The cuisine of Liguria has a very old tradition. The close contact that the region has between the sea and the mountains means that its recipes are influenced by both the sea and the mountains.
The recipes of this region are many and the many tourists who flock to its beaches every year know this very well, because in addition to the beauty of nature, it is also its healthy, genuine and Mediterranean food that attracts them.
The best known recipe in the world is pesto alla genovese, a very popular pasta sauce, even more so when enjoyed with trofie, a type of pasta that has its origins in a town near Genoa.
Another Ligurian pasta sauce is walnut sauce, but there is no shortage of second courses, such as lean capon and rabbit with olives. And its special recipes such as torta pasqualina and the famous focaccia di Recco, and finally desserts such as pandolce genovese or canestrelli. Here are some typical recipes from Liguria.
Pesto alla Genovese
You cannot go to Liguria and not taste the famous pesto alla Genovese, made with typical Ligurian ingredients such as basil, pine nuts and olive oil. Tradition dictates that its ingredients are ground in a mortar with a pestle. It is a wooden or stone container with a rounded bottom and the ancient Ligurian housewives used that and patiently reduced the ingredients to very small pieces.
Let us begin with a clarification. The basil, which is the most important ingredient in our recipe, should be Ligurian basil with the longest and narrowest leaves.
Ingredients for the pesto alla genovese
grams 100 of basil leaves
grams 120 of olive oil
grams 60 of pine nuts
grams 60 of seasoned pecorino cheese
grams 50 of grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove of garlic
1 pinch of coarse salt
Preparing the pesto alla Genovese
In a mortar with a pestle, mince the garlic with coarse salt. Add the basil leaves, which you have cleaned gently with a dry cloth. The basil leaves should be crushed with your hands at first, before putting them in the pestle, do not use knives as they will turn the leaves black.
Now add the pine nuts and when they are all chopped, add the seasoned pecorino and grated Parmesan cheese. Finally, mix everything with the olive oil. Pesto alla Genovese keeps well for a long time in the refrigerator and vacuum-packed.
Walnut sauce
Another typical Ligurian condiment for pasta.
Ingredients for the walnut sauce
180 grams of walnut kernels
1 clove of garlic
grams 40 of breadcrumbs
grams 40 of grated Parmesan cheese
grams 150 of whole milk
4 tablespoons of olive oil
salt to taste
Preparing the walnut sauce
The walnut kernels have to be soaked in boiling water in order to more easily remove the film covering them. In the original Genoese recipe this was not done as the bitter taste that the husk of the walnuts leaves is part of the tradition of the recipe.
This preparation should also be done in a mortar with a pestle. Cut the walnut kernels into very small pieces together with the garlic and salt and the breadcrumbs that you have soaked in milk.
After chopping everything, place it in a bowl and knead the mixture by adding the milk and olive oil until a smooth sauce is obtained.
Both this sauce and the pesto alla genovese should be used cold on the pasta, at the moment of seasoning.
Rabbit with olives
Classic second course from Liguria
What you need for rabbit with olives
1 rabbit weighing around 1,200 - 1,300 kg
120 g taggiasche olives
1 medium onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 glass of red wine
60 grams pine nuts
2 sprigs of rosemary
3 bay leaves
a pinch of powdered thyme
meat stock to taste
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil to taste
Preparation of the rabbit with olives
Wash and remove the excess fat from the rabbit, as well as the innards, and cut it into many small pieces.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan fry the finely chopped onion in olive oil until golden brown. Add the rabbit pieces and brown them slowly on all sides. Now pour in the red wine and let it evaporate completely. Season the rabbit with salt and cook for at least 30 minutes, adding meat stock as needed.
Now add the olives to the rabbit, one half left whole, the other half cut into pieces. Then the whole pine nuts, the whole garlic (which should be removed before serving) and the chopped herbs. Simmer for another 30/40 minutes adding a little meat stock if needed.
The torta pasqualina
As its name also indicates, this recipe is mainly prepared at Easter time. It is a savoury pie filled with eggs, cheese and vegetables. Together with pesto, it is the best known Ligurian recipe and has many variations.
What you need for torta pasqualina
kilograms 1 of 00-type flour
kilograms 1,200 of chard
500 grams of fresh ricotta
6 eggs
1 small onion
2 glasses of water
grams 30 of olive oil
grams 100 of grated Parmesan cheese
salt pepper and marjoram to taste
Preparation of the torta pasqualina
First prepare the pastry sheet, which will be used to line the baking tin and contain the pie filling. Knead the flour with the water and olive oil until a fairly firm dough is obtained. Divide the dough into about 10 balls and leave to rest for about an hour and a half.
Now prepare the pie filling.
Wash the chard leaves in running water and after drying them, cut them into thin strips. Meanwhile, in a rather large frying pan, fry the onion in a little olive oil. Once golden brown, add the chopped Swiss chard and let it cook for about 20 minutes, adjust the salt.
Spinach can also be used for this preparation.
In a bowl, mix the ricotta with the marjoram, salt and pepper and the grated Parmesan cheese. Finally, add the cooked chard and mix everything well.
Now prepare the puff pastry from the balls of dough we had prepared.
With a rolling pin, roll out one ball at a time, trying to make rather thin round sheets.
Take an oven dish and brush it with olive oil. Place the first sheet of dough that will also cover the edges of the oven dish, brush this too with oil and add another sheet. Repeat this process until you have used 6 of the 10 sheets.
Now put half of the chard and ricotta mixture inside. With a spoon, form 3 hollows where you will put 3 whole eggs without shells, trying to keep them whole. Put in the remaining chard and ricotta mixture and make hollows here too for the other 3 eggs. Cover everything with the remaining sheets, trying to close the dough tightly.
Bake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for 40-45 minutes.
Recco Focaccia
Typical Ligurian focaccia stuffed with cheese (crescenza or stracchino)
Ingredients for the focaccia di Recco
400 grams of flour
1 glass of water
grams 40 of olive oil
1 teaspoon fine salt
grams 400 of crescenza or stracchino cheese
Preparation of the focaccia di Recco
Work the flour adding the oil and salt, slowly incorporate the water until a fairly firm and smooth dough is obtained. Make it into a ball and let it rest for about an hour covered with a cloth.
After this time, cut the ball of dough into two parts and roll them out with a rolling pin, trying to obtain a fairly fine pastry.
In a rectangular pizza pan lined with baking paper, place the first puff pastry. Cut the crescenza cheese into many small pieces and place them on top of the pastry at regular intervals. Close by placing the other puff pastry on top and closing the edges on all four sides.
Coat the surface of the focaccia with oil and fine salt. Make evenly spaced holes in the top of the focaccia and place in a preheated oven at 220 degrees for about 20 minutes. Allow to cool a little before cutting and serving.
Pandolce genovese
This is a typical cake from Genoa, also called the panettone of Genoa, because it is usually made at Christmas time. There are two versions, a high and a low one. Here I propose the recipe for low pandolce, which is easier to make.
Ingredients for the Genoese Pandolce
grams 400 of Manitoba-type flour (can be found in all supermarkets)
grams 180 of 00-type flour
grams 150 of butter
2 eggs
160 grams of sugar
30 grams of honey
1 sachet of baking powder
2 tablespoons of orange blossom water
300 grams of sultanas
30 grams of candied fruit
30 grams of pine nuts.
Preparation of the Genoese Pandolce
First of all mix and sift the Manitoba flour with the 00-type flour. Also mix the sugar and sachet of baking powder into the flour. Add the beaten eggs, room temperature butter made into small pieces, honey and orange blossom water. When the mixture is smooth, add the pine nuts, sultanas and candied fruit. According to tradition, this dough should be covered with a napkin and left to rise for about 12 hours.
After this time has elapsed, line a cake tin with baking paper and place the dough, flattening it just enough to reach the edges. Make 3 triangle-shaped cuts on the surface and bake at 180 degrees in a preheated oven for about 45 minutes. The duration depends very much on the type of oven. Check the cake after about 30 minutes to test the baking.
Canestrelli
Canestrelli are delicious biscuits typical of Liguria.
Needed for the canestrelli
grams 200 of type 00 flour
grams 200 of butter
grams 150 of potato starch
grams 100 of icing sugar
5 egg yolks
the zest of 1 lemon, grated
a few drops of vanilla flavouring
Preparation of the canestrelli
First cook the eggs in boiling water for about 8-10 minutes. Remove the shell and take only the yolks.
In a rather large bowl put the flour, potato starch and icing sugar and mix very well.Add the grated lemon peel, vanilla flavouring drops and the chopped butter. Mix everything very well (best with a planetary mixer) until the butter has all melted. Pass the hard-boiled egg yolks through a colander to make them creamier and add them to the other ingredients. Mix again and then place the dough on a work surface and knead it with your hands until soft and elastic.
Cover this dough with cling film and put it in the fridge for about an hour.
After this time, use a rolling pin to roll out a sheet of dough about 1 centimetre thick and use a biscuit mould (moulds in the shape of canestrelli can be found on the market) to form many small shapes until the dough is used up.
Place these biscuits on a baking tray where you have placed baking paper, placing them at an even distance, not too close together, and bake in a preheated oven at 150 degrees for about 8 to 10 minutes. Once cooked, they should be left to cool completely.
