Piedmontese cuisine is a rich and varied cuisine. Rich and varied as regards the influence of the Savoy court where very rich dishes were served in sumptuous banquets. But equally tasty in peasant traditions, poorer.
The appetizers range from veal with tuna sauce to CAPONET, while for the first courses the famous tagliolini with truffle, known all over the world and PANISSA. For the latter, the famous mixed boiled meats and the equally famous braised in Barolo. Piedmont is also the home of BAGNA CAUDA a very special way of eating vegetables and meat. Finally, for desserts, the delicate Baci di Dama biscuits and CRUMIRI.
Veal with tuna sauce
Necessary for veal with tuna sauce
- 1 kg of veal walker
- 2 glasses of dry white wine
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves
- 300 grams of tuna in oil
- 1 rib of celery
- 5 salted anchovies
- 3 hard-boiling eggs
- 2 tbsp parsley
- 2 spoons of capers
- 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar
- juice of 1 lemon
- olive oil, salt and pepper just enough
Preparation of veal with tuna sauce
The day before, the meat should be marinated in white wine and vinegar. Adding bay leaf, cloves, chopped celery and a sprinkling of freshly grated black pepper. Turn it 3 or 4 times to flavor it well.
Meanwhile, prepare the anchovies, which must be washed, deprived of the head and the central bone and the tail. When the veal is marinated, lay the meat in a saucepan, strain the marinade with a strainer, then pour enough water to cover the meat, adjust the salt and cook for at least an hour on a low heat. Then add the anchovy fillets and continue cooking until the broth is noticeably reduced. Remove the meat from the heat and let it cool before cutting it into thin slices.
Arrange the slices of meat on a serving plate.
Let’s now prepare the sauce with which to flavor the meat.
Strain the cooking juices of the meat, chop the tuna, the hard-boiled eggs and the anchovies very well. Add the finely chopped capers, a spoonful of vinegar, lemon juice and oil. Pour this sauce over the slices of meat and leave to flavor for at least an hour before serving on the table.
The CAPONET
Another typical Piedmontese appetizer, tasty rolls stuffed with meat, wrapped in cabbage leaves and cooked in the oven.
Required for the CAPONET
- 300 grams of minced veal
- 10 cabbage leaves
- 1 garlic clove
- a few sage leaves
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 80 grams of grated Parmesan cheese
- 100 grams of pork sausage
- 1 egg
- oil, salt, pepper and butter as required
CAPONET preparation
Boil the cabbage leaves in abundant salted water for 3 or 4 minutes, remove the leaves from the water and dry them with paper towels.
In a bowl, cook the veal and minced sausage with a drizzle of finely chopped garlic, sage, salt and pepper with a drizzle of oil and cook very slowly for about 50 minutes.
Remove the meat from the heat, add the Parmesan cheese, the egg, a pinch of nutmeg and the chopped parsley. Mix everything to mix the ingredients and form balls of preparation. Put these balls on the cabbage leaves and close them by turning them on themselves. Put the leaves prepared in this way in a buttered pan and with butter flakes on top. Adjust the salt and pepper and put in a preheated oven at 180 degrees until the vegetable cones are golden brown. Serve warm.
Let’s move on to the first courses with the famous tagliolini with truffle and PANISSA
Truffle tagliolini
Very simple and easy to make first course. The recommended truffle is undoubtedly the white one, even if the cost is really high.
Necessary for truffle noodles
- 400 grams of egg noodles
- 1 piece of white truffle
- butter, salt and grated Parmesan cheese as needed.
Preparation of the tagliolini with truffle
Cook the tagliolini in abundant salted water. Drain and melt a knob of butter in a pan. Add a pinch of salt and when the tagliolini are ready, sauté them in a pan with the butter. Add some grated Parmesan cheese and turn the pasta well again. Put the pasta on the plates and cut the right amount of white truffle over each plate.
THE PANISSA
This is a specialty of the Vercelli rice fields. It is also considered a single dish.
Needed for PANISSA
- 500 grams of rice
- 500 grams of beans already cooked
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 120 grams of lard
- 1 sprig of rosemary
- 120 grams of salami under fat
- 100 grams of pork rind
- 2 glasses of red wine
- olive oil, salt and pepper just enough
PANISSA preparation
Cook the chopped garlic, onion and lard in a large saucepan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the sprig of rosemary which will be removed at the end of cooking.
Meanwhile, in a pot capable of cooking the meat and beans over a very low heat. When the beans are cooked, remove the salami and pork rind and cut into very small pieces that are combined with the sauté. Drizzle with a glass of red wine, add the rice, adjust the salt, stir several times and leave to flavor for a few minutes. Now add the beans with their broth and proceed with the cooking by pouring the second glass of red wine little by little. Cover and complete the cooking checking that the rice does not dry out too much. It should be served very hot with a sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper.
Braised in Barolo
Necessary for braised in Barolo
- 1200 grams of beef pulp
- 80 grams of bacon cut into thin slices
- a sliced carrot
- enough flour
for the marinade
- a bottle of Barolo
- an onion
- a carrot
- a celery rib
- 3 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- black peppercorns
for the cooking
- oil, butter, salt and pepper as required
- a glass of meat or nut broth
Preparation of braised beef in barolo
Let’s first prepare the marinade for the meat that must rest at least one day.
Then make small holes in the piece of meat to insert pieces of carrot or bacon inside.
Put it in a rather large bowl with the onion, celery, cloves, a few grains of black pepper and bay leaves. Add the entire bottle of Barolo and leave to rest for 24 hours. Turn the piece of meat at least a couple of times to make it uniform.
The day after removing from the bath, flour the meat and sauté with a little olive oil and butter in a saucepan. Add the marinade liquid, adjust the salt and pepper and cook on a low heat for at least 3 hours. When serving, cut the meat into slices, arrange them on a serving plate, heat the cooking sauce and pour over the slices of meat to flavor.
BAGNA CAUDA
This is an ancient dish, created to celebrate the end of the harvest. The massive presence of garlic is essential as the freshness of the anchovies or the goodness of the oil
of olive. It is a food of great convivial impact, to be consumed in large company. In fact you must have a low heat stove where you can place the BAGNA CAUDA bowl which must never boil. The diners dip the vegetables and all the other ingredients that can be very varied in this sauce.
Required for the BAGNA CAUDA
- 250 grams of salted anchovies
- 8 cloves of garlic
- a glass of olive oil
- 100 grams of butter
As for the vegetables and other ingredients that can be brought to the table and flavored in the CAUDA BATH, prefer mainly seasonal vegetables. Potatoes are boiled first, as are peppers and other vegetables. Polenta can also be used, fried and cut into small pieces. But someone also uses chopped meat.
If, given the massive dose, garlic remains a little indigestible, it can be marinated in milk for a few hours to make it more digestible.
Preparation of the BAGNA CAUDA
First of all clean the anchovies under running water by removing the head, the bone and the tail. Put the cloves of garlic cut into thin slices in a terracotta saucepan, pour a glass of oil and add the butter, then stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, on a very low heat, heat the oil and fry the garlic until to which it does not fall apart and a white cream begins to form. Add the chopped anchovies and try to melt them too until a light hazelnut cream is formed. The BAGNA CAUDA is ready to be placed on the fire in the center of the table.
Boiled Piedmontese Mixed
It is one of the main Piedmontese recipes that have many variations regarding the types of meat to be used and especially in spices.
Ingredients for Piedmontese mixed boiled meats
- 1200 grams of beef as shoulder and breech and veal as tail, tongue, head and brisket.
- 1 onion
- 1 carola
- 1 rib of celery
- a bunch of parsley
- a clove of garlic
- pepper in grains
- coarse salt
Preparation of Piedmontese mixed boiled meat
In a very large saucepan, put water, add the chopped vegetables, the coarse salt and as soon as the water boils, put the meat. First the beef one and after about an hour the veal one. Cook again for about an hour and once the meat has been removed from the broth, slice and serve steaming sprinkled with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. It is served together with sauces of various types.
Let’s move on to the cakes.
LADY’S KISSES
They are crumbly butter biscuits joined together by a layer of chocolate. They are irresistible.
Needed for BACI DI DAMA
- 250 grams of flour
- 160 grams of sugar
- 200 grams of butter
- 150 grams of toasted hazelnuts
- 160 grams of dark chocolate
- 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
Preparation of BACI DI DAMA
In a large bowl mix 3 quarters of the flour together with the cocoa powder and sugar. Add the butter (already melted) and the chopped hazelnuts.
Knead this dough until it becomes firm and elastic. Once ready, pack many balls slightly larger than a hazelnut, lightly flour and cook in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for about 20 minutes. As soon as they are cooked, they should be left to cool.
Meanwhile, melt the dark chocolate very slowly. With this chocolate combine two small balls for the flat part to form the classic BACI DI DAMA
CRUMIRI biscuits
Need for CRUMIRI biscuits
- 300 grams of flour
- 350 grams of yellow flour
- 400 grams of butter
- 180 grams of sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- a bag of vanilla powder
Preparation of biscuits CRUMIRI
Mix the two flours together and then also the vanilla and sugar. Put the flours in a fairly large bowl and add the freshly melted butter and egg yolks. Knead carefully to obtain a smooth and soft dough. Leave to rest for about an hour covered with a cloth.
Butter the oven plate and cover with a light layer of flour.
Now take the dough and put it in a pastry bag with a striped spout. Pack many biscuits no more than 8 centimeters long. Bake in preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes. They are generally served cold.
