other hand, is within the norm (6-8 cm in diameter; 20-25 cm in length; 600-700 g in weight). The slice is soft and highlights the dough characteristic in the coarser, clearer marbling.
RECIPE – Fresh salado with balsamic vinegar
16 slices of fresh salado trevigiano,
1 cm thick
300 g of raperonzoli
1/2 glass of balsamic vinegar
700 g polenta
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
In a hot skillet pour a drizzle of oil and sear the salado slices for a minute or so; add the balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil, letting it reduce for 2′. Pour some of the soft polenta onto a warm serving plate and spread it out with a spoon over the bottom of the top; place a handful of peeled and washed radishes on it and arrange the salado on top. Finally drizzle with the cooking sauce and serve hot.
BUY
An extremely popular product that can be found without any problem of location or timing. In trattorias and agritourisms it is offered the old-fashioned way: sliced and pickled in bond, or cut lengthwise and heated on the grill.
SEASONALITY
Nowadays, fresh salado knows no seasons as the star of snacks and appetizer dishes. Passed in a pan or on the grill, on the other hand, it is a common proposal in the winter seasons for intensity of flavor and substance.
STORAGE
As the name suggests, it is a ready-to-eat sausage. The first month in the cellar or in a properly refrigerated environment is used to dry the mixture, and after this stage of maturation there is no point in talking about seasoning.
SALSICCIA TREVIGIANA (P. 62)
Origins and history
Sausage or “luganega” is a typical peasant product, present in all regional charcuterie traditions. This is evidenced by the origin of the name, which refers to Lucania, today’s Basilicata, a region that the ancient Romans praised for its cured meats, precisely because the forest (lucus) at that time was the designated place for raising pigs. In the tradition closest to us, the sausage was a cured meat of small caliber and indefinite length, prepared from second-grade meat, usually consumed in the period between the killing of the pig and the maturing of the meats.
Feature
Today, neck jowl meat is used, which provides the appropriate percentage of lard, minced and cured with salt and pepper, then stuffed into casings. The percentage of lard depends on the perspective of consumption: the leanest sausages are for grilling; the fattest are for stewing. As a result, the color of the sausage is more or less dark.
RECIPE – Bigoli with sausage from Treviso and red radicchio di Treviso
320 g bigoli
2 heads of red radicchio from Treviso
200 g Trevigiana sausage, 50 g chopped onion
1 clove of minced garlic, 1 sprig of rosemary
1/2 glass of red wine, chopped parsley
extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper
Wash and julienne the radicchio and strip the sausage of its outer membrane, sauté the onion, garlic and rosemary sprig in a pan with a drizzle of oil. Add the sausage and radicchio to the sofritto and douse them with the red wine. Let it evaporate and cook for about 20′. Cook the bigoli in boiling salted water, drain and sauté in the pan with the sauce, then sprinkle with chopped parsley and bring to the table.
PURCHASE
A widely consumed product, available in most butcher shops, which also prepare it upon request. Sausage, especially barbecued, is a staple of Treviso cuisine that knows no seasons.
SEASONALITY
Tradition dictated that sausage should be eaten a short time after the slaughter of the hog, thus between autumn and winter, boiled or grilled, usually accompanied by cabbage or other stewed vegetables. This seasonality is less felt today.
CONSERVATION
It was consumed at dinners that sealed the ritual of “far su el mas-cio” or stored in butcher shops just long enough to sell. Today refrigeration allows it to be available longer, but without exceeding a few weeks.
SCHENAL (P. 97)
Origins and history
There are sources that as far back as centuries past attest to Veneto’s production of salumeria nobile, or fine meats processed as whole cuts, grouped under the term “persuto” (a dialectal corruption of the adjective “drained’”, referring to the dehydrating action of salt), referring not only to thigh and shoulder, but also to other cuts such as ossocollo and loin. In particular, the term “schenal,” valorized in the 1970s by Giuseppe De Stefani, refers to that back cut, the back or loin, which is also among the most popular for fresh consumption. Confirming so much value is the exposure to fine essence smoke, which improves preservation, but above all ennobles the flavor.
Features
The loin, that is, the double band of muscle between the thigh attachment and the first ribs, is boned while retaining the fatty band, then marinated for 15 days in a curing mixture of coarse sea salt and flavorings (pepper, cinnamon, cloves, juniper, bay leaf). After a drying phase (8 days), it is smoked with vine wood, ash wood and rosemary branches; finally, it is seasoned, at least 60 days. When cut, the slice is square and burnished pink in color, unmistakable on the palate.
RECIPE – Potato and schenal minestrone
500 g potatoes
200 g aged asiago cheese
1 carrot,
1 onion
1 celery stalk
1 slice of schenal
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Clean and wash the vegetables, cut them into chunks and sauté them in a saucepan with two tablespoons of oil and the diced schenal; then cover with water and cook over a gentle heat for 30′; season with salt and pepper. A few minutes from the end of cooking, add the diced asiago and serve when the cheese has softened. Finish with a drizzle of oil and a grinding of pepper, if desired.
BUY
This is not a popular product, but neither is it widely consumed. A gourmet cured meat, it can be found in the stores most attentive to typical productions. Otherwise, at origin, at the company outlets of the delicatessens that produce it.
SEASONALITY
A product of autumn tradition, in today’s reality it is actually a cured meat that knows no seasons. It is a cured meat that sets a particular tone for a plate of sliced meats, but because of its characteristic aroma it is frequently used in the preparation of first courses and dishes.
STORAGE
Like all internally cut cured meats, schenal has excellent aging margins, six months and more, in a cellar adequate for temperature and humidity, or in the least cold compartment of a ventilated refrigerator.
SOPRESSA INVESTIDA (P. 64)
Origins and history
Before it became a haute cuisine cut, tenderloin was one of those meats whose leanness and texture were valued in the preparation of particularly fine cured meats, so to speak for grand occasions. The piece of meat, whole or halved, therefore was stuffed into a casing of sufficient diameter to ensure sufficient coating of mince. II result was a sliced meat of incomparable design – a “soppressa col cuore,” it was said – dark in the center, in the compact part, and marbled all around. This was true for the fillet, but also for other parts of similar characteristics, such as the loin or the neck bone, the former lean, the latter veined with fat, with an even more characteristic effect.
Features
The sopressa investida has no particular external characteristics, although we can speak of an average size of 10-13 cm in diameter and 25-35 cm in length, dictated by the size of the piece of tenderloin inserted inside. The preparation consists of the prior steeping for 3-4 days of the compact piece under a tanning of salt and flavorings. As for the minced meat – lean of shoulder and other parts, plus fat of bacon and throat, processed in a 6-mm die – and it is planned a soaking with Prosecco wine.
RECIPE – Sopressa investida with beans in saor and polenta brustolà
500 g fresh beans,
200 g soppressa investida
4 slices of toasted polenta,
0.5 dl extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 glass of white wine,
1/2 glass of vinegar
8 anchovy fillets,
2 red onions,
1 clove of garlic
chopped parsley, salt and pepper
Shell the beans and plunge them into a saucepan filled with cold water; bring to a boil and let them cook until the beans are al dente. Peel and slice the onions and sauté them with the oil and garlic; then pour in the white wine and, last, the vinegar. When the liquids have evaporated, add the chopped anchovies, let them break down and, finally, add the parsley; remove from the heat. Drain the beans and season them with the resulting sauce, adjusting the salt and pepper and letting it stand for at least a couple of hours. Serve them by arranging on each point a few slices of sopressa, a slice of toasted polenta and a few spoonfuls of beans in saor.
BUY
Sopressa investida cannot be said to be a widely consumed product. Each head of pork provides two fillets, thus a limited number of stuffed sausages. It is worth ordering it directly from the producer or butcher.
SEASONALITY
The period of availability is that of medium-long seasoning sausages, i.e., from winter to spring, although at present, production in the sector no longer seems to set any calendar limits for consumers.
STORAGE
The factor to be taken into account is the weight of the sausage, which varies between 1.5 and 2.5 kg. This means that this type of sopressa is available about three months after packaging with an additional 3-4 months for consumption.
SOPRESSA TREVIGIANA (P. 65)
Origins and history
Cured meats called “soppressate” are found in various parts of ltaly, from Tuscany to Calabria, but with somewhat different characteristics among them. II term, in fact and rather generic, with an etymon oscillating between Latin supprimere, understood as the act of compacting meat with a press inside a casing, and Spanish salpresar, to sprinkle with salt and compress. The Venetian meaning of the term, however, is unambiguous and attested by historical sources: sopressa is a larger-than-usual sausage made of fine meats, with a soft, coarse texture, intended for long aging.
Features
The production of sopressa trevigiana requires lean pork at a rate of 70% to fine bacon lard par the remainder. After grinding to a medium grain (6-8 mm), the mixture is processed with salt, pepper, cumin, sometimes chopped cloves to cinnamon. Some artisanal processes add Prosecco or Cabernet wine (1 liter per quintal of meat) to the mixture. The sausage varies somewhat in size – 10 to 20 cm in diameter, 1 to 7 kg in weight – with proportional increase in curing time, even a whole year. The slice is unmistakable in size and mellow marbling of fatty and lean parts.
RECIPE – Treviso sopressa and asiago Dop strudel
500 g frozen puff pastry
750 g of sopressa trevigiana
300 g pressed asiago cheese
1 egg yolk
Dice the cheese and slice the sopressa. Roll out the puff pastry to a thickness of 3 mm and arrange the sopressa and asiago evenly on top; roll the pastry into a strudel and brush with beaten egg yolk. Transfer the strudel to a baking sheet lined with baking paper and finally bake at +180° for about 30′. Let the strudel cool, then cut into slices and serve on a bed of salad.
BUY
It is a ubiquitous product-from the stalks of small producers to the shelves of large retailers-a testament to the fact that in the Veneto gourmet’s imagination there is no cured meat that beats sopressa.
SEASONALITY
When “far su el mas-cio” was a winter activity, the largest sopresse had to last almost until the next production; today there is no longer this need; the pleasure of following its fortunes in the cellar remains.
CONSERVATION
A Treviso sopressa deserves a proper cellar: dirt bottom, balanced temperature and humidity. This is the ideal. Alternatively, the same thermohygrometric conditions can be recreated by an advanced refrigerator.
Main dishes of Marca Trevigiana
MEAT AND FISH
SPIEDO D’ALTA MARCA (P.68)
Origins and history
The Soligo is the river that rises from the lakes of Revine and follows the ridge of the Treviso Pre-Alps to Follina, where it swerves decisively southward, meeting the Piave. At its outlet in the plains, here is Pieve di Soligo, which owes its name to the plebian church-it was in the early Middle Ages-determining its rank as capital. The territory of ancient jurisdiction was the Quartier del Piave, that is, the plain embraced by the hills between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano. A very privileged position, then: in the background, the Prosecco vineyards, then the chestnut groves of Combai, and even higher up, the pastures of Monte Cesen; all around, the countryside of red radicchio, standard bearer of good Treviso food. The local specialty, polenta and osei, celebrates the most gastronomically satisfying season, autumn. And it was precisely in Pieve, in 1956, during a dinner in a trattoria, that the idea of a Giant Spit was born: around the table, the senior staff of the Pro Loco, who decided to launch into the venture. Since then, the ritual of the Giant Spit has remained the same, except switching, in compliance with hunting regulations, from birds to quail.
Features
The spiedo d’alta Marca offers the whole traditional review of meats and game cooked over an open fire, from low court meats to game. Rather, the uniqueness of this proposal lies in the compliance by the consortium establishments with a specification that goes into the various details of preparation. The crucial moment of the season, however, remains the feast of Pieve di Soligo, in the imminence of which a huge square hearth is prepared, creating on the pavement a sort of platform of refractory bricks; then, the rotisserie is mounted, measuring 16 meters, divided into eight sections by octagonal frames; at each vertex then a spit is hooked bearing about twenty quails, reasoning that, when the contraption is at full capacity, more than 1,500 birds turn. All around them there is the festival, with kiosks of the many specialties that make up the spit. Starting with Prosecco, the first pride of the Alta Marca, but which for this day has to adapt to being a comprimario.
Decalogue of the Alta Marca Spit
- The company and the guests. Conviviality is the ambiance factor that sets this dish apart. Select an appropriate company of diners to enjoy the spit in peace.
- The “open” fireplace and the wood to be used. Set up an open fireplace and light the fire with wood from typical foothill trees, preferably hornbeam, beech and hazel.
- Meats, pairing and arrangement on the spit. Of the pork, preference should be given to ossacòl, costée, stracùl. In case of mixed spit evaluate pairing or sequence on schidioni.
- The cut, lard and sage. Meat should be cut into appropriately sized chunks, with thought to differentiated cooking times. The lard, unsalted, should be cut into slices of proper thickness and alternated with the meat without too much pressure. Sage leaves should be small, because they are more flavorful, and without stalks, which tend to be bitter.
- Salting and seasonings. The salt must be fine and of the whole-grain, gray sea type. Its use requires caution because salting affects both the flavor and tenderness of the meat.
Similar for flavorings, which are required only in certain cases. Superfluous, also soaking of various kinds.
- Fire stages and time cli cooking. Cook initially over low heat for the meat to take on color and make a crust. Proceed with the first salting and bring the skewer closer to the flame (about 40 cm) to allow for internal cooking. By doing this, on average, the skewer will reach perfect cooking in five hours.
- Embers and the drip pan. The coals can be brought under the spit for even cooking. Place the drip pan under the rotisserie so that the dripping fat does not generate inappropriate smoke.
- The final precòt. When the cooking is done, wrap some lard in straw paper and form a flashlight (precòt) to allow melted fat to drip onto the meat. Doing so makes the meat softer and also tastes better.
- Polenta, side dishes and wine. The spit is a single dish, which should be served with a side dish of polenta, white or yellow; in addition, roots in tecia, fasoi and other autumn-winter vegetables.
- Table presentation. Meats should be well cooked and eaten as soon as they are removed from the fire. Meat should be kept warm, preferably in heated terracotta or cast iron pans.
OFFER
There are about 20 of them, the trattorias of the so-called “masters of the spit,” the reported restaurateurs.
SEASONALITY
Skewering is a tradition mostly linked to the hunting season, from early autumn until the threshold of spring, but this does not prevent other meats – chicken, rabbit, pork, beef – from satisfying the demand of gourmets in the warm season.
PAIRING
Roast on the spit, especially of red meat or game, requires a wine of adequate intensity, such as Raboso del Piave Doc. For more noble courses, such as woodcock, recommendation for Malanotte Raboso Superiore Doc, aged at least three years.
CONIGLIO VENETO (P.70)
Origins and history
There are traces of it as far back as prehistoric times, when an ancestor of the domestic rabbit, due to the last land glaciation pushed its way from Belgium, France and Germany to the southwestern regions of Europe and Mediterranean Africa. It was a wild rabbit, bred by the Phoenicians and later by the Romans. In the Veneto region at one time, rabbit farming was the form of supplementary income for the families of the Veneto sharecroppers, who fed themselves on this meat and with which they carried on a small trade in order to have some cash liquidity.
Features
From being strictly family-based, rabbit farming has grown in size, but without losing its rural characteristics and its connection to the land. And a low-fat meat that is easily digestible and therefore suitable for everyone. Forty percent of all rabbit meat produced nationwide is produced in the Veneto region, and the greatest concentration of farms is in the Marca Trevigiana, peaking in the triangle of the municipalities of Montebelluna, Volpago del Montello, and Trevignano. rabbits are slaughtered around 10 to 13 weeks of age when they reach a live weight of between 2 and 3 kg. The most common type of sale is still the whole or half carcass.
RECIPE – Piedmont-style stuffed rabbit
1 medium Veneto rabbit already hulled
300 g fresh porcini mushrooms, 200 g morlacco
200 g rolled bacon,
100 g pork net
1 onion,
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
50 g butter,
1 glass white wine,
sage,
vinegar,
salt and pope
Wash the pork net in running water and vinegar. De-bone the rabbit and stuff it (with chopped morlacco or chopped bacon, roll it up like a salami, insert a few leaves of chopped sage and tie it with the pork net. Place it ln an oven dish and bake it at 180° for about an hour. After 15′ of cooking, douse it with white wine and add salt and pepper to taste. ln a pan, cook the hulled, cleaned and chopped porcini mushrooms in oil and butter with the chopped onion. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Before serving the rabbit, cut it into slices and napped with its own cooking sauce. Accompany it with piping hot porcini mushrooms.
PURCHASE
They can also be found in large retail stores boneless, in single-portion packages, in individual cuts, and as processed products. To have tender meat for roasting, it is best to choose young rabbits. If, on the other hand, we want to prepare an excellent stew, somewhat large, older rabbits are preferable: they have firmer but very tasty meat.
SEASONALITY
The wide range of traditional or innovative recipes involving rabbit meat makes it appreciable in all seasons.
STORAGE
Rabbit has meat that lends itself without problem to freezing, whole or portioned head, with special reference to the three cuts most valued by gastronomy: shoulders, loin (otherwise known as loin or saddle), and thighs.
OCA DEL MONDRAGON
Origins and history
The geographical name refers to the hilly area below Mondragon (m 437), a peak on the southern side of the Soligo valley, in the municipality of Tarzo. Here, thanks to the efforts of a single farm, the Mondragon agritourism, goose breeding and the processing of its meat according to methods that hark back to a centuries-old tradition. The bird, usually of low court, is raised extensively, that is, in semi-wild pasture on special grassy areas. The domestic goose-derived in ancient times from the wild, migratory passage species-was a typical presence on Venetian farms; brought to market on the feast of St. Martin, November 11, it became the star of early winter cuisine.
Features
Geese, a breed with white plumage, are raised in fully natural conditions and, when they reach maturity, offer fresh meat that is particularly prized for both cooking and preserving. Some examples are: pate or goose in onto (Technique of preserving all or part of the animal, according to tradition under the fat of the goose itself); smoking (for which the most prized cuts, such as breast and thighs, are reserved); and preservation in sweet and sour.
RECIPE- Baked goose with radicchio
1 Mondragon goose
0.5 l white wine
1 glass of brandy
1 clove of garlic, rosemary
2-3 heads of red radicchio from Treviso
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Clean the goose and season the inside with minced garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper. Lay it on a baking sheet and bathe it with the wine and brandy. Bake it in the oven for about 6-7 hours at 140°, basting it with its fat from time to time. In the meantime, cut the radicchio into wedges and lay it in a baking dish, bathe it with oil and season it with salt and pepper. Bake it in the oven at 150° for 5′. When the goose is cooked, cut it into pieces and serve with the radicchio.
PURCHASE
At the Mondragon agriturismo in Tarzo, serving a seasonal menu.
SEASONALITY
Processing is traditionally winter. Consumption once lasted until spring, when the traditional dish of “risi e bisi con l’oca in onto” was prepared. At present, both fresh and preserved product is available at any time of the year.
STORAGE
Depending on the storage technique (under glass or smoked), each product has different holding times listed on the label. In any case, a cool environment protected from sunlight is recommended.
POLLO RUSTICHELLO DELLA PEDEMONTANA (P.72)
Origins and history
The first selection of the rustichello chicken dates back 50 years to the Institute for the Conservation of Veneto Poultry Breeds in Rovigo. Later the region delegated the protection and maintenance of the breed in purity to the Professional Institutes for Agriculture of Vallà and Castelfranco. The name “pollo rustichello” refers to the traditional free-range farming method, whereby the chicken is raced over large open areas, supplementing its diet with natural elements to the obvious benefit of the quality of the meat, which is firm and flavorful as in the best memory.
Features
There are three breeds attributable to this poultry type: Robusta Maculata, the most common (white plumage with black spots all over the body and a silver cape; 3.8-4.5 kg roosters and 2.8-3.3 kg hens); Ermellinata di Rovigo (white-colored plumage with dark cox feathers and cape; 3.7 kg roosters and 2.5 kg hens; 1.8 kg cockerels and pullets at 120 days); Robusta Lionata (tawny plumage; 3.8-4.5 kg roosters and 2.8-3.2 kg hens). Breeding covers the ark of the Grappa Mountain Community and the Prealpi Trevigiane and Montello Community.
RECIPE – Chicken rustichello in tecia with potatoes
2 kg dl chicken rustichello della Pedemontana
1.5 kg of potatoes, celery, onion, carrot
sage and rosemary,
1 clove of garlic,
white wine
tomato paste,
salt and pepper
Clean the chicken and gut it, sectioning it into 12 pieces. Prepare the stock with the onion, carrots, celery, sage, rosemary and garlic; when everything is well browned, add the pieces of chicken, season with salt and pepper. Allow to cook in a saucepan for about an hour over medium heat, wetting with wine and a tablespoon of pomidoro paste halfway through cooking. Remove from the heat and add the peeled and washed potatoes. Finish cooking in the oven for another 20′ or so at 180°, continuing to drizzle with the cooking juices. Serve, decorating the top with sage and rosemary leaves.
PURCHASE
Rustichello chicken can be found at farms in the foothills, but also at the origin, that is, at farms, mostly small ones, or agritourism companies that make it the subject of typical catering. The Pollo Rustichello della Pedemontana Trevigiana Association has been formed for the commercial network.
SEASONALITY
Meats are available at any time of the year. Seasonal recipes offered by the restaurant include: grilled rustichello, rustichello piccatina, rustichello stew with mushrooms and polenta, rustichello with Monfenera chestnuts, and rustichello in bread crust.
STORAGE
In the case of deferred consumption over time, the chicken, whole or portioned, is placed in special food bags and subjected to freezing, a process that can also be managed at home with the simple precautions required.
VITELLONE WITH CEREALS (P.73)
Origins and history
In rural society cattle had dual aptitudes, working and dairy, and only at the end of their careers were they destined for consumption. Instead, with the advent of mechanization, beef cattle were born, which had a rapid development in northern Italy due to the cereal vocation of the Po Valley. Production in the Veneto region is mainly distinguished into white-meat calves (aged less than 8 months) and big calves (aged 8 to 24 months). The highest quality breeds raised are Charolais (golden blond) and Limousin (with a brown-red coat).
Features
Livestock production in the Treviso area has a prominent presence in Castelfranco Veneto, which is associated with the so-called Castellano Meat District. The veal production system is characterized by rearing in protected facilities where the animals are controlled from the point of view of health and animal welfare. The feed is natural with rations in which cereals and protein foods are mixed and distributed together, together with a portion of fiber to ensure rumination. They are slaughtered at a weight between 500 and 600-650 kg, depending on genetic types and market demands, and yield a bright red-pink meat with fine fiber and little fat.
RECIPE – Veal chunks
600 g cercali veal meat,
500 g red radicchio from Treviso
0.5 dl red wine,
0.25 dl olive oil,
30 g onion
30 g celery,
1/2 clove garlic,
3 g sage,
3 g rosemary
2 juniper berries,
30 g flour,
salt and pepper
Finely chop the onion, celery and garlic and let them brown in a high-sided pan with the available oil. Add the diced meat, previously floured, and sear it in the gravy. Add the herbs and spices, stirring occasionally. Wet with the red wine and let it evaporate. Meanwhile, carefully wash the radicchio and dry it with a cloth, then cut it into fairly large pieces. Add the radicchio to the meat and proceed with the cooking, again over high heat. Season at the end with salt and pepper and serve with your favorite side dish.
BUY
Veal is available in butcher shops and supermarkets. The supply chain is guaranteed by the traceability total of the animals from birth to the butcher’s counter, starting from the application of ear tags and production of an individual passport, to the registration of all movements.
SEASONALITY
In today’s livestock reality, it makes no sense to talk about seasonal cycles. If anything, it can be said that the calendar of traditional cooking is still respected, with cuts from the front part in the autumn-winter period (for boiled, braised, stews, etc.), and lean cuts from the hind parts used all year round.
ANGUILLA FROM LIVENZA (P.74)
Origins and history
The eel is born in the Atlantic depths of the Sargasso Sea and performs the first stages of development during the journey to the continental lands, then goes up the rivers, where it lives until maturity and finally completes the reverse path to reproduce. In this cycle we insert the man, with fishing and farming in lagoon. As for the Eastern Veneto, already the ancient chronicles decantavano in such sense its waters and still today the eel and presence immanent in the menus of the trattorie: protagonist of a risotto, to the skewer, fried or in humid, possibly accompanied by a glass of Raboso del Piave.
Features
The geographical reference is for the river that marks the border between Veneto and Friuli, or between Traviso and Pordenone, affected by a conspicuous step of eels, also called bisati: those that I go up in youth, still lean, they are called “marine” and are suitable for wet preparations; those that I descend at full maturity, well fat, are called: “fiumane” and are ideal for the grill. Among the typical recipes, bisato with àmoi, started to roast first by blending with white wine and then adding wild plums (àmoi) to give a sour touch to the whole.
RECIPE – Strong herbs and red wine eel
1 Livenza eel of about 1.2 kg
1 onion,
1 celery,
2 cloves of garlic
1 glass of dry white wine,
half bottle of Raboso wine
extra virgin olive oil,
pepper in grains
a bunch of chopped herbs,
salt
Let the Raboso wine of the half-grain be reduced with a clove of garlic and some grains of pepper and let it rest. Prepare a broth with the vegetables and white wine and blanch for 5′ the eel clean, gutted and cut into 8 walls. Once removed from the broth and cooled, remove the skin. In a pan heat the oil with a clove of garlic and brown gently the eel walls sprinkled with chopped herbs and pass the baking sheet in the oven for 10 to 180°. At the end of cooking, wet all with Raboso ristretto. Send on the table the eel with a soft polenta of Biancoperla corn.
Purchase
When it’s season, during the holidays, the eel is found everywhere. At other times of the year it is found in the markets best supplied, that is by traders who are in direct contact with fishermen and farmers.
Seasonal
The fish market is oriented to offer eel in December to honor the Christmas tradition. In other seasons, although present on the markets, the eel appears mainly in the menus of typical restaurants.
Conservation
The eel is a fish of extraordinary vitality and it is assumed that it must still be seen on the market. In the home we talk about conservation when it is frozen into slices to postpone cooking.
GAMBERO DI FIUME DELLA VENEZIA ORIENTALE (P. 75)
Origins and history
Not everyone knows the story about the presence of crustaceans in the waters of the Italian rivers. The reasons are easily understood: first of all, the crepuscular and in any case reserved habits of these inhabitants of the stony beds; secondly, their rarefaction, caused at the end of the nineteenth century by a natural epidemic and more recently by the widespread decline of the waters inhabited by them. The freshwater shrimp (Austropotamobius pallipes italicus) resists in more intact streams, such as torrents and springs, measuring just over 10 cm and has claws that make it resemble a small lobster, except for the colour that is orange-brown.
Features
The Piave and the Livenza are the two rivers that represent the Venetian stronghold of river shrimp. In view of the ban on fishing, to protect the species, it is allowed to breed juveniles in tanks adjacent to the river bed for both repopulation and consumption. The importance of these crustaceans in local gastronomy is evidenced by their representation in the fresco of a last supper in the church of San Giorgio a San Polo di Piave, and is still underlined today by the name and menu of the historian Gambrinus, restaurant operating since 1854 right in that of San Polo di Piave.
RECIPE – River shrimp with polenta
12 shrimp cli river of the Venice East
1/2 leek,
1 clove of garlic
40 g of parsley,
1 dl of Prosecco
20 g tomato paste
bread crumbs,
polenta,
olive oil
salt and pepper
Chop the garlic, leek and parsley and fry them in a pan: with a little oil; add the shrimp, brown them over high heat, then sprinkle with Prosecco and let it melt. Add the tomato sauce, breadcrumbs and cook for 10 . Serve the shrimp with a good polenta of corn flour.
Purchase
Niche product, available from the few breeders in the area of origin. More likely, appreciate them in the proposals of some restaurateurs of the Marca Trevigiana that have become champions of the rare crustacean.
Seasonal
The breeding product does not know seasons. Historical recipe, shrimp Gambrinus with white polenta. To face them there is a witty decalogue that encourages the use of fingers and a large napkin, otherwise called bavarial.
Conservation
Fresh shrimps are quite perishable. Very effective, the deep-freezing, which does not alter in a sensitive way the taste or texture of the most valuable part, the so-called “tail”.
TROTA IRIDEA FROM SILE (P.76)
Origins and history
Already in the thirties, Veneto was considered a vanguard district in the trout culture thanks to the studies on salmonids by Luigi Meschinelli (1865-1933), precursor of their breeding. The wealth of river water, a species of spring, put the region in the best conditions to start intensive farming. The species chosen is the rainbow trout, which takes only two summers to reach commercial size. Salmonid of North – American origin, it is unmistakable for the colorful lateral band that marks the transition from dark green back to silver belly.
Features
The name refers to the most important river of resurgence in Italy, which begins at Casacorba di Vadelaga, about 15 km upstream from Treviso, and has many farms also in the neighboring municipalities of Istrana, Margano, Quinta di Traviso and Casale sul Sile. The availability of large volumes of spring water at temperatures ranging from 10 degrees in winter to 17 degrees in summer allows trout farming in more advantageous terms than the same practice with thermal excursions of the mountain environment. The focus is on natural nutrition and fish welfare.
RECIPE – Fried trout skewer with sweet and sour sauce
4 Sile rainbow trout fillets,
60 g flour,
2 eggs,
breadcrumbs
olive oil for frying,
0,5 I of water,
200 g of sugar,
7 tbsp vinegar,
2 large carrots,
2 celery ribs,
2 zucchini
2 eggplants,
extra virgin
olive garlic and vinegar,
salt
After having washed and cut into pieces, scald the vegetables for a few moments in water, vinegar oil and salt, leaving them rather to the tooth; drain them, let them dry on a clean cloth and finally collect them ina bowl. Prepare the sauce by boiling the water with sugar and vinegar until the density of honey is reached. Cut the trout fillets into 3 pieces, pass them first in the flour, then in the beaten and salted egg and finally in the bread crumbs. Fry the pieces of trout in boiling oil, let absorb the excess oil on a paper towel, then slip them into a skewer that you will arrange over the vegetables, serving apart sweet and sour sauce.
Purchase
Product of immediate availability. In addition to the Sile farms, other plants are active in the municipalities of: Carbonera, Breda di Piave and San Biagio di Callalta; Cimadolmo; Fontanelle; Godega di Sant’Urbano; Follina e Pieve di Soligo; Pederobba.
Seasonal
In natural conditions trout has a seasonal development cycle, which depends mostly on the water temperature. If this factor stabilizes, as it does when using well water, the growth becomes constant.
Conservation
Fish is a product that bases its goodness on freshness. The only convenient preservation treatment is deep freezing. The exception is pre-cooked or smoked fillets, packaged in vacuum bags. Innovative fresh products such as burgers, skewers and ready-to-cook fillets are also available today.
Cheese
ASIAGO DOP
Origins and history
The Asiago plateau is one of the most important dairy farms in the Italian mountains. The origin of this activity dates back to the sixteenth century when, under the administration of the Republic of Venice, the breeding – first sheep, in parallel with the wool industry, and then cattle – took momentum from the conversion of forests into pastures and pastures. Heavily involved in the First World War, the Plateau witnessed the dispersion of herds and shepherds in the plain; this is the event that has determined the permanent expansion of its production area to neighboring areas, such as the Treviso Foothills.
Features
Asiago PDO is a semi-cooked cheese, from which two different processes are distinguished.The product that refers to tradition is defined by the “Asiago d’allevo” specification. It is processed from partly skimmed milk and there are three types of growing aging the “mezzano” from 4 to 6 months, the “old” until year and the “stravecchio” up to two years, with a progressive increase in consistency, color and taste. A second type, of more recent origin, is the “Asiago pressed”, produced from whole milk and intended for consumption after about one month of maturation; its characteristics are the evident holes and the marked freshness, with clear hints of milk.
RECIPE – Pumpkin cream and Asiago PDO
600 g of Asiago d’Allevo Mezzano,
120 g of Montasio stagionata
550 g of pumpkin pulp,
20 g of shallot or onion
0.5 dl extra virgin olive oil,
50 g black olive patè
2 I of water, salt and pepper
Clean and slice the onion and brown it in a pan, add the chopped pumpkin pulp and cover with water. Let cook for about 40 minutes and blend until creamy. Add the asiago in small pieces, salt and pome and mix. Prepare the sails, melting and browning 20 g of grated montasio for a few seconds in a pan. Remove from the pan and make it take the form of a candle or basket by laying the waffle on a bowl upside down or on the side of a bottle. Repeat the process until you have six sails or baskets. Serve the cream in a very deep dish and decorate with the Montasio’s sail and some black olive pâté.
Purchase
There are three companies in Treviso that are part of the consortium of Asiago PDO. These important dairies, with a capillary commercial distribution throughout the province, are located in Cavaso del Tomba, Selva del Montello and Vedelago.
Seasonal
The production of pasture still respects the cycle of the alpine pasture, which begins around April and ends in September, while the production of dairy, linked to large permanent farms, has no particular calendar limits.
Conservation
Once cut, the pressed Asiago is a cheese that should be consumed with a certain urgency. The Asiago d’allevo, on the other hand, in a suitable environment can easily pass through the year of maturing, becoming cheese to be flaked and grated.
BASTARDO DEL GRAPPA (p. 43)
Origins and history
The massif of Mount Grappa rises to 1775 meters above sea level on the border between three provinces: Vicenza, Treviso and Belluno. Sacred mountain to the homeland for the bloody battles of which it was theater between 1917 and 1918, and crowned by a large monumental area. At high altitude, there are still a few dozen farms in operation today, many of which turn milk into their own. One of the cheeses traditionally produced on Grappa is the bastardo, which according to the prevailing interpretation owes its name to the use of milk from different dairy breeds, namely cow, goat and sheep, or for intermediate processing between montasio and asiago.
Features
The Grappa bastard is a semi-cooked cheese processed in the alpine pastures and in the dairies of the following municipalities: Borso del Grappa, Crespano del Grappa, Paderno del Grappa, Possagno, Cavaso del Tomba. The shapes, round, 25-30 cm in diameter, can vary in weight from 2.5 to 5 kg. After 60 days of ripening the so-called “fresh” cheese, has a straw yellow colour, elastic consistency with marked holes and sweet taste; in the “aged” type, usually up to one year, there is a progressive accentuation of colour, texture and flavour.
RECIPE – Gnocchi filled with bastardo del Grappa and tomato confit
500 g of cooked palate, peeled and crushed
300 g of Grappa bastard in small pieces
250 g of béchamel, 130 g of flour, 100 g of granola
1 egg, 20 g of ricotta
6 ramini tomatoes,
fresh oregano, basil leaves,
salt and pepper
Incorporate the cold potatoes, egg, ricotta cheese, half of grated grain, flour, salt and pepper. Prepare a thick sauce to which you will add the bastard of the Grappa and, when it is melted, let cool. Roll out the dough for gnocchi; cut strips of 5 cm wide dl and fill with the mixture. Roll up the strips, cut into 2-3cm pieces and leave to rest in the refrigerator. Blanch the tomatoes for 1 and peel them, cut into wedges and season with salt, pepper and oregano; bake in oven at 90° for about an hour. Cook the gnocchi in salted water, drain and saute them in a pan with the confit tomatoes, a dash of olive oil and basil.
Purchase
The Grappa bastard is found in the origin, in the high altitude pastures, during the alpine season, from April to September. Dairy cheese, made from milk of cows that have come down from the pastures, is available without any calendar restrictions.
Seasonal
The product most linked to the mountain environment is still produced in summer . The valley floor, which can rely on supplies of milk from settled farming, is continuously produced.
Conservation
Like all cheeses, the Grappa must be kept on shelf in a humid environment and at temperatures comparable to those of traditional cellars.
CASATELLA TREVIGIANA DOP
Origins and history
Casatella Trevigiana PDO is a farm fresh cheese, meaning that originally it was prepared in the peasant houses using the little milk surplus to direct food uses. Most probably it took its name from the dialect word casada, transformed into the charming casadea, where the Italian “casatella”, just to emphasize the freshness and youth of the product. The women took care of it, especially in winter when the low temperatures favoured the preservation of cheese. With the advent of modern animal husbandry, production has moved from houses to dairies and then to today’s dairy farms. The last act in the history of this cheese is, in June 2008, the Community recognition of the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), which covers the entire province of Treviso and in particular 15 associated companies: Agricansiglio, di Fregona; Bettiol cheese factory, in Roncade; Castellan cheese factory, in Ponte di Piave; Gaion cheese factory , in San Biagio in Callalta; Lovagricola cheese factory, in Biancade of Roncade; Tomasoni cheese factory, in Breda di Piave; Giaveri Latterie del Plave, in Breda di Piave; Latteria di Soligo, Farra di Soligo; Latteria Modolo, of Roverbasso Codogné; Latteria Sant’Andrea, of Povegliano; Latteria Conegliano; Latterie Trevigiane, of Vedelago; Toniolo Casearia, of Borso Grappa.
Features
Casatella Trevigiana PDO is a soft, fresh cheese made from raw cow’s milk and matured for 4-8 days. The shape is cylindrical, small (barefoot 4-6 cm, weight 250-700 g) or large (barefoot 5-8 cm weight 1,8 – 2,2 kg). The crust is absent or barely perceptible. The paste is very soft and creamy, glossy, buttery, dark in the mouth, white or slightly straw-like color, possibly with slight tiny holes. The fat content varies from 20 to 24%. The scent is mild, milky and fresh. The taste is sweet, characteristic of milk, with slightly acidulous veins. Casatella Trevigiana is a fresh cheese that in the kitchen lends itself to be used in many ways in the way more traditional, cut into wedges and served fresh on polenta croutons, playing on the contrast of texture and temperature; cut in morsels in the preparation of appetizers and salads, first of all, but also as an ingredient for hearty dishes, Like a mushy meal, trusting in the gentle skill to spin. Very appreciated by children for its sweetness, it is also by gourmets for the contrast that generates, for example, in the tasting of fruit mustards.
RECIPE – Potatoes stuffed with Casatella Trevigiana DOP cream
500 g of new potatoes,
250 g of Casatella trevigiana
250 g peeled pistachios,
50 g leeks
25 g walnut kernels,
15 g pecorino
1/2 clove of garlic,
5 g chives
nutmeg,
salt and pepper
Wash the potatoes carefully and steam (or microwave) them with all the skin. Once cooked, still warm, cut half of the potatoes, dig in the center and crush the part of the potato taken in a container. Wash the leek thoroughly, chop it and brown it with oil and garlic; then add the pistachios and finely chopped nuts. Add the crushed potatoes and also the casatella. Smell with chopped chives. Evenly distribute the cream obtained on the emptied potatoes. Finally dust everything with grated nutmeg.
Purchase
Practically ubiquitous, the Casatella Trevigiana must always be accompanied by the DOP label, with the logo – a green circle with the stylization of a white “C” – and the legal writings.
Seasonal
Once the production of soft cheeses was a winter activity. Today this limit has been exceeded and the Casatella Trevigiana Dop is available for calendar and distribution.
Conservation
To give the best of itself, like all fresh cheeses, Casatella Trevigiana must be stored at refrigerator temperatures, never higher than 4C, for no more than 20 days.
GRANA PADANO DOP (p. 46)
Origins and history
The production of this cheese from flakes and grits is one of the pillars of the economy of the pianura padana since the year 1000, when the Cistercian monks started the reclamation of the Padan lands. The irrigated areas thus recovered proved to be ideal for forage crops and consequently for cattle breeding and dairy farming. The monks’ focus is on producing a mature cheese that can be sold widely. The unusual fact is that during the maturation process, the cheese underwent an enzymatic transformation responsible for the consistency which justifies the appellation of “grana”.
Features
Grana Padano DOP is a baked cheese made from cow’s milk from two milkings, the evening one partially skimmed for overturning and the morning one whole. The round shapes have a diameter of 35-45 cm and are considerably convex, 18-25 cm tall, with an average weight of 35 kg. The crust is hard, smooth and thick, dark yellow. The paste has a straw color, is free of holes and has the characteristic granularity with tendency to scale breakage. The aroma is fragrant; the taste is strong but soft, never spicy. The PDO area covers 27 provinces from Piedmont to Veneto.
RECIPE – Salad of artichokes and Grana Padano DOP
200 g of Padano grain
4 artichokes for salad
1 tablespoon of sweet mustard
0.5 dl of extra virgin olive oil
the juice of half a lemon,
2 radishes
salt and pepper
Cut the flakes of grain with a scalpel and place them in the center of each plate. Clean the artichokes by removing the outer leaves and most of the stem; slice them finely and quickly season with a sauce that you have obtained by emulsifying with the oil, mustard and lemon juice. Then divide the slices of artichoke into four equal parts and arrange them in the plates above the Grana. Finish by sprinkling the artichokes with other flakes of grana and garnish the dish with slices of radish.
Purchase
Ubiquitous product, it is distinguished by the trademark of the protection consortium PDO, consisting of a diamond symbol, surmounted by the inscription Grana Padano, embossed repeatedly on the heel.
Seasonal
Grana Padano PDO is a typical cheese of the plain, therefore produced with continuity throughout the year and always available in the various stages of maturation, from fresh (9 months) to ripening.
Conservation
The whole cheese easily passes the year of maturation in a suitable cellar environment. The individual pieces, properly protected, are kept for a few weeks in the refrigerator in the cheese area.
INBRIAGO (p.47)
Origins and history
This cheese deserves the appellation of “inbriago” (drunk) after prolonged aging under fresh grape marc, during which it is imbued with unmistakable aroma and color. It is believed that the place of initiation of this practice was the Quartier del Piave at the time of the first world war according to some, as a means to hide precious forms from the raids of invaders; according to others, as surface treatment of forms in the absence of oil. Over time, this practice has not only taken hold but has spread well beyond the provincial boundaries.
Features
Inbriago is the result of aging under grape marc or must of dairy cheeses. Contact varies from 8-10 days for young cheeses per month and more for aged ones; in this period the crust takes on a characteristic color, straw marked in the case of white grapes (Prosecco and other aromatic or passite), violet for red (Raboso, Merlot, Cabernet as well as minor varieties of unmistakable emphasis such as the Clinto and the Fragolino). This treatment causes a kind of “rejuvenation” of the cheese that acquires a unique softness and fragrance.
RECIPE – Barboni con inbriago
500 g of cleaned and sliced barboni (Albatrellus pes-caprae)
50 g of Inbriago
50 g of butter
salt and pepper
Clean the barboni and wipe them with a damp cloth. Melt the butter in a pan and blow the barboni for 10-1S’. Salt, pepper and sprinkle with grated inbriago. Serve with toasted polenta.
Purchase
The inbriago has gone from being a gastronomic curiosity, mostly produced at home, to being a relevant reality of the Treviso dairy, so much so that it is available both in specialized shops and in the large-scale distribution circuit.
Seasonal
The production requires fresh grape marc and therefore is placed in the period immediately following the harvest: that of the whites, which takes place at the end of August – September, and that of the reds, which follows at the end of September – October.
Conservation
In the cellar or under similar thermo – hydrometric conditions, the whole forms also last from one harvest to another. Once cut and properly protected on the cut, they are kept in the cooler compartment of a ventilated refrigerator.
MOESIN DI FREGONA (p.48)
Origins and history
In the Treviso Prealps, the mountain dairy is still widespread, although the most significant share of production is covered by dairies operating in various locations in the Pedemontana. This is also the case of the High Plateau of Cansiglio, where several alpine pastures are still active, and Fregona, seat of the Dairy Cooperative Agricansiglio, which transforms a good part of the milk produced on the high pastures and in the stables of the surrounding area. As for the most characteristic product of the area, the term “moesin” (soft, or rather fluffy) leaves no doubt about the freshness of this cheese.
Features
Moesin di Fregona is a cheese made from whole pasteurized cow’s milk, coming from the Cansiglio plateau and the surrounding hilly areas of the Treviso Alps. The shape is cylindrical with straight feet 7 cm high; 30-33 cm in diameter; about 6 kg cli weight. The crust is soft, smooth, thin, regular and elastic. The paste, slightly straw-coloured, soft and compact at cut, with little or no holes. The scent is pleasant, the taste is sweet and delicate. At the end of a maturation period of about a dozen days, the fat content is around 30%.
RECIPE – Roulades of cabbage with moesin di Fregona
300 g of moesin di Fregona,
100 g of minced meat
50 g butter,
12 beautiful cabbage leaves
1/2 tomato sauce,
a glass of white wine
little oil,
salt and pepper
Wash, blanch the cabbage leaves for a few moments and spread them to dry on a napkin. Chop the moesin and put them in a pan with tomato sauce, chopped meat and a ladle of hot water in which the butter has been dissolved. Fry slowly, stirring until you have a compound attached. Add salt and pepper and let cool. Grease the bottom of a baking dish with a little oil. On each cabbage leaf put a little filling, wrap forming well closed salamis, place them in the baking dish and sprinkle with a little oil and white wine. Cover with aluminum foil, making it adhere well to the edges. Cook in a warm oven or on a flame. Serve it hot.
Purchase
You can find it the dairy in Fregona that produces it, but also in the company’s sales outlets in Ogliano di Conegliano, San Martino di Colle Umberto, Sarmede and Vittorio Veneto. Moesin is cheese well distributed throughout Treviso.
Seasonal
Very popular dairy product, which does not know seasons thanks to the abundant milk production of Cansiglio and Pedemontana. The shape is unmistakable for the red “Moesin” writing stylized on the plate of the form.
Conservation
It is a substantially fresh cheese, which in a cool and aerated environment can be kept for about 60 days. Once cut, with adequate protection, it is suitable for storage in the ventilated refrigerator.
MONTASIO DOP (p.49)
Origins and history
Important product of the Veneto-Friulian cheese making, Montasio DOP takes its name from a plateau that opens between the Julian Alps, in the Tarvisiano, the origins of the product refer to the thirteenth century and the activities of the monks of the abbey of San Gallo (Moggio dl Supra), at the entrance of the Iron Canal. Over the centuries, the boundaries of production have extended to the entire region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the Venetian lands between the Piave and the Brenta. Worthy of note, outside the PDO, the production of the so-called “drunk” Montasio, matured in grape marc.
Features
The PDO specification describes Montasio as a fat (minimum 40%) cheese with cooked and semi-hard dough, produced exclusively from cow’s milk. The shapes are cylindrical (diameter 30-40 cm), weighing between 5 and 9 kg. Depending on the maturation, three types of product are provided: the ”fresco” (2-5 months); the “semistagionato” or ”mezzano” (5-12 months); the ”vecchio” (over the years). The dough is straw-coloured, with a peacock-like shape, small and homogeneous, glossy internally. The texture is crumbly; the characteristic taste changes from the milkness of the young product to the spiciness of the aged one.
RECIPE – Spumone with asparagus and Montasio DOP
8 Badoere green asparagus,
8 Cimadolmo white asparagus
50 g of yoghurt,
100 g of Montasio seasoned 12 months
S0 g of fresh ricotta
pepper and fresh marjoram flour,
monoseed oil for frying,
salt
Blend the ricotta cheese with montasio, marjoram and pepper, add yogurt and put in the refrigerator for 3 hours. Blanch the asparagus for about 1 in salted water, drain and immediately pass them in frozen salted water. Cut them into rondelle preserving the whole tips, then pass them in flour and fry in oil at 165°. Serve on each floor the fried asparagus and a tuft of Spumone obtained with the help of a sac à poche.
Purchase
Product available at all levels of the trade. The certified shapes are recognizable by the “Montasio” writing that repeats diagonally on the barefoot and by the letter “M”, stylized as two alpine peaks, which interrupts the sequence.
Seasonal
The Treviso dairies of the consortium Dop Agricansiglio, Latteria di San Giacomo di Veglia, Latteria di Tarzo, Latterie Trevigiane, Latteria di Soligo, Caseificio Moro, Latteria Modolo, Formai, Latteria Perenzin, Toniolo Casearia – supply the market with continuity.
Conservation
Montasio is a cheese that in the right environment of a cellar easily faces an aging of one year and more. Once cut, it must be protected and stored in the refrigerator’s cooler compartment.
MORLACCO (p.50)
Origins and history
The name of this cheese refers to an ancient Slavic people of Romance language, the Morlacchi, originating from the mountainous hinterland of Dalmatia, who in front of the Turkish advance sought refuge in the territories controlled by the Republic of Venice. They were accustomed to shepherding, and settled in the area of Monte Grappa, introducing Balkan cheese customs in Veneto, as in the case of morlacco. Unique in its kind, it is a cheese made from raw cow’s milk, semi-fat, traditionally produced in alpine pastures, but today also in factories downstream, prior to heat treatment.
Features
The crust is barely perceptible, but it is marked in the memory of the custom of placing the curd in wicker baskets. In the freshest type, after 15 days, the dough is soft and white, with small holes; the aroma is pronounced; the taste, salty and characteristic, is also expected to mature for a few months, which accentuates color, texture and flavor, as well as covering the form of brown-moldverdaceous. A limited production is obtained from Burlina cow’s milk, an exclusive breed of this area of the Veneto. To be noted, the ancient mode of aging under virgin clay of Possagno or under washed river sand.
RECIPE – Bruschetta with morlacco and celery mousse
200 g of morlacco,
100 g of mascarpone
700 g whipped cream
4 large slices of homemade bread
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
Soften the morlacco at room temperature, then sieve it and mix with mascarpone by adding and gently mixing the whipped cream. Put it to rest in refrigerator. Meanwhile, toast the homemade bread in the oven and make a fine julienne from the celery that you will dip in water and ice for a few hours. Serve a slice of toasted bread on each floor. Sprinkled with some good extra virgin olive oil, place a cheese mousse quenelle on top and finish with the crunchy celery, drained and dried with paper towel.
Purchase
At the origin, during the summer season, reaching the alpine pastures that transform milk in high altitude. Or in the cheese shops of the Pedemontana del Grappa or, more and more often, in the shops that pay attention to typical products.
Seasonal
The production of high mountain is linked to the times of the alpine pasture, which takes place between April and September. Dairy production, dependent on valley bottom livestock farming, meets the demands of the rest of the year.
Conservation
The Morlacco del Grappa is ready to be consumed about fifteen days after processing. After which it is stored in a suitable cellar environment for several months or in the cooler compartment of a ventilated refrigerator.
TALEGGIO DOP (p.51)
Origins and history
This famous cheese takes its name from the Taleggio valley, in the Alta Bergamasca region, to which is attributed since the Middle Ages an unmistakable production of “stracchino” aged in caves. Over time, the production of this soft cheese with raw dough, obtained from whole cow’s milk only, has extended from its place of origin to all the Lombardy Alps and therefore also to a wide range of foothills and plains from Piedmont to Veneto, with specific reference to the province of Treviso. To be noted, the latest trend of tasting Taleggio in combination with fruit mostarda.
Features
The current production specification requires that the quadrangular forms of about 2 kg, after about 40 days of maturation present thin crust, soft and pink in color, with grey – green moulds. The paste, variable from white to straw, uniform and compact, with some very small holes, is more soft under the crust and, at the end of maturation, crumbly in the center of the shape. The taste is sweet, with a slight acidity, slightly aromatic, sometimes with truffle aftertaste, tending to spicy in very mature forms. The fat content is around 50%.
RECIPE – Cannelloni with egg pasta and Taleggio Dop
4 sheets of egg pasta
400 g taleggio,
100 g julienne of leek
80 g ricotta cheese,
80 g low-fat yogurt
chopped chives, thyme, basil and sage
salt and pepper
Melt the taleggio in a bain-marie over low heat and garnish with chopped herbs. Add a little ricotta cheese to the fondue, then let it dry. Pack the small cannelloni, fill them with taleggio cream and place in the oven at 120° for 8′. Pour a little yogurt on the table, made warm and seasoned with a pinch of salt. Arrange the julienne of finely cut leeks cooked or raw), then lay down the cannelloni and finish with a few drops of oil.
Purchase
Taleggio Dop is easily recognizable by the mark – a “T” inscribed in a circle – embossed three times on the crust, as well as the symbol of the protection consortium, “CTT”, within a tricolour clover, shown on the envelope.
Seasonal
Originally linked to the summer cycle of alpine dairy, today Taleggio DOP is continuously produced by first-rate companies.
Conservation
The Taleggio is a cheese to be consumed preferably within one week of purchase. This does not detract from the fact that, wrapped in a damp cloth, it can be stored in the refrigerator’s cooler compartment for several weeks.
Fruits and vegetables
ASPARAGO BIANCO DEL SILE
Origins and history
Originally from the temperate zones of Asia, asparagus has been cultivated in Veneto since the Roman age. The first documentary records date back to the Venetian period and show that various areas of river soils, with sandy composition, have developed a specialization in this sense. The planting of an asparagiaia is laborious: it requires a deep plowing with long-term liming, then the burial of the underground stems, the so-called “legs”, from which will shoot those long sprouts, properly called “turioni”, we call asparagus. The harvest of vegetables is possible from the third to the eighth year and takes place mostly: in April-May.
Features
To obtain perfectly white shoots, the asparagus is protected from light with a black cloth. Asparagus is white-ivory with a slight pink colour and the tip is not totally compact, sometimes slightly curved; the length prescribed is 12-22 cm and the size 8-20 mm. The production concerns the territory of Treviso and some municipalities of the river area of the Sile: Vedelago, Morgano, Quinto di Treviso, Zero Branco, Silea, Casier, Casale sul Sile, Preganziol, Mogliano Veneto, Istrana and in part Resana.
RECIPE – Risotto with asparagus
600g of white asparagus from Sile,
350g of rice vialone nano
60g butter,
1 new onion,
1 glass of dry white wine
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 l of broth, parsley,
grated grana padano,
salt and pepper
Peel the asparagus, detach the tips (which you will keep aside), remove the woody part of the stem and cut into pieces. Clean and slice the onion, then sauté it in a pan can oil and half of the butter. Once it has wilted, add the asparagus (excluding the tips) and leave to flavor for a few minutes. Pour the rice, toast for a few minutes and blend with wine. When the wine has completely evaporated, stir in the boiling broth little by little. 5 before the cooking is finished, add the tips of asparagus and chopped parsley; adjust salt. When the rice is still a bit, remove it from the heat, mix with the remaining butter and some tablespoons of grated grain.
Purchase
Asparagus is mostly sold in bundles, bound by willow or similar fibres and bearing labels proving its origin. Alternative presentation is in small wooden boxes. In principle, the size and length of the shoots must be uniform.
Seasonal
The product is available in all markets of Treviso from the last period of February – although the first fruits can be delayed by cold – until mid-June. The best time for quality and price is the first half of May.
Conservation
Asparagus is a very perishable product, which quickly loses those freshness characteristics that make up its value. The storage period should be as short as possible, taking care to store the bunch in the refrigerator, in the vegetable compartment, wrapped in a damp cloth.
CIMADOLMO WHITE ASPARAGUS IGP
Origins and history
The production concerns the portion of the Piave valley that on the hydrographic left involves the municipalities of Breda di Piave, Cimadolmo, Fontanelle, Mareno di Piave, Maserada sul Piave, Oderzo, Ormelle, Ponte di Piave, San Polo di Piave, Santa Lucia di Piave and Vazzola. The production capital, Cimadolmo, already mentioned in this regard in the seventeenth century, today is the venue of an exhibition competition, held between April and May, and starting point of a road of ‘Asparagus that along a route of 90 km touches all 11 municipalities consortia.
Features
It was the first asparagus in Europe to obtain recognition of the Protected Geographical Indication in 2001. Its characteristic is the white color, also called “alabastrino” because it is translucent; this tone must be pure, that is free from green or pink shades, and so it protects the shoots from light by spreading black sheets on the field. The production specification lgp provides for the following values for the turions: size 6-22 mm and length 17-22 cm (plus for category extra). The organoleptic qualities of the vegetable are influenced by the composition of the river soils of the Piave valley, loose and fertile, and the climatic trend, with rainfall of ideal frequency for asparagus. From this, the definition of Cimadolmo’s White Asparagus as “white gold” of Piave.
RECIPE – White asparagus of Cimadolmo Igp gratinated with morlacco
1 kg of white asparagus from Cimadolmo
200 g of morlacco
butter,
salt
Clean the asparagus, peel and remove the hard end. Wash them, boil them al dente in plenty of salted water, placing them, tied to a bunch, with the tips facing upwards and just above the level of the water In mudo that these last cook only with steam. Drain them, place in a buttered baking dish and cover with thin slices of Morlacco. Bake at 200° until well browned.
Purchase
The White Asparagus of Cimadolmo IGP can be recognised by the label that shows the name of the product and the acronym of the protection mark in the printing and image established by the production specification. The asparagus grown in the municipality of Cimadolmo can be given the additional name “Piave”.
Use
The Venetian tradition, especially strong in white asparagus, proposes them first with eggs, a dish that is valid as an appetizer but also as a dish, or as an ingredient of a wave risotto or a homemade tagliatelle. Recent trend is to obtain strips, cutting them “carpaccio”, as a basis for salads or garnishes of various kinds.
Conservation
The preservation of asparagus in brine is quite widespread, after peeling and short boiling of the turions. The vegetables thus preserved do not lend themselves to the most usual culinary preparations, but are very sought after for garnish of dishes of salami and other appetizers as an alternative to the more usual pickles.
BADOERE ASPARAGUS (Pag. 16)
Origins and history
This production takes its name from the town of Morgano that offers one of the most picturesque images of the Treviso countryside: the Rotonda di Badoere, in fact, is a square almost unique in its kind, designed by two large curvilinear porticoes, the so-called “barchesse”, built in the seventeenth century on the edge of a Palladian villa to delimit an area of market. This is the place that sees it come back every spring, from April 25th to May 1st, a festival of asparagus that gives credit to the most typical product of the area.
Features
The production specification for PGI (in itinere) provides for two varieties of vegetables: white asparagus, with round heads of 12-20 mm and 14-22 cm length, straight and possibly pinkish at the tip, and green asparagus, with round heads of 12-20 mm and 18-27 cm length, with any violet shades and slight apical curvature. The production area, in fact, covers the area between the rivers Dese, Zero and Sile, and several municipalities in three provinces: Treviso (Casale sul Sile, Casier, Istrana, Mogliano Veneto, Morgano, Paese, Preganziel, Quinte di Treviso, Resana, Treviso, Vedelago, Zero Branco), Padua (Piombino Dese, Trebaseleghe), and Venice (Scorzè).
RECIPE – Asparagus crudaiola with crunchy prawns
20 prawns
6 white asparagus of Badoere
Fresh salad, corn flour
sesame seeds,
3 egg whites
olive oil, salt
Shell the shrimp, wash and dip them in the egg white; then pass them in corn flour and finally in the sesame seeds and dip them in a pan with boiling oil so as to brown them. Drain them with a skimmer and place to dry on a paper towel. Clean and peel the asparagus and slice thinly with a mandolin. Place on the plates a bed of novella salad, lie down over the asparagus and finish with warm shrimp. Season with a little oil and a pinch of salt and serve.
PURCHASE
Badoere asparagus is marketed in bundles of 0.5 – 1.2 kg, of homogeneous size and length, tied with raffia and bearing a label with the words concerning the Community protection mark, symbol (stylization of five asparagus on the background of Barchessa di Badoere) and seal of guarantee.
USE
Green asparagus has a characteristic taste and is suitable for culinary preparations complementary to those mentioned for white. Boiled, for example, can be served with Bismark, remixed in butter and served with fried eggs. It can be used more simply with white asparagus by taking advantage of the beautiful contrast of colors.
CURATIVE PROPERTIES
Asparagus is a vegetable with strong depurative and diuretic qualities, and is also slightly laxative. As for the circulation, it fluidifies the blood and helps those who suffer from palpitations. Rich in vitamin A and B, it also provides a remarkable mineral complex, in which manganese, iron and phosphorus stand out.
BISO DI BORSO DEL GRAPPA (P. 17)
Origins and history
The original range of the cultivated species is the South-West of Asia, and from here along the ancient trade routes began its expansion towards Europe, presumably through Greece and then along the consular roads of the Roman Empire. In Borso del Grappa, a town in the Pedemontana region, the cultivation of grapes has a centuries-old tradition, as can be seen from the annals of the Republic of Venice; the most interesting records concern the supplies of first fruits for the Doge to honour the feast of the patron saint Mark, April 25, with the quintessential spring dish, “risi e bisi”.
Features
The production mainly concerns the territory of Borso del Grappa and in particular the most exposed foothills, which farmers made available by arranging terraces (“margiere”) supported by dry stone walls. This arrangement allowed a particularly early harvest, which was one of the strengths of Borso’s production. The origin of the fame of the product, however, are those characteristics of consistency and sweetness above average, due to the happy pedoclimatic reality of the place. The fate of the product is followed by the Association of Bisicoltori of Borso del Grappa, formed in 1980.
RECIPE – Tagliatelle with peas
400 g egg noodles
250 g of Borso bisi already spattered
20 g of sweet bacon
1 onion,
chopped parsley
extra virgin olive oil,
grana padano
salt and pepper
Fry without adding fat the bacon cubes, add the onion finely chopped and fry gently in a large pan with very little oil. Add the peas and cook on a high heat for about 10. Add salt and pepper and finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley. Cook the tagliatelle in plenty of salted water and boiling, then drain them al dente and sauté them in a pan with peas and a little cooking water, sprinkled with grana padano.
Purchase
The recommendation is to go on site to source from the producers. Elsewhere, make sure that the packaging bears the “Biso de Borso” quality mark, recognised by the Chamber of Commerce of Treviso.
Seasonal
The product is available from the end of April to early June. The gastronomic event Biso and Verdiso, which combines traditional and creative recipes with sparkling white wine typical of Pedemontana del Grappa.
Conservation
The vegetable in pods resists better than the product with grains, which however is suitable for several days of stay in the refrigerator. Other methods: deep-freezing, very effective; natural canning, after boiling, easy to use at home.
BORLOTTO BEAN NANO LEVADA
Origins and history
The beans of the borlotti family arrive in Veneto around 1530 thanks to the Italian Pietro Valeriano, the official of Pope Clement VII: legumes, arrived a few years earlier from the Americas, are a botanical curiosity that the king of Spain proposes to the pontiff, forager of a small food revolution. From the plateau of Lamon, in the middle valley of the Piave, where the bean is wonderfully adapted, it’s a matter of passing through the Treviso Foothills to find equally suitable environments. This applies to Levada, a locality of the present-day municipality of Pederobba, which is traditionally supervised by a special Brotherhood of the Bean.
Features
The Levada bean has pods between 15 and 17 cm long, flattened and mottled red on a cream white background. The beans inside vary in number from six to eight and are of good size, round and elongated, with a characteristic very thin skin of white color mottled with red. With cooking produces a light broth and acquires a delicate flavor. The production is widespread in the municipalities of Pederobba, Cavaso del Tomba, Possagno, Cornuda and Crocetta del Montello.
RECIPE – Pasta and beans
500 g fresh Levada beans
100 g of fingers,
100 g of Piave cheese
1 celery,
1 red onion,
1 carrot,
3 potatoes
bay leaf,
sage, rosemary
30 g of lard,
salt and pepper
Scald the beans in boiling water for a few minutes, then drain. Clean and wash the vegetables, coarsely chop them and fry in a pan with little oil, lard and spices. Add the beans and cover with water, leaving to cook for a couple of hours, then mix everything. Bring the past to a boil, add salt and cook the pasta. It is better to serve the pasta and beans the day after preparation. You can also serve with a black pepper and a sprinkling of grated Piave.
Purchase
Favorable occasions for buying are the fairs held in the towns of Pedemontana and Montello, as in the case of the Bean Festival of Covolo di Piave, at the beginning of September. The guarantee of origin is left to individual producers.
Seasonal
For immediate use, the Levada bean is available fresh, in pods or grain, at local markets from late July to late September. The rest of the year, the product is available dry, in bulk or packaged, to be stored in suitable conditions.
Conservation
The fresh grain can be stored after deep-freezing, after having portioned it into appropriate bags. Better still to freeze the cooked or blanched product. The traditional practice of sun drying can also be implemented at home.
FASOL DEL LAGO (p.19)
Origins and history
This legume takes its name from the town of Lago, which with nearby Revine since 1866, the year Veneto was annexed to the Kingdom of Italy, forms the municipality of Revine Lago. The municipal territory stretches from the valley floor, where there are actually two bodies of water, to the southern slope of the prealpine ridge that divides Treviso from Belluno. This is the picture of a niche horticultural production – extended also to Cison di Valmarino, Follina, Miane and Tarzo – in which the bean, traditionally associated with corn, excels. Cultivation techniques are inspired by traditional practices, with fertilization preferably based on manure and pest control in principle without the use of chemicals.
Characteristics
It is a variety of cannellini bean locally identified as “Mama Alta” or “Bonel.” It is a medium-high climbing plant whose white flowers appear around 20 cm above the ground about 60 days after planting. The pods measure 12-14 cm and contain 6-7 seeds. The dry bean has a rather elongated, slightly flattened shape and a color ranging from cream to uniform light brown. It has average size: length 17.5 mm, thickness 0.7 mm, seed weight 0.6 g.
RECIPE – Ristretto of beans and mussels
800 g fasoi de Lago beans,
500 g fresh mussels,
50 g lard
40 g red onion,
2 ribs of celery
extra virgin olive oil,
1/2 glass white wine
fresh thyme,
1 clove of garlic,
salt and pepper
Clean and wash the mussels. Transfer them to a large pot with garlic and oil, put the lid on and cook for 5′, until they have all opened. Strain and save the cooking juices. Steam the beans (or, boil them), bringing them up to half-cooked. Meanwhile, peel the onion, wash the celery and chop them, to finally brown them in a pan with the oil, thyme and lard. Add the beans to the sauté and cook for 3′. Puree 2/3 of the beans in a blender until thickened. Pour a ladleful of the ristretto into the bottom of each top, arrange the shelled mussels around it, and finish with the beans left whole. Dress everything with the mussel base and garnish with a sprig of parsley.
BUY
II Fasol de Lago can be found commercially in every season of the year as dried grains. It is mostly packaged in breathable fabric bags bearing a label proving the origin of the product.
SEASONALITY
Harvesting of the dry product begins in September and continues until early November. Sought after for its delicate taste and particularly tender skin, it finds ideal use in the preparation of soups and stews.
STORAGE
The product, usually dried on the plant, is harvested, shelled and subjected to freezing to deactivate the eggs of a beetle, the weevil. Which tends to develop to the detriment of legumes. Thus treated, the beans are preserved in an appropriate environment from one season to the next.
CULTIVATED MUSHROOMS OF MONTELLO (P. 20)
Origins and history
Veneto, a region rich in wild mushrooms, can also be said to be in an enviable position when it comes to fungiculture. The pioneer of ‘activity, in the early 20th century, was in fact Count Giulio Da Schio from Vicenza, although the promoter of ‘innovative cave culture in Costozza, in the Berici Hills, was his son Alvise, Italy’s first graduate in mycology in 1932. More recent is the reality of Montello, which was started in the 1950s in the municipalities of Venegazzù and Paese, and soon came to cover half of the national production.
Features
The cultivation technique requires a natural substrate to be inoculated with fungal spores, so that under proper conditions of temperature, humidity and lighting the mushrooms can develop to commercial size. The species of primary interest are: the meadow mushroom (Agaricus bisposrus), off-white in color, familiar to all as “champignon,” also suitable for raw consumption; the chilblain (Pleurotus ostreatus), locally known as “brisa,” of broad cap and suitable for grilling; and the poplar mushroom (Pholiota aegerita), gathered in characteristic familias, for cooking in stews. II sector has the highest concentration in the municipalities of Paese, Trevignano, Carbonera, Vedelago, Pederobba, Moriago and Istrana.
RECIPE – Mushroom Crespelle
8 crespelle,
600 g Montello mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped parsley,
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove of garlic,
300 g dl béchamel sauce
50 g robiola cheese,
200 ml cream,
50 g butter
2 tablespoons parmesan cheese,
marjoram leaves,
salt
Clean the mushrooms well, slice them and sauté them for about 5′ in a pan with oil, parsley and a clove of garlic. Then add them to the béchamel sauce in which you have dissolved the robiola cheese. Stir, adding the cream so that the mixture is creamy. Spread some of the mushroom filling on each crespelle, then fold it into four. Lay the crespelle in a buttered baking dish; overlapping them slightly, pour the leftover mushroom béchamel sauce over them, add some butter flakes here and there, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake at 180° for about 15′. Serve immediately, decorating with marjoram leaves.
PURCHASE
Farms are organized to start the mushroom production cycle according to predictable seasonal trends, supplying markets day by day with product packed in baskets or crates.
SEASONALITY
Production, given the artificial environment, knows no rest, although greater is the demand from the autumn market, when Treviso’s restaurant industry offers dishes of all kinds based on wild and cultivated mushrooms.
STORAGE
Mushrooms, if kept in their original moisture-preserving packages, have fair shelf life and can be stored in the refrigerator like other vegetables. Once cooked, they can be frozen without any problem.
BIANCOPERLA CORN
Origins and history
Among the products of the New World, maize (Zea mais) is the one that has had the greatest influence on the daily diet in the Veneto region because of the plant’s perfect acclimatization to the lowland environment. Here cornmeal polenta has become a substitute for bread: being prepared either soft, “by the spoonful,” or firmer, so that it can be cut with a thread; in the aftermath, still sliced, it can be toasted on the grill. Those who associate cornmeal with yellow, however, will also have to consider white in the Veneto, especially in the eastern sector, where Biancoperla corn has taken root.
Characteristics
Biancoperla corn is a collection of local free-pollinated populations. They are currently grown and conserved by the Associazione Conservatori Mais Biancoperla (Biancoperla Corn Conservators Association), established through the “Strimpelli” Institute of Lonigo and based at the “Sartor” Agricultural Institute of Castelfranco. The plants are very tall, with a medium-long cycle; the panicles tapered and long, with large pearly-colored glassy or glassy-seeded grains. The flour, obtained by stone grinding, is used to make a fine, white polenta with a delicate flavor, commonly called “di Treviso,” but actually widespread from Padovano to the Venice lagoon, with combinations varying from bird spit to sarde in saor.
RECIPE – Deep-fried schile di sacca on white polenta
1 I of water
250-300 g Biancoperla cornmeal,
8 g salt
800 g schile (gray shrimp)
200 g flour,
oil for frying,
salt
Bring the water to a boil and when it is about to boil pour in the salt. Sprinkle in the Biancoperla cornmeal, stirring vigorously with a whisk. Let the polenta simmer, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for at least 40′. When cooked, turn up the heat and stir continuously for 3 to 4′, then remove from heat and drain. Flour and sift the schile to remove excess flour. In a skillet, heat the oil well and fry the schile in it until they turn nice and red, drain and season with salt. Serve the schile on a serving platter over a bed of soft white polenta.
PURCHASE
Biancoperla corn is protected by a Slow Food presidium. The Treviso producers are: the Sartor Institute of Castelfranco Veneto and the companies R. Ballan of Castelfranco Veneto, G. Gazzola of Vedelago. Le Sorgenti of Godega di Sant’Urbano and Tenuta Ca’ Tron of Roncade.
SEASONALITY
The new crop is available towards the end of summer. The grain, however, can be stored in special rooms and started for milling according to market demand throughout the year.
STORAGE
In a suitable environment, flour, especially if vacuum-packed, has several months of shelf life. Whole-wheat flour, on the other hand, has less shelf life because of the fat component derived from its germ.
AMERICAN POTATO OF ZERO BRANCO
Origins and history
The appellation “American” potato refers to the fact that it was Christopher Columbus himself who brought it to Europe aboard his caravels, well before the potato proper, which originated instead in the Andes. Scientific name Ipomea batata, it is a tuberaceous plant that develops an aerial part with heart-shaped leaves and purple flowers; the fleshy roots have slightly sweet flesh, with a chestnut aftertaste, and a more viscous texture than the normal potato. Available from August to December, it is purchased as an autumn fruit to be eaten boiled, but there is no shortage of more complex preparations, such as gnocchi, seasoned with savory sauces to offset its sweetness.
Characteristics
The crop has as its nominal reference the municipality of Zero Branco, but in fact it also affects the center of Morgano. If soil and climate are favorable, as in the aforementioned area, the cultivation of the American potato requires only adequate tillage and organic fertilization. A somewhat hardy vegetable, within a few months it brings to maturity elongated, pear-shaped tubers weighing between 50 and 150 g. Characteristic of the Treviso product are the texture and sweetness of the pulp, which are difficult to obtain elsewhere.
RECIPE – American Potato Pinza
2 kg American potatoes from Zero Branco
500 g flour,
500 g sugar
the zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange
a pinch of salt, butter
in addition and to taste: raisins, dried figs, sliced apples
Boil the potatoes, peel them and mash them while still hot in a potato masher. Pour over the resulting mashed potatoes, a little at a time, the flour and sugar and knead everything carefully and long. Finally, add the salt, grated lemon and orange peels and other chosen ingredients to the mixture and mix well. Pour the mixture into a round baking pan previously greased with butter and place in a preheated oven at 180°: let it bake until a light crust of a nice golden color has formed on the surface.
PURCHASE
The Treviso market is the distribution hub for a product that largely crosses provincial borders. Locally, the American potato is a discrete but unfailing presence on fruit and vegetable shelves.
SEASONALITY
The American potato is available on the market in August, September, October and November. Typical restaurants take advantage of this to involve it in seasonal proposals, especially in the form of first courses side dishes and desserts.
CONSERVATION
Attentions are the same as for the normal potato: cool and ventilated environment, with special attention to protection from light to prevent the buds that dot the skin from sprouting.
MONTELLO POTATO (p. 23)
Origins and history
The success of the potato has followed winding roads: from its lands of origin in South America to Spain and from there to the rest of Europe, passing through botanical gardens, such as that of Padua, and seaports, as happened in Venice. These two circumstances have made the Veneto one of Italy’s regions of earliest commitment to the sector, from large-scale cultivation in the plains to small-scale cultivation in the mountains. Montello, the verdant ridge that rises west of the Piave River in the Upper Marca Trevigiana, has been one of the most favorable areas for this crop since the late 19th century.
Characteristics
Production concerns the municipalities of Crocetta del Montello, Giavera del Montello, Nervesa della Battaglia, Volpago del Montello and Montebelluna, and to be precise the hamlets of Biadene, Caonada, Venegazzù, Selva, Bavaria, Santa Croce, Santa Maria della Vittoria, Pederiva and Santi Angeli, where an ideal pedoclimatic combination is achieved for the production of the most renowned varieties (Lisetta, Monnalisa, Desirèe, Bintje, Kennebec, etc.). Cultivation is traditional-organic fertilization and weed and pest control without the use of chemicals-in compliance with a specification developed by the Amici Bosco Montello group.
RECIPE – Parsley potato croquettes
1.2 kg Montello palate,
150 g breadcrumbs
100 g grated grana padano cheese,
6 eggs,
plenty of chopped parsley,
flour, nutmeg,
salt and pepper
Wash and cook the patentees in salted water for 30′ over moderate heat; drain them and let them cool, mash them in a potato masher, add four egg yolks (keeping the egg whites aside, parsley, grana cheese, salt and pepper; season with a little grated nutmeg and mix well. Using your hands, form croquettes about 5 cm long 0 2 cm in diameter and flour them; place them on a surface and dust with flour. Whisk the two remaining eggs in a bowl together with the egg whites kept aside, and salt lightly; dip the croquettes into them, one by one, and bread them in the breadcrumbs. Fry the croquettes in hot oil, drain on paper towels and serve piping hot.
BUY
Montello potatoes-packed in 5-, 15- and 30-kilogram bags-are mostly marketed in communes of origin under registered trademarks, in the perspective of EU recognition of PGI.
SEASONALITY
Production involves early, medium and late varieties, reasoning that the new crop reaches markets from summer to late fall. Of note, in the first decade of September, is the Montebelluna Potato Festival.
CONSERVATION
Potatoes have no special needs: just store them in a well-ventilated cellar environment, protecting them from light to avoid that sprouting that compromises the best culinary yield of the tubers.
POTATO FROM QUARTIERE DEL PIAVE (P. 24)
Origins and history
The name Quartier del Piave refers back to the Republic of Venice and refers to one of the four districts that made up the Podesteria of Treviso at that time. In geographic terms it is the plain between the Piave River and the hills between Valdobbiadene and Conegliano, falling by administration into the present municipalities of Vidor, Moriago, Farra di Soligo, Sernaglia, Pieve di Soligo and Refrontolo. Between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, the area acquired interest for potato cultivation because of its typical reddish soils-the so-called “ferretti,” rich in iron oxides generated by the disintegration of calcareous rocks-especially suitable for this purpose.
Features
Production is concentrated in the triangle whose vertexes are Moriago, Vidor and Sernaglia and involves several of the best-known potato varieties, such as Spunta and Monnalisa. A cultivation practice inspired by tradition undoubtedly contributes to the quality of the vegetables: scrupulous seed selection; soil preparation with mechanical tillage; exclusively organic fertilization; weeding without recourse to chemical products; and pesticide treatments limited to applications of Bordeaux mixture (copper sulfate mixed with lime), which is well known for use in vineyards.
RECIPE – Spring potato timbale
100 g Quartier del Piave potatoes,
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
1 egg,
nutmeg,
salt and pepper,
300 g chicken nuggets
1 carrot,
1 zucchini,
2 asparagus,
150 g peas
50 g bruscandoli (wild hops),
extra virgin olive oil, salt
Wash the palate and boil them in plenty of water; when they are cooked, drain, peel and mash them in a potato masher. Add the parmesan cheese, |egg, salt, pepper and In nutmeg or mix everything until smooth. Pour the mixture into four buttered molds and cook in a bain-marie for 5′. Wash the bruscandoli and cook them in boiling water; drain and arrange on a plate. Clean, wash and dice the carrot and zucchini. Brown the chicken in a little oil; add the vegetables and peas and cook over high heat. Serve a timbale on each top with a few spoonfuls of chicken ragiù; finish with bruscandoli and some boiled asparagus cut lengthwise.
PURCHASE
Marketing takes place in bags of various weights under the Quartier del Piave potato brand. An opportunity to get in direct contact with the producers is the Potato Festival two is held at Ferragosto in Moriago.
SEASONALITY
The Quartier del Piave potato debuts on the market in late summer with the early varieties, which are gradually succeeded by other varieties. At the same time, the season for gnocchi in various sauces, from black truffles to mushrooms, from pigeon to hare, proceeds.
STORAGE
One way to extend the potato season at will is to prepare a supply of gnocchi in the most propitious market season; frozen in studied portions, they keep for a long time without losing any of their goodness.
ZERO BRANCO BELL PEPPER (p. 25)
Origins and history
From its areas of origin, Central to South America, the bell pepper (Caspicum annuum) arrived in Spain in the retinue of Christopher Columbus and from there it spread as much in the Old Continent, where until then pepper was the most widespread spicy spice, as in the Asian colonies earning a primary role in the cuisine of many countries. In the Mediterranean belt the use of the sweet varieties is prevalent, used raw in salads or for stewed dishes such as peperonata cha unites various Italian regions, from Piedmont to Veneto to Sicily. In Zero Branco the cultivation from peppers has ancient origins ad it is favored by the particularity of the climatic conditions.
Characteristics
In the Treviso area, the reference variety was the renowned Quadrato d’Asti, characterized by a cubic-elongated shape, which, however, has been replaced over the years with other varieties that still refer to the same type of vegetable, selected to get the best from the cool, water-rich environment of the production area. II peperone di Zero Branco is very fleshy, with a considerable specific weight and a regular, very homogeneous appearance. The color is bright yellow. II taste is sweet and should not be spicy.
RECIPE – Canapés with bell pepper mousse and green celery
200 g peppers from Zero Branco,
200 g green celery
150 g butter,
80 g fresh cream,
2 shallots,
extra virgin olive oil
200 g sandwich bread,
vegetable broth,
salt and pepper
Peel the celery and cut it thinly. Brown the chopped shallot in a saucepan with a little oil, add 150 g dl celery, season with salt and pepper and wet with a little broth. Finish cooking remove from heat and drain. Put the celery in the cutter, blend until pureed and pass through a sieve. Whip the puree in the cutter with 80g butter, 40g cream, salt and pepper. Separately, peel the peppers, flavor them in a saucepan with the shallot, salt and pepper, blend them and whip them in the cutter with the remaining butter and cream. Cut 3 cm discs from the bread and toast them in the oven. Using a sac à poche, place the two mousses on each disc and garnish on top with thinly sliced celery, lightly blanched in a pan with a little oil.
BUY
Product easily available in the provincial market. Excellent opportunity to make direct contact with the producers and the popular Peperone Festival held in Zero Branco each year between late August and early September.
SEASONALITY
Zero Branco bell pepper production is started in greenhouses and in open fields, with sowings staggered in time so that traders can have them available from June to September.
STORAGE
Fresh product will keep a few days in the refrigerator. Once cooked, it can be frozen, although with some loss of flesh texture. Quite common, pickled or natural storage.
RADICCHIO ROSSO DI TREVISO IGP
Origins and history
“Radicchios” are part of the chicory family, derived from the wild species Cichorium intybus, which gladdens uncultivated fields with its blue flowers. The cultivation of the first varieties of red-leaf radicchio, probably imported from the East, dates back to the 15th century, and since the second half of the 19th century the Veneto region, and in particular the province of Treviso, has made its production significant and in fact exclusive. In particular, what makes this Treviso vegetable unique is the practice of so-called “forcing,” applied to the winter varieties, which with a completely natural artifice-the accumulation above ground, under tarpaulins-are stimulated to emit more: crisp and flavorful leaves. Testifying to the role of radicchio in Treviso’s gastronomic tradition is one of the most popular dishes of the Piave Valley, “radici e fasioi,” today (enhanced by a special gastronomic confraternity, consisting of a ‘red radicchio salad, garnished with a bean puree and a lard soffritto, replaced in today’s version by extra – virgin olive oil. Giving the official seal to this reality was the agronomist Giuseppe Benzi, who in 1900 promoted the First Exhibition of Radicchio, held on December 20 under the Loggia of Piazza dei Signori in Treviso, while the most recent recognition is the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) mark, granted by the European Community in July 1996.
Features
Red radicchio production involves about thirty municipalities in the province of Treviso (Breda di Piave, Carbonera, Casale sul Sile, Casier, Castelfranco Veneto, Castello di Godego, lstrana, Loria, Maserada sul Piave, Mogliano Veneto, Monastier, Morgano, Paese, Ponzano Veneto, Preganziol, Quinto di Treviso, Resana, Riese Pio X, Roncade, San Biagio di Callalta, Silea, Spresiano, Trevignano, Treviso, Vedelago, Villorba, Zenson di Piave, Zero Branco) and a dozen other neighboring municipalities in the provinces of Padua and Venice. Two types are scheduled:
- Early Red Radicchio, characterized by leaves with a very pronounced main rib: white in color branching into many small pinnacles in the deep red of the greatly developed leaf blade. The head is voluminous – 18-25 cm long, 150 g minimum weight – elongated and tightly closed with modest root portion. II taste of the leaf is slightly bitter and of medium crunchy texture.
- Late Red Radicchio, also called “spadone,” has regular, uniform shoots with good firmness. The leaves are serrate, tending to close at the apical part; the leaf blade is wine-red in color with a white dorsal rib. The tapeless head has a minimum diameter at the collar of 3 cm, a length of 15-25 cm and a minimum weight of 100 g; the root is proportionate to it, but never more than 6 cm. The taste of the leaf is bitterish and crisp in texture.
RECIPE – Radicchio Rosso di Treviso Igp quiche with fresh goat cheese
800 g red radicchio from Treviso,
400 g brisée pastry
for the filling: 200 g fresh goat cheese, 200 g fontina cheese
4 eggs, 1 dl fresh cream, 1 dl milk, truffle essential oil
50 g grated grana padano cheese, salt and pepper
Wash the radicchio, dry it and cut it into small pieces. Wilt it quickly in a pan, with a little oil, season with salt and pepper. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough and line a nonstick mold about 30 cm in diameter. The remaining dough will be used to pack the strips to be placed like a tart. Once cooled, spread the radicchio over the tart pan. Cut the cheeses into small pieces and place them all over the tart pan. lIn a bowl pack the appareil, mixing eggs, cream and milk, salt and pepper and grated grana cheese. Pour the appareil into the cake pan. Decorate with leftover dough strips and bake at 180° for about 40 to 50′.
PURCHASE
Radicchio Rosso di Treviso is a ubiquitous and unmistakable product because of its Igp label. Of note are the many gastronomic events, starting with the ancient Mostra del Radicchio Rosso di Treviso, normally held in Treviso the weekend before Christmas.
SEASONALITY
The harvest of Radicchio Rosso Precoce begins on the first of September; that of Tardivo, on the first of November (after it has undergone at least two frosts), although, given the bleaching stage, it does not reach the markets until the middle of the month. From these dates, the market is supplied continuously for several months, until almost spring.
STORAGE
Like all head vegetables, Radicchio Rosso di Treviso has good storage margins, also favored by retaining part of the taproot. The product, cooked especially when stewed, lends itself to freezing.
RADICCHIO VARIEGATO DI CASTELFRANCO IGP (p. 28)
Origins and history
The Variegato Radicchio of Castelfranco has a history very similar to that of the “cousin” of Treviso: same historical roots, which refer to the agricultural development of the mainland domains of the Republic of Venice; close botanical relationship, except for the shape of the head, which in this case is globose, and the lighter color of the leaves; similarly, the agronomic practice, which provides for the so-called “forcing”, or the early harvest and accumulation under tarpaulins, so that a lump of new leaves forms in the heart of the vegetable, of delicate taste and crunchy texture. After dressing, which removes the withered leaves from the cold, what remains and a sprout that deserves the nickname of “winter flower”, a kind of rose with cream-colored hairs mottled with red. The production of Radicchio, both Rosso di Treviso and Variegato di Castelfranco; represents one of the most interesting realities of Italian horticulture both for its advanced image policy and for the wide gastronomic feedback, The radicchio offers one of the most captivating images of the Venetian cuisine both for the color note that lights on the winter tables and for the multiple uses that cooks make it, raw or cooked, playing with its delicate bitter note: salads and starters, Risotto and stuffed pastries, braised and grilled side dishes, even sweets and liqueurs. Proven its health virtues: consumed raw and rich in minerals and vitamins; diuretic and purifying, it promotes intestinal transit; easily digestible, stimulates liver and bile functions; slightly sedative properties, relieves insomnia.
Features
The production area of Radicchio Variegato di Castelfranco lgp includes 25 municipalities in Treviso (Breda dl Piave, Carbonera, Casale sul Sile, Casier, Castelfranco Veneto, Castello di Godego, lstrana, Loria, Maserada sul Piave, Mogliano Veneto, Morgano, Paese, Ponzano Veneto, Preganziol, Quinta di Treviso, Resana, Riese Pio X, San Biagio cli Callalta, Silea, Spresiano, Trevignano, Treviso, Vedelago, Villorba and Zero Branco) and others of the neighbouring area in the provinces of Padua and Venice. The production specification of the PGI describes Radicchio Variegalo di Castelfranco as a vegetable in its head with a minimum diameter of 15 cm and a weight not less than 100 g; starting from the base there is a round of flat leaves, a second round of raised leaves, a third round even more inclined and so on until you reach the heart. After the dressing, the head retains part of the stem, but not more than 4 cm. The color of the leaves is cream-white with variegations distributed evenly throughout the leaf plant of different colors from light purple to bright red. The taste of the leaves is sweet to pleasant bitterness very delicate.
RECIPE – Radicchio Variegato from Castelfranco with rabbit thigh
300 g of Castelfranco braised variegated radicchio
4 boneless rabbit legs,
8 slices of aromatic lard
Rabbit bones,
little flour and a bit of vegetable broth
extra virgin olive oil,
salt and pepper
Prepare four bundles with the braised radicchio wrapped in slices of lard. Bone the rabbit thighs, keeping their shape, and fill them with a bunch of radicchio each. Salt, pepper and wrap each leg in an aluminum foil wrap; tie with kitchen twine or bake at 130° for 25 . Remove from the paper and fry the legs in a pan for a few minutes with a veil of oil. Prepare the sauce: roast the rabbit bones in a can of oil in the oven until they have released a kind of “caramel”. Infarinatale, refilled and wet with a couple of ladles vegetable broth mixed, thickened and passed through the colino. Serve the thighs with grilled polenta and some tablespoons of sauce.
Purchase
Radicchio is easily available in the market, guaranteed by the IGP mark. Not to be missed the gastronomic appointment with the Exhibition of Radicchio Variegato di Castelfranco, which takes place in Castelfranco Veneto in mid-December.
Seasonal
The harvest officially begins on the first of October, but the producers’ prudence, which proceed with seed in stages, allows consumers to have Radicchio Variegato di Castelfranco until March.
Conservation
To prolong the freshness it is recommended to keep it away from light sources. Consumption, mainly raw, limits the use of deep-freezing.
RADICIO VERDON DA CORTEL (p. 30)
Origins and history
Rustic vegetable belonging to the large group of chicory or radicchio, harvested and consumed since time immemorial. Although related to the noble radicchi of Treviso and Castelfranco, it does not boast an adoption location, but can be called the popular heritage of the Marca Trevigiana. Before someone thought to grow it, in fact, I was looking for the meadows, along the trosis (ie the rows of vines) as soon as spring tempered the days, hence the name “root from cortèl”, or “root from troso”, with clear reference to the method and place of collection.
Features
the production concerns the municipalities of Casale sul Sile, Casier, Istrana, Monastier, Paese, Penzano Veneto, Preganziol, Quinto di Treviso, Roncade, San Biagio di Callalta and Zero Branco. This radicchio forms a resect of leaves of intense green color with a diameter of 7-8 cm, progressively lighter towards the center until almost white. The sowing takes place between August and September, but the crucial moment of the vegetative cycle comes with the frost that wilts the outer leaves stimulating at the beginning of spring the formation of an inner bundle with medium crunchy leaves, of fresh, pleasantly herbaceous taste and very slightly bitter.
RECIPE – Radicio Verdòn da cortèl with lard
300 g green root from the cartons
80 g of lard
red wine vinegar
salt and pepper in grains
Clean and wash the radicchio and place it in a salad bowl. Fry slowly in a non-stick pan the bacon cut into small pieces. Pour it hot on the radicchio and season with a splash of vinegar, a pinch of salt and a pepper. Mix well and service immediately.
Purchase
Vegetables quite popular at the provincial level, never missing on the benches of the markets of Treviso. To note the exhibition of the market of the root vèrdon that is held in Roncade on the second Sunday of March with surprising gastronomic setting.
Seasonal
The product is available at fruit and vegetable retailers of the Marca Trevigiana from February to April. Typical dishes of the period are the radicchio salad with fried lard and vinegar, or mixed with cold boiled beans.
Conservation
Product intended for fresh consumption, it can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days thanks to the small reserve provided by the stem. Prepared in a simple salad, it is served with boiled eggs, cheese or polenta, fresh or roasted.
ASOLANI CHERRIES (p. 32)
Origins or history
Archaeology attests to this: the cherry has been present in the human diet since time immemorial, although the first written mention is by the Roman Lucullus, a proverbial character for the richness and variety of his tables: he is said to have imported the first cultivated varieties from Asia Minor. ln the Veneto region, the cherry tree has been a traditional promiscuous hillside crop. It was found isolated in the meadows or associated with the vineyard, as a brace, at the head of the row, or along the borders. In medieval times, in the most favorable locations for climate or environment, the first forms of specialized cultivation developed.
Features
Nowadays Veneto is one of the leading cerasic regions in Italy: production covers much of the foothills, but in the Colli Asolani has one of its most; accredited. A particularly influential center is Maser, which is part of the City of Cherries Association. The typical local species is the Mora di Maser, medium in shape, with dark red skin and pink flesh, consistent and juicy, ripening late, in the second-third decade of June. Other varieties present, in order of ripeness: Sandra, Roana, Burlat, Giorgia, Adriana, Durone della Marca, Mora di Cazzano and Ferrovia.
RECIPE – Yogurt and cherry cake
375 g flour, 250 g yogurt
250 g butter, 250 g sugar
6 eggs, 150 g Colli Asolani cherries
Baking powder, lemon zest, 1 sachet vanillin
butter and flour for the baking dish
In a bowl, whisk the yogurt with the previously softened butter cut into chunks; then add the egg yolks, one at a time. Whip the egg whites with the sugar and incorporate them into the mixture; then add the sifted flour, vanillin, grated lemon zest and baking powder and continue mixing until you have obtained a thick, homogeneous mixture. Pour the mixture into a buttered and floured baking dish and top with the pitted cherries. Place in the oven at 180° for 45′.
BUY
Although well on the market, buying locally is recommended. Excellent occasions, the Festa della Ciliegia di Asolo, which takes place under the loggia of the Cathedral, and the Festa della Ciliegia di Maser, against the backdrop of the Palladian villa.
SEASONALITY
April is the month of blossoming, with the hills cloaked in white. May and June are the months of harvesting, fairs, and gastronomic events with a surprising proposal, and not only in a sweet key.
STORAGE
The cherry is a rather delicate fruit, especially in the blackberry variety, with soft pulp, a rather widespread practice even at the domestic level is storage under spirit or under grappa. A relevant production of distillates should be noted.
KIWI FROM TREVISO (p. 33)
Origins and history
It is the fruit of a climbing plant that has been cultivated in China for many centuries; it landed in Europe in the early 20th century, but has only become established since the 1960s, but as a product imported from New Zealand. This circumstance justifies the current name, “kiwi,” borrowed from the iconic bird of that nation, as an alternative to the botanical term “actinidia.” There is also a health motivation behind its success: its high vitamin C content. II Veneto and particularly the province of Treviso have been among the Italian areas most receptive to the novelty.
Features
Kiwi production involves several hundred farms throughout the province. The fruits are roughly oval berries, with a slightly hirsute brown skin, weighing on average 90-100 g. The flesh is green in color and rich in small black seeds arranged in the center of the fruit; the flavor is delicately tart and sweet. Production from the Pedemontana Trevigiana area is characterized by blond, golden coloring, absence of the central core, and a sugar-acid ratio that gives the fruit a flavor particular. These distinctive elements have made the Trevisan product’s fortune over other national productions.
RECIPE – Kiwi bavarois
500 g syrup (260 g water and 240 g granulated sugar)
500 g sifted Treviso kiwi pulp
the juice of one lemon
17 g of isinglass
500 g whipped cream
Combine the kiwi pulp with the syrup or lemon juice. Heat the mass slightly on the stove, add the isinglass previously softened in cold water and as soon as it reaches room temperature add the whipped cream as well. Pour the mixture into single-serving molds. refrigerate for at least 6 hours, and glaze the surface with neutral gelatin and a few kiwi slices.
PURCHASE
Production, much of it destined for export, is substantial, and “zero-mile” purchasing is favored by the clear references on the label. Of note, the pairing with cured meats, including goose, or smoked trout.
SEASONALITY
The Treviso kiwi ripens in late summer and is available from October to January at any retail market. In the period of most convenient availability, it lends itself to the preparation of jams and jellies.
STORAGE
The fruit, especially near the ripening stage, is very delicate. Harvested unripe, however, and placed in specially shaped containers, it can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.
MARRONI DEL MONFENERA (p. 34)
Origins and history
Native to southeastern Europe, the chestnut tree conquered much of the continent in the wake of the Roman legions. Botanists classify it under the name Castanea sativa (“cultivated”), thus underscoring its historic role in human nutrition both for its fruit, fresh or dried, used for soups and stews, and for its flour, once used to make bread and polenta as well. As for chestnuts, this term refers to the fruit of the subspecies Domestica macrocarpa (“large-fruited”), which is larger in size, elongated in shape, and has a particularly sweet flesh that is easily freed from its skin.
Features
Production nominally refers to Monfenera-the peripheral relief of the Grappa massif falling within the municipality of Pederobba-but in fact it is reported to extend to 19 municipalities in the Pedemontana and Montello areas, with 130 producers and more than 2,500 plants surveyed, 80 percent of them on Monfenera. Historicity is attested as early as 1351 by community harvesting rules, as well as traditional trade to Treviso and Venice. Selection work has given rise to a local variety, with large fruit size (48-65 pieces/kg) and ovoid shape with chiaroscuro striped skin.
RECIPE – Bavarese dl marroni del Monfenera lgp
250 g of Monfenera chestnuts
6 dl milk, 120 g sugar
5 yolks
1/2 vanilla stick,
20 g isinglass
3 dl cream
Heat the milk with the vanilla and whip the yolks with the sugar. When the milk is very hot, add the yolks, stirring quickly. Cook until the mixture “glazes” the spoon (83°). Meanwhile, soak the isinglass in cold water for at least 10′, then squeeze it out and add it to the milk, stirring well. Allow to cool. Boil the chestnuts, peel them and pass them through a potato masher adding a tablespoon of sugar and add it to the cream. Add the whipped cream to the mixture. Place in a mold and firm up in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.
PURCHASE
Directly at the source, for example at the Mostra Mercato dei Marroni del Monfenera, which has been held in October in Pederobba since 1970, at the stands of the Associazione dei Produttori Marroni del Monfenera . The product is mostly packaged in 5-kg netted bags with the label required by the Igp.
SEASONALITY
The ripening period for marroni goes from mid-September for the earliest species to mid-November for the later ones, which is why the markets in the Treviso area can be considered supplied until late December.
STORAGE
According to the oldest tradition, the harvest is followed by a period of stationing the husks in piles (“rissare”); about twenty days of controlled fermentation, after which the marrons can be stored without problems for another month or so.
CHESTNUTS OF COMBAI IGP (p. 35)
Origins and history
Already the Greek Galen, who practiced the art of medicine at the court of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, recommended the chestnut for its high nutritional value (134 kcal/100 g) and for what we now know to be a real wealth of vitamins and minerals. The house had not escaped the popular sentiment that recognized in the chestnut tree “the tree of bread,” and even nowadays the most tradition-conscious cooks use chestnut flour to prepare a pasta suitable for game ragouts and the fruits as a side dish for stewed meats, finishing in beauty can desserts, first and foremost chestnut cake, that suit these rustic menus.
Features
The production takes its name from Combai, a locality in the municipality of Miane already known in medieval chronicles for this merit, which has now become the reference point for a chestnut-growing district extended to 11 municipalities of the Mountain Community of the Treviso Pre-Alps: Cison di Valmarino, Cordignano, Follina, Fregona, Miane, Revine Lago, Sarmede, Segusino, Tarzo, Valdobbiadene and Vittorio Veneto. The crop concerns a locally selected variety, with medium to large-sized fruit, usually two per curl; almost elliptical shape; shiny, dark skin, with obvious streaks and grooves.
RECIPE – Combai Igp chestnut and chiodini soup
200g peeled Combai chestnuts
400g fresh, cleaned chiodini,
40g butter, 40g flour
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 shallot
Vegetable broth, salt and pepper
Sauté the chopped shallot in a saucepan with the butter and oil, then add the chiodini, which you have previously blanched for a few moments in boiling water and then drained, then let them cook for about 10-15′. Then add the flour, stirring very well to prevent lumps from forming, and season with salt and pepper. Start adding the hot broth, a little at a time, finally plunge in the chestnuts. Let the soup cook over a gentle heat and stirring from time to time for about 2 hours. When cooked, let the soup rest for 24 hours: and serve very hot, adding broth as necessary until the desired consistency is achieved.
PURCHASE
The best buying opportunity is the Marrone Festival, held in Combai since 1845, being able to count on the presence of the best growers. Since 2009, the year the PGI was recognized, packages must comply with EU regulations.
SEASONALITY
Harvesting usually begins in October, and with today’s preservation options, it allows regional markets to be supplied until well into December, benefiting straightforward peasant dishes such as mondai (marroni in broth).
STORAGE
Chestnuts are subject to treatments at origin that control fermentation, from traditional “curing” in cold water to modern sterilization in hot water. Thus treated, the fruits can be stored in the refrigerator about a month.
MONFUMO APPLE (p. 36)
Origins and history
The cultivated species, Malus domestica, is derived, probably by spontaneous hybridization, from one of the many wild species found in Eurasian territories, and over the centuries it has diversified into the many varieties that have contributed to its establishment as one of the most commercially interesting fruits. This success also depends on its extraordinary qualities, for which the saying that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” applies. ln the Veneto region, the climate belt of the foothills is particularly favorable to the cultivation of the apple tree, of which there are dozens of local cultivars, with the most varied characteristics.
Features
It is well known that the mountain climate-dry and windy, with large temperature ranges-benefits the fruit, which requires very little to ripen in the healthiest of ways, and the Treviso Pre-Alps prove this with a renowned apple production in that of Monfumo. It is a fruit of small size and round shape, red-skinned, fragrant and with floury flesh, of reduced shelf life, to be eaten before winter. An indigenous variety, the cultivation of which, neglected in the 1950s for lack of commercial convenience, is now back in the news in terms of typicality.
RECIPE – Apple fritters
2 Monfumo apples
1 egg, 3 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon yeast, milk
1 tablespoon sugar
Orange zest
Seed oil for frying
Peel the apples, cut them into circular slices half an inch thick and place them in a bowl covered with cold water so they do not blacken. Prepare the batter by mixing all the ingredients together, dip the evil slices in it and fry them in plenty of oil until they are nice and golden on the outside and cooked on the inside. Dust them with granulated sugar and serve with berry jam.
PURCHASE
The availability of Monfumo apples is limited to the production area, turning mostly to farms that produce them. In local farms it is not uncommon to find it used in the preparation of desserts.
SEASONALITY
A fruit of limited calendar, typically autumn. The event not to be missed to come into contact with the producers is the Monfumo Apple Festival held in the town square in October.
STORAGE
The fresh fruit can be stored a few weeks. Part of the production is used for processing into jam, apple juice and the moderately alcoholic drink that goes by the name of cider.
WALNUT OF TREVISO (p. 37)
Origins and history
Walnut, originally from Asia Minor, came from Greece to Rome and then spread throughout the peninsula. II scientific name juglans regia, of Ciceronian coinage, derives from Jovis glans, Jupiter’s acorn, and testifies to the consideration the ancients already had for the fruit of this great tree. Prized for its wood, used for fine carpentry work, it also provides a valuable crop of fruit, about which it is enough to recall a proverb “pan e nòse, magnàr de spose,” bread and nuts, eating by brides.
Features
In the province of Treviso, as far as walnut cultivation is concerned, the municipalities of Cessalto and Chiarano stand out, boasting some 300 hectares of rational walnut groves and a cooperative at the forefront of cultivation and processing. In the orchard, the modern Lara variety prevails, with rounded fruit and large size, particularly sweet kernel and excellent nutritional qualities. It is worth mentioning, after years of low regard, how walnuts have made a comeback in the prevention of cardiovascular disease because of their unsaturated fat content.
RECIPE – Pappardelle with walnuts
520 g egg pappardelle.
100 g of Treviso walnut kernels
50 g of diced morlacco
vegetable broth
extra virgin olive oil
butter
salt and pepper
Blend the kernels in a blender with some hot vegetable broth and a few teaspoons of oil until smooth. Cook the pappardelle in boiling salted water, drain and pan-fry them with a little butter and the diced morlacco; plate them immediately, drizzle with the walnut “pesto” and garnish with a few kernels inside.
BUY
Trevigiana production is marketed for I most are the label of a cooperative in Chiarano, which brings together a dozen producers in eastern Veneto.
SEASONALITY
Walnut is a fruit that in practice knows no gaps in the market. Worth mentioning, nocino, a liqueur obtained by alcoholic infusion of the unripe fruit, harvested by ancient custom on June 24, St. John’s Day.
STORAGE
Dried fruits, usually packaged in netted bags, need dry and ventilated environments. By-products include walnut oil, which has been experiencing a gastronomic revival as a condiment in recent years.
PEACHES OF POVEGLIANO AND VILLORBA (pg.38)
Origins and history
The scientific name, Prunus persica, refers to its origin from the Middle East but does not exhaust the discussion of its origin, which leads instead to distant China; reported in Greece in the 4th century B.C., it was later spread to Europe by the Romans. The peach is a nutritious and depurative fruit, with beneficial diuretic and laxative effects. There are many varieties, which differ in their skin, “tomentose” in the peach or “glabrous” in the nectarine; in their flesh, white or yellow; and in their stone, “spiccagnolo” or “aderente.” In the Treviso area, specialized cultivation was developed in the twentieth century in areas vacated by soil and climate.
Features
The most renowned production has as reference the municipalities of Povegliano c Villorba and in particular the hamlet of Santandrà di Povegliano. Provincial characteristic is the high varietal range of peaches and nectarines, covering Lutta the summer season. Noteworthy, the producers’ commitment to so-called “integrated pest management,” which involves scrupulous measures in the fight against pests and adversities.
RECIPE – Peach Tart
4 peaches from Povegliano and Villorba
200 g flour, 200 g butter, 200 g sugar, 2 eggs
1 packet of yeast, salt
Melt half of the butter in a bain-marie in the cake pan and as soon as it is liquid enough pour half of the sugar over it evenly; then set aside to rest in a cool place. Peel the peaches, cut them in half, remove the stone, and cut the peach halves into slices, which you will arrange in rays in the cake pan. In a bowl, beat the other half of the butter with a fork, add the sugar, let it incorporate well, then add the whole eggs. Finally, pour in the flour sifted with the baking powder and a pinch of salt and stir until well blended, which you will gently pour into the cake pan over the peach slices, without removing them; finally bake at 180° for half an hour.
PURCHASE
“Zero-mile” buying opportunities at local farms, which have orchards with different varieties of fruit so that they can supply the market continuously throughout the summer.
SEASONALITY
If you want to fully enjoy the organoleptic and taste qualities of this fruit, keep in mind that the harvest calendar ranges from June 10 to September 30.
STORAGE
The peach is a rather perishable, ready-to-eat fruit; interestingly, freezing it, after pitting and cutting it into wedges, for later use as a pastry ingredient or garnish.
