It is a small region, Umbria, but it has not been influenced by the typical dishes of the neighbouring regions. It is a kitchen that does not have very elaborate processes, so simple and genuine, where the flavors of the raw materials used are enhanced. The processing of pork in this region is very felt. In fact, it is from Norcia to its charcuterie that the word Norcino is born to indicate the one who produces and sells the cured meats. Truffles are also the protagonists of many Umbrian recipes as well as olive oil.
Appetizers
Truffle omelette
truffle omelette
- 8 eggs
- 40 grams of butter
- 40 grams of Norcia black truffle
- salt and olive oil just enough
Preparation of truffle omelette
Clean the truffles very well, helping us with a toothbrush. Wash and dry them very well and cut them into thin slices.
Fry the butter in a frying pan. Apart from whisking the eggs with a pinch of salt and the truffle slices. Put the mixture in the pan and cook the omelette in the usual way, turning it at least once. You can serve warm but it is also very good cold.
Chicken Gardener
Necessary for the chicken gardener
- a chicken of about 1600- 1800 grams
- 2 hard-boiling eggs
- a carrot
- a celery rib
- a bunch of parsley
- 5 ripe tomatoes
- 800 grams of mixed vegetables such as cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes, green beans
- 80 grams of gardener in oil
- a dozen pitted black olives
- salt, olive oil and mayonnaise just enough
Preparing the chicken gardener
Put the chicken already clean, headless, paws and innards in a pot of water along with the carrot, celery rib, parsley and ripe tomatoes. Boil for at least an hour. Meanwhile, boil the vegetables such as zucchini, potatoes, green beans and cucumbers instead leave raw and thinly sliced.
In a bowl put the mayonnaise and a pinch of salt.
Cooked the chicken peel off the flesh and chop not very fine. Add the boiled vegetables to the pieces of meat, the gardener in oil Season with salt and pepper and form a dome in a round dish. This dome is covered with mayonnaise and is decorated with slices of hard-boiled egg and black olives.
Serve cold after at least one hour of refrigerator.
Now to the first dishes.
Cotta with cod
Norcia’s Traditional Dish
Necessary for cod-cooked water
- 600 grams of cod already soaked
- 100 grams of tomato purée
- 600 grams of potatoes, diced
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- a bunch of mint leaves
- stale bread, salt and pepper just enough
Preparation of cod cooked water
Cut the already soaked cod into small, In a pot capable of putting the chopped garlic and onion, the chopped mint leaves, the tomato purée and potatoes. Adjust the salt and pepper and fill the pot with water until the ingredients are all covered. Cover the pot and cook for at least 40 minutes. Add the diced cod and cook for about 20 minutes. Serve very hot.
Cicerchie Soup
- 400 grams of cicerchie (they are legumes similar to the peas of the most robust flavor typical of Umbria)
- 1 garlic clove, chopped
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 5 tomatoes, peeled, chopped
- 5 mint leaves
- salt, pepper and olive oil as required
Preparing cicerchie soup
Put the cicerchie in the bathroom from the day before. The next day in a pot with water boil the cicerchie for at least 2 hours.
In a pot fry the chopped garlic and chopped parsley. Add the chopped mint leaves with your hands, as soon as the garlic is browned add the peeled tomatoes in pieces Add the cicerchie now and season, stirring very well. Now put the water to cover the ingredients, adjust salt and pepper and with the lid cook at least an hour, making sure it does not dry out too much. Serve very hot
Norcine pasta
A delicious first course with Norcia sausage, and black truffle.
Necessary for Norcine pasta
- 400 grams of short pasta
- 180 grams of cooking cream
- half onion
- half a glass of white wine
- 500 grams of Norcia sausage
- black truffle, salt, pepper, olive oil and grated Roman pecorino cheese just enough
Preparation of Norcine pasta
Roughly chop the sausages and in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil fry the finely chopped onion. Add the crumbled sausage and brown for a few minutes. Then put the white wine and let it evaporate completely. Add the cream and as soon as the pasta is cooked al dente, sauté the pasta with the dressing over the heat, adding the finely chopped truffle and the grated Roman pecorino cheese.
Let’s move on to the second plates.
St. Anthony’s meatballs
Necessary for St. Anthony’s meatballs
300 grams of minced beef or veal
- 90 grams of stale bread
- 20 grams of pine nuts
- 30 grams of sultanas
- 30 grams of grated Roman pecorino cheese
- 1 egg
- a few basil leaves
- 400 grams of tomato purée
- salt, pepper and olive oil as required
Preparation of St. Anthony’s meatballs
First soak the bread, squeeze it and put it in a bowl. Add the minced meat, chopped pine nuts, sultanas and grated Roman pecorino cheese to the soaked bread. Set aside this dough and prepare the sauce. Put a few tablespoons of olive oil, tomato purée, a few basil leaves and half a glass of water in a pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes.
With the meat mixture form meatballs, put them in the tomato sauce and cook them for about ten minutes, stirring often to make the meat flavor from all sides.
Serve warm.
Perch and capers
Required for perch and capers
- 800 grams of parsicfish fillets
- 20 grams of butter
- 1 glass of dry white wine
- 25 grams of pickled capers
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt, pepper and olive oil and flour just enough
Preparing perch and capers
In a large frying pan, brown the floured parsing fillets in oil and butter.
Pour in the wine, add the capers, the lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes over high heat. Serve very hot with the cooking bottom on top.
Porchetta at Umbra
Necessary for the Umbra porchetta
- A piglet of about 40-45 kilograms
for the seasoning
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- bunches of mint, rosemary and wild fennel.
- pepper, salt and olive oil just enough.
Preparation of the porchetta with Umbra
The piglet must be washed and the skin must be cleaned from the hair. It should be boned and not being a very easy practice is better to turn for this to an experienced person. The entrails, liver, lungs, heart and kidneys, should be chopped and put to cook in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil, chopped fennel and garlic and pepper. With this compound is toed the inside of the piglet. The belly cut should be closed. The piglet should now be tucked into a skewer and placed between two low easels in an already hot wood oven that must maintain the necessary heat for the entire time of cooking.
The porchetta is served both hot and cold, cutting the piglet into thin slices.
Let’s move on to the sweets
The ROCCIATA of Assisi
Necessary for the ROCCIATA of Assisi
- 600 grams of fresh and dried fruit (apple, almond, raisins, nuts, plums and figs) cut into small diced
- 120 grams of sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- half a glass of holy wine or sweet wine
- a pinch of cinnamon powder
- the peel of a grated lemon
For the pasta
- 250 grams of flour
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 50 grams of sugar
- a pinch of salt,
- butter, olive oil and icing sugar just enough
Preparation of the ROCCIATA of Assisi
The fruit, both fresh and dry, is macerated, after making it into very small pieces, with sugar, holy wine, the zest of a grated lemon and cinnamon. Stir occasionally to macerate evenly and leave at least two hours.
For the dough, knead the flour with sugar, oil, a pinch of salt and enough water to have a smooth and soft amalgam. Cover the dough with a cloth and leave to rest for about an hour.
Resume the dough, with a rolling pin get a sheet of about half a centimeter. Spread over the filling and roll up the very narrow dough, folding the edges. Put on a buttered baking plate, brush the surface with olive oil, then inform to already hot oven at 200 degrees for about 35 – 40 minutes. Serve warmly covered with icing sugar.
Ricotta cake (according to Gubbio’s tradition)
Necessary for the ricotta cake
- 400 grams of ricotta sieved
- 400 grams of flour
- 5 eggs
- 300 grams of sugar
- a sachet of baking powder
- a lemon, both the grated zest and the juice
- butter and flour just enough
Preparation of ricotta cake
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and slowly add the sugar, ricotta flour and baking powder. Also combine the juice of a lemon and the grated zest. Work a lot with a wooden spoon until you get a soft mixture and without lumps.
Put the mixture in a buttered and floured cake tin, level the surface. Place now in the oven already hot at 200 degrees for about 25 – 30 minutes.
It’s used cold.
