Traditional Sardinian cuisine is poor but very tasty. Typically land-based although there is no shortage of fish dishes being an island, it is very much centred on meat, especially pork. We will talk in this article about the traditional Sardinian bread, the CARASAU bread, which is however also known on the continent and indeed known in many parts of the world.
As starters the MAZZAMURRO, which is cooked all over the island where different variations of it are made, and the PANADAS, a kind of small fried savoury pies that are filled differently depending on the place. And apart from the first courses, which are many, how can we not mention the famous Sardinian suckling pig called PORCEDDU, which is the recipe that most reflects Sardinian cuisine in the world.
There is no shortage of fish dishes such as salt cod with walnut sauce and typical desserts.
CARASAU BREAD
The original Sardinian recipe is for an unleavened bread, kneaded with water, wheat or barley flour, crispy and light, in thin discs, which is why it is also called carta da musica (music paper) because it is rolled up just like music paper. It kept for a long time unaltered and was mainly used for soaking in water, broth or milk.
According to tradition, this is the typical bread of shepherds and sailors. It was preferably eaten with goat or sheep's cheese or with ricotta. A curious thing is that the sheet of PANE CARASAU was used as a dish, which was eaten little by little during the meal, together with the companion.
What is needed for PANE CARASAU
Only two ingredients are needed to make PANE CARASAU
durum wheat flour
water
This is why the doses are made when deciding how many sheets to make.
Preparation of PANE CARASAU
Knead the flour with just the water to obtain a rather firm, smooth dough.
The dough is rolled out with a rolling pin until it is reduced to very thin circular-shaped sheets. Then these discs are left to ferment separated from each other by linen cloths. After a few hours they should be baked in a hot oven, wait for them to swell, remove them from the oven, open them all around the edges with a sharp knife, then place them on top of each other to cool. Finally put them back in the oven to brown and toast.
This is the original Sardinian recipe as it was once made, now unfortunately with modern taste it has been modified by the addition of yeast or salt making it lose the characteristic of unleavened bread.
MAZZAMURRO starter
Ingredients for the MAZZAMURRO starter
grams 800 of stale bread
grams 500 of tomato sauce
milk, grated fresh pecorino cheese and salt to taste.
Preparation of the MAZZAMURRO
Cut the stale bread into slices, soak it in milk and arrange it in a baking dish in layers, interspersed with tomato sauce, grated pecorino cheese and a pinch of salt.
Place the baking tray in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for five minutes, then serve hot.
PANADAS
Needed for the PANADAS
grams 600 of flour
grams 160 of lard
grams 600 of fresh pecorino cheese
a few leaves of fresh mint
salt, enough oil for frying
Preparation of PANADAS
Knead the flour with the lard on a pastry board, with a little lukewarm water and a pinch of salt. The dough should be smooth and compact and should be left to rest covered with a cloth for at least an hour.
In the meantime, prepare the filling by grating fresh cheese into a bowl and adding the mint leaves chopped by hand.
Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and prepare many thin sheets of about 8 - 10 centimetres in diameter. With the filling, make small balls, not too big, to be crushed and placed in the middle of one half of the sheets. The other half is used to close it. Now seal the two parts with a cogwheel.
In a rather large frying pan, heat the seed oil and as soon as it is hot, fry the PANADAS for a few minutes, turning them halfway through cooking.
FAVATA SARDA
This is one of the traditional Sardinian first dishes that was generally cooked for Shrove Thursday.
Ingredients for the FAVATA SARDA
grams 300 of dried broad beans
grams 250 of Sardinian sausage
grams 300 of cabbage or savoy cabbage
grams 40 of dried tomatoes
a bunch of wild fennel
250 grams of pork rind
one onion
one carrot
one celery rib
one clove of garlic
slices of toasted bread
salt to taste
Preparation of the FAVATA SARDA
Soak the broad beans the night before. The next day drain them, cut off the skin and put them in a very large pot with about 3 litres of water.
Cook over a very low flame with the pot covered, adding the chopped meat, chopped cabbage leaves, tomatoes and chopped herbs. Leave to cook for about an hour and add the wild fennel when cooked, leaving it to cook for only 5 minutes. : The traditional dish is left to cool completely for a few hours.
Before bringing it to the table, heat it on the stove, arrange slices of toasted bread on the bottom of the bowls, then pour over the soup and serve hot, accompanying with grated pecorino cheese if desired.
CICIONES
CICIONES are typical gnocchi from the province of Sassari.
Needed for the CICIONES
for the gnocchi
grams 500 of semolina
a pinch of powdered saffron
for the sauce
grams 400 minced pork or veal meat
grams 100 of minced lard
a small onion, chopped
grams 600 chopped peeled tomatoes
pepper, salt and grated pecorino cheese as needed
Preparation of CICIONES
Knead the semolina flour on a pastry board with a pinch of salt and the saffron dissolved in a tablespoon of warm water. Add a lot of water to the dough until you obtain a smooth and compact mixture of a certain consistency. Using your fingers, knead small pieces of this dough into thin cylinders, about half a finger's length, to be cut into chunks about a centimetre long.
In the meantime, prepare the meat sauce by placing a casserole dish (preferably earthenware) on the stove, the finely chopped lard in which to brown the chopped onion. Add the meat and after about 30 minutes of simmering add the tomato pulp. Adjust the salt and pepper and cook for another 20 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, cook the ciciones in plenty of salted water and serve topped with the meat sauce and a sprinkling of grated pecorino cheese.
Sardinian suckling pig or PORCEDDU
The Sardinian suckling pig or PORCEDDU is, according to Sardinian tradition, a small piglet that still takes milk from its mother, so it usually weighs no more than 5 or 6 kilograms.
Cooking the piglet involves a real ritual made up of special care, according to traditional customs. For example, already during slaughtering, when the innards are removed, the blood is preserved.
The outer rind is melted quickly over a fire, taking care not to burn the bristles. The preserved blood serves to anoint and clean the piglet. The ideal spit is made of wood, as are the woods used for the fire. Juniper, myrtle and laurel are recommended to better flavour the meat.
What is needed to make PORCEDDU on the spit
a suckling pig of 5 or 6 kilograms
some lard
salt to taste.
Preparation of PORCEDDU on the spit
The suckling pig should be cooked very slowly because after putting it on the spit, the spit should be placed about 2 metres from the live fire.
During cooking, the suckling pig should be greased with lard, dripping the fat from previously heated slices. Salt only at the beginning of cooking and at the end. After the meat is browned and then begins to cook, then after a couple of hours from the start, bring the spit closer by placing it next to the embers, after you have sprinkled it with ash.
The piglet will then cook to perfection, turning a reddish-brown colour and browning the outer rind. It should be eaten hot, sliced and with the rind.
Pork SPINU
Ingredients for pork SPINU
1 kilogram of chopped pork chops
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
3 bay leaves
two glasses of dry white wine
300 grams of black olives
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of pork SPINU
Stone the olives and cut them into very fine pieces. In a saucepan, brown the pork chops in pieces with a few tablespoons of olive oil. As soon as they are browned, add the chopped garlic and parsley and the chopped bay leaves.
Add salt and pepper and the white wine, which should be allowed to evaporate completely over a low heat, and the olive pulp. . Finish cooking by adding a little water if necessary. This will take about an hour. Before removing from the heat, adjust the salt and pepper and serve very hot.
A very special fish second course
Codfish in walnut sauce
Ingredients for the salt cod in walnut sauce
1 kilogram of salt cod
2 cloves of chopped garlic
130 grams of walnut kernels
a teaspoon of chopped parsley
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of salt cod in walnut sauce
Codfish can be found almost everywhere ready-soaked and soaked, and it is advisable to use ready-soaked codfish as the procedure with cured codfish is rather long.
The already soaked cod is cut into not too large rectangular pieces.
In a large pan, fry the chopped garlic and parsley in oil. As soon as the garlic is golden, add the pieces of codfish, season with salt and pepper and simmer, turning the pieces from time to time. At about three quarters of the way through the cooking time, add the walnut kernels that you have coarsely chopped, stir and finish cooking. This recipe is best enjoyed almost lukewarm.
Now to the desserts
SEADAS OR SEBADAS
These sweets are typical of pastoral life in memory of the return of the transhumance. They are specialities of the Nuoro area. They are very easy to make, but you must start preparing them at least the day before, if you have fresh cheese already acidulated. Otherwise, the fresh cheese must be wrapped in a cloth and left to rest in a dish for at least two days. Time to acidify.
Ingredients for SEADAS OR SEBADAS
For the dough
grams 600 of flour
grams 60 of lard
a pinch of salt
For the filling
grams 600 of fresh cheese already acidulated
grams 30 of semolina
the zest of one lemon or orange
olive oil for frying
For sweetening
wildflower or strawberry tree honey
Preparation of the SEADAS OR SEBADAS
In a saucepan, melt the cheese with a little hot water, add salt and grated lemon peel.
Stir constantly to obtain a rather liquid sauce to which the semolina should be added to dry it out. Let it cook again until the water is all reabsorbed and the cheese has created a thick cream. With this cream, form disks of about 4 to 5 centimetres in diameter and one centimetre high. These disks should be kept for a day separated by cloths or cloths, in the refrigerator.
Now prepare the dough by kneading the flour with a little salted water, to which we will add the lard. As soon as the dough is firm and smooth, make many thin disks in the centre of which place the cheese disks. Cover with another disc of dough and close the two ends tightly. Now fry the SEADAS in plenty of olive oil. As soon as they are browned on both sides, remove them from the oil and let them dry on absorbent paper. Coat the sweets with honey and serve hot.
