Molise, one of the smallest regions in our country, but great in terms of culinary tradition, both sea and land. We are talking about many typical recipes that are well known such as CAVATELLI, the typical home-made Molise pasta that is dressed with meat sauces but also with vegetables.
The brodetto, which is made in many other regions, but in Molise has the green pepper variant that makes it unique. St Martin's pizza, which is made on the day the saint is celebrated.
Tradition has it that as many slices are made on top of the pizza as there are diners, and in one of these slices a penny was hidden and whoever found it had to bring the ragù for the next feast day. And the desserts, which are many kinds of sweets such as MOSTACCIOLI MOLISANI or PEPATELLI.
Molise has a truly extraordinary tradition of the art of pork butchery. From the smoked ham of Spinete, to the ventricina of Montenero, to the coppa molisana. Not to mention cheeses such as caciocavallo di Agnone or caprino di Montefalcone.
Typical hors d'oeuvres from Molise are therefore very often based on cured meats and cheeses. However, there is no shortage of very tasty traditional hors d'oeuvres recipes such as COMPOSTA MOLISANA or orange antipasto. This is a very original typical Molise appetiser because it combines the sweet flavour of oranges with the salty flavour of anchovies.
MOLISE COMPOTE
Ingredients for the MOLISE COMPOTE for 6 people
6 taralli from Molise
1 green pepper
6 tomatoes
3 hard-boiled eggs
12 green olives
6 anchovies in oil
1 cucumber
1 celery stalk
6-7 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon oregano
100 g olive oil
salt to taste
Preparation of the MOLISE COMPOTE
First wet the taralli with cold water and brush the surface with white wine vinegar. Leave to dry for half an hour.
Prepare the dressing for the taralli with the oil, finely chopped anchovies, oregano and a pinch of salt, mixing all the ingredients together.
The vegetables, i.e. the cucumber, celery, tomatoes and green pepper should be thinly sliced. Also thinly slice the hard-boiled eggs.
Once the taralli are dry, start placing the slices of mixed vegetables, hard-boiled egg and a couple of green olives on top. Drizzle everything with the dressing and once all the taralli are ready, let them rest in the refrigerator for about an hour.
Orange appetiser
Ingredients for the orange appetiser
4 oranges
160 g anchovies in oil
oil, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of the orange appetiser
Wash the oranges very well and cut them into slices of about half a centimetre, leaving the peel on. Arrange the slices on a serving plate, placing a whole anchovy in oil on top of each one. Season with salt pepper and olive oil.
We now move on to the first courses where cavatelli are the main dish. They are prepared with different sauces depending on the place. The main sauce with which cavatelli are dressed is the classic one with pork, sausage and tomato, but they can also be prepared with broccoli, peppers and many other vegetables. A curiosity is the name given in Molise to the meatless sauce used to season cavatelli, i.e. it is called sugo vedovo.
Let's start with the recipe for cavatelli, which in Molise tradition are still made by hand.
CAVATELLI
Needed for the CAVATELLI
grams 300 of wheat flour
grams 300 of durum wheat flour
salt and water to taste
Preparation of the CAVATELLI
First mix the two types of flour and add a pinch of salt.
On a pastry board, make a well in the flour, adding water a little at a time and working with your hands to obtain a ball that is not too soft but compact.
Roll out a sheet about one centimetre high and cut it into many strips widthwise. These strips are then cut into pieces of about 3-4 centimetres. Each piece is then dragged on the pastry board with the fingers to give it the classic hollow shape.
And here they are ready to be cooked in plenty of salted water and dressed with the sauce you like best.
CAVATELLI with pork sauce Molise style
This is a dish that in Molise is served on Sundays and holidays. It is a very tasty and flavoursome recipe that becomes a single dish because in addition to the pasta, the meat is left whole.
Ingredients for CAVATELLI with pork sauce
600 grams of CAVATELLI
2 sausages
grams 500 cubed pork meat
grams 500 pork chops in pieces
1 red onion
2 cloves of garlic
grams 1200 chopped peeled tomatoes
a glass of red wine
grated pecorino cheese, oil, salt and pepper to taste.
Preparation of CAVATELLI with pork sauce
In a rather large saucepan, sauté the finely chopped onion and the two crushed garlic cloves. When they are golden brown, add the meat, i.e. the pork meat, the ribs. The sausages are skinned and cut in half.
Brown the meat for a few minutes then add the red wine and let it evaporate completely. Now add the peeled chopped tomatoes and leave to simmer, with the lid on, for about 2 hours, adding a little water if the sauce tends to dry out too much.
Adjust the salt and pepper and season the cavatelli with this sauce as soon as they are cooked, sprinkling them with grated pecorino cheese.
CAVATELLI with widow's sauce
Ingredients for CAVATELLI with widow's gravy
grams 500 of CAVATELLI
grams 1000 fresh ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons of parsley
a few basil leaves
grams 100 of lard
1 clove of garlic
grated pecorino cheese, salt, pepper to taste.
Preparation of the sauce for the CAVATELLI
Boil the tomatoes for a few minutes, then peel and seed them and cut them into small pieces.
Fry the garlic clove and finely chopped parsley in a crock pot with the lard. Add the chopped tomatoes and basil leaves, season with salt and pepper and cook over a low heat for about twenty minutes. Season the cavatelli just cooked in plenty of salted water with this sauce and sprinkle grated pecorino cheese on top.
As for main courses, lamb and pork are the most commonly used meats, but there is no shortage of fish dishes such as baked salt cod or mullet stuffed with breadcrumbs.
I propose here the recipe for tripe alla molisana and lamb alla molisana, two typical dishes from the hinterland of Molise.
Tripe Molise style
What you need for tripe Molise-style
800 grams of tripe
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 slice of lard
grams 600 chopped peeled tomatoes
chilli powder, marjoram, salt, pepper and olive oil to taste
grated pecorino cheese to taste
Preparation of tripe Molise style
For convenience, buy the tripe already cleaned, cut into strips and cooked. (it can be found in all supermarkets).
We now prepare the base for cooking with a little oil in a rather large frying pan. Add the lard cut into small pieces, the finely chopped carrot, onion and celery and cook for a few minutes. We now add the tripe and allow it to take on flavour for a few minutes, stirring frequently.
Now add the chopped peeled tomatoes, the chilli powder and a little chopped marjoram. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about half an hour. When cooked, sprinkle with grated pecorino cheese and serve hot.
Lamb Molise style
Needed for the Molise-style lamb
1200 grams of lamb stew
2 glasses of white wine
1 sprig of rosemary
7-8 sage leaves
grams 70 of lard
2 cloves of garlic
salt, pepper, chilli pepper and olive oil to taste
Preparation of lamb Molise style
In a rather large bowl, possibly earthenware, cook the lard cut into very fine pieces together with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the 2 whole but crushed garlic cloves (to be removed when the recipe is finished). Add the rosemary and sage and the lamb stew. Cook everything for about 40 minutes over low heat, slowly adding the two glasses of white wine. Adjust the salt, pepper and chilli pepper and serve hot.
Now to the desserts. Those from Molise are generally various types of biscuits used for breakfast or carnival fritters or traditional Christmas sweets.
Pastarelle
Needed for the pastarelle
grams 600 of flour
grams 200 sugar
3 whole eggs
100 grams of olive oil or seed oil
1 sachet of baking powder
1 sachet of vanillin
1 glass of milk
the grated peel of a lemon
Preparing the pastarelle
In a rather large bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, the sachet of baking powder and the sachet of vanillin. Mix everything with the 3 beaten eggs, add the oil and milk and the grated lemon peel. Work with a wooden spoon to remove all the lumps. The finished batter should be soft but not too fluid.
Put a sheet of baking paper on the tray of the oven and with a spoon make small rounds of batter about 4 - 5 centimetres apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 15 minutes. A word of advice, do not open the oven until cooked. Sprinkle the biscuits with sugar. They are delicious for breakfast dipped in milk.
PEPATELLI
Another typical Molise biscuit, very curious in taste, combining the strong taste of pepper with the sweet flavour of honey and almonds. They were prepared for Christmas festivities to be offered to guests to dip in sweet wine.
Ingredients for PEPATELLI
grams 180 peeled and roasted almonds
grams 500 flour
grams 350 mixed-flower honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
the grated peel of 2 oranges
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 sachet of baking powder
salt to taste
Preparation of the PEPATELLI
First chop the almonds into rather large pieces. In a pastry board, mix the previously warmed honey with the flour to make it more liquid. Add the cinnamon powder, the grated peel of 2 oranges, the sachet of baking powder and the black pepper. A pinch of salt and form a rather firm and elastic dough.
Divide the dough in two and form two loaves that will be placed in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Cut the loaves diagonally into slices about 1 centimetre thick. Bake the biscuits again for about ten minutes until golden brown.
