A typical Alpine region where animal husbandry plays an essential role. But that's not all, also artisan cheeses, fine cold cuts, and digestive drinks. Let's start with hors d'oeuvres and the main starter in this region is Fondue valdostana, but also raw meat rolls.
For first courses, you are spoilt for choice, with soups, broths and polenta. And for the main courses, meat is the ingredient that is never missing from a Valle d'Aosta menu. So here are the steaks alla valdostana and venison in civet.
There is no shortage of desserts, one more delicious than the other, such as crema di Cogne or sweet tegole. A special place has the famous Valdostan coffee, flavoured with grappa and lemon peel. This coffee is traditionally drunk in the friendship cup, a low, pot-bellied wooden cup with several spouts from which diners drink one after the other.
Let's start with the appetisers and the most famous:
La Fonduta Valdostana
What you need for the Valdostan fondue
500 grams of Fontina cheese
4 eggs
grams 60 of butter
half a litre of whole milk
salt, pepper to taste
homemade bread or croutons to accompany.
Preparation of the Aosta Valley fondue
Dice the cheese and put it in the milk for about 3 hours. To better enjoy this recipe you need the classic fondue pot with the alcohol cooker underneath, to keep the cheese at the right temperature at all times, while diners spread it over toasted or fried bread croutons and then eaten immediately warm.
Let's go back to the recipe and transfer the cheese and milk into the fondue pot and start melting it, now incorporate the butter and egg yolks one by one. Adjust the salt and pepper and when the cheese has reached a creamy consistency serve piping hot.
Raw meat rolls
Ingredients for preparing the raw meat rolls
400 g veal sirloin or carpaccio cut into thin slices
grams 180 of valerian salad
130 grams of Fontina cheese cut into slices
the juice of 1 lemon
a bay leaf
a sprig of rosemary
3 juniper berries
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon mustard
1 decilitre of olive oil
Preparation of the raw meat rolls
Prepare a sauce with the oil, lemon juice, mustard, minced garlic, bay leaf, rosemary and juniper berries. Let the sauce stand for at least 2 hours. When finished, remove the rosemary sprig, bay leaf and juniper berries.
Now prepare the meat by taking slices and placing slices of fontina cheese and a few valerian leaves on top of them. Roll up the meat and fasten with a toothpick. Drizzle the rolls with the sauce and bring to the table accompanied by the valerian and slices of toasted bread.
Polenta concia
Needed for the polenta concia
grams 400 of yellow flour
grams 200 of fontina cheese
grams 100 of butter
salt to taste
Preparation of polenta concia
In a large pot prepare the polenta by putting the yellow flour to cook in the water for about 35 - 40 minutes (follow the instructions given by the cornmeal).
When the polenta is cooked, add the diced Fontina cheese and butter. Stir to melt the butter and cheese well and serve hot after adjusting the salt.
Chestnut soup
Ingredients for the chestnut soup
grams 200 of dried chestnuts
grams 150 of barley
grams 200 of chard
grams 500 of potatoes
one onion
one celery rib
one carrot
30 grams of butter
4 tablespoons of olive oil
one bouillon cube
salt to taste
Preparation of the chestnut soup
The day before, soak the chestnuts and leave them for at least 24 hours.
In a large saucepan, sauté the diced vegetables, finely chopped onion and chopped chard in the oil and butter.
After a few minutes add about 3 litres of water and the stock cube. Also add the chestnuts, adjust the salt and continue cooking for about 2 hours in a covered pot. Finally add the barley and continue cooking. Serve piping hot.
Valpelline soup
Ingredients for the valpelline soup
500 g homemade bread cut into slices
grams 500 of fontina cheese from Valle d'Aosta
300 grams of Savoy cabbage
grams 80 of butter
1 ½ litres of meat stock
a pinch of nutmeg
a pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of the valpelline soup
First cook the Savoy cabbage leaves in the broth. Drain the leaves and flavour them with a pinch of nutmeg and cinnamon. In a baking dish start with a layer of bread slices, on top go the cabbage leaves, then slices of fontina cheese. A pinch of salt and pepper and continue with the layers until all the ingredients are used up.
Top with slices of fontina cheese, douse everything with meat stock and place in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 45 minutes. Serve after letting it rest for at least 5 minutes.
Cutlets alla valdostana
What you need for the Valdostana cutlets
8 slices of rump of veal
150 grams of Fontina cheese from Valle d'Aosta
2 eggs
grams 250 sliced cooked ham
grams 100 of butter
salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and enough oil for frying
Preparation of the Aosta Valley cutlets
On 4 of the veal rump slices put the sliced fontina cheese and the slices of cooked ham.
On top place the other 4 slices of meat.
Melt the butter in a frying pan and then dip the slices of meat in the beaten egg with a little salt and breadcrumbs and cook over a high heat for at least 7 to 8 minutes.
Pass them through paper towels to remove excess butter and after adjusting the salt, serve hot.
Venison alla valdostana
Ingredients for the venison alla valdostana
1 kg venison
1 onion
1 carrot
1 celery rib
a bottle of red wine
a pinch of cinnamon
4 juniper berries
4 cloves
3 bay leaves
a sprig of thyme
a few tablespoons of olive oil
a small glass of grappa
300 grams of peeled chopped tomatoes
meat stock, salt, pepper and cooking cream to taste
Preparation of venison alla valdostana
A couple of days beforehand, start preparing the marinade in which to leave the venison.
Cut the venison into pieces and place the meat in a large container together with the finely chopped vegetables and also the spices, i.e. cinnamon, juniper, cloves, bay leaf and thyme. Adjust the salt and pepper and moisten with the red wine. Turn the meat from time to time.
After this time, heat the oil in a fairly large saucepan. As soon as it is hot, brown the venison (set the marinade aside). Wet with the grappa and let it evaporate completely.
Sprinkle with a little flour and add the marinade and chopped peeled tomatoes. With the lid on, leave to cook for at least 3½ hours 4.
If the sauce tends to get too dry, add a little meat stock.
When the meat is cooked, remove from the pot and place on a serving plate. In the cooking liquid add a few tablespoons of cooking cream and with this sauce cover the pieces of venison and bring to the table.
Carbonada Valdostana
What you need for the Valdostan carbonada
800 grams of chopped beef
2 onions
1 bay leaf
4 juniper berries
a sprig of rosemary
a few sage leaves
50 g butter
a pinch of cinnamon
4 tablespoons of olive oil
2 tablespoons of flour
half a litre of red wine
meat stock, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of the Valdostan carbonada
About 12 hours before cooking, prepare the marinade for the meat.
In a large bowl put the chopped beef, the onions cut into wedges, the bay leaf, the juniper berries, the rosemary sprig and the sage. Add a pinch of cinnamon and the red wine and leave in the refrigerator covered with cling film.
After this time, cut the meat into pieces and brown it on all sides in a pan with the oil and butter. Remove the meat and set it aside and in the usual cooking juices put the onions with a glass of water and let it shrink, add the flour mixing well.
In the same pan put the meat, pour the marinade passed through a sieve to remove the bits of herbs and cook for at least 3 hours with the lid on. If the cooking juices tend to dry out too much, moisten with meat stock. Before serving, adjust the salt and freshly grind some black pepper.
Tegole valdostane
Needed for the Valdostan tiles
grams 200 sugar
grams 60 of flour
grams 70 of butter
grams 100 of toasted almonds
grams 100 of hazelnuts
4 eggs
milk and salt to taste
Preparation of the Valle d'Aosta tiles
First finely chop the hazelnuts and toasted almonds. Then in a bowl mix the chopped mixture with the flour, sugar and softened butter.
Separately whip the eggs with a whisk and then add them to the rest. Add a pinch of salt and continue to knead the mixture until smooth.
To bake, in the oven tray lined with aluminium foil, place small amounts of the mixture at a distance, trying to flatten it. Place the tray in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes.
Torcetti di Saint Vincent
Needed for the Saint Vincent torcetti
grams 600 of flour
grams 250 of butter
150 grams of sugar
a pinch of salt
5 grams of brewer's yeast
butter and flour for greasing the baking tin
Preparation of the Saint Vincent torcetti
In a small saucepan, dissolve the yeast in a tablespoon of lukewarm water. After an hour, add a tablespoon of flour and leave to ferment.
In the meantime, place the flour, a pinch of salt and the yeast on the pastry board, add enough water and knead to obtain a smooth, soft dough. Make a ball and place in a floured bowl covered with cling film for at least two hours in a warm place.
After this time, take the dough, add the butter and knead it for a few more minutes. Place it once again to rise covered for another hour.
Once the dough has risen again, cut it into pieces and with your hands make cylinders the size of a pencil and then cut them into pieces of about 10 centimetres. Fold these cylinders until both sides are touching, close them and place these biscuits in the buttered and floured baking tin.
Turn the oven to 200 degrees and bake the tray for about 15 minutes. They are best eaten cold.
