It is a small region, Umbria, which, however, has not been influenced by the typical dishes of neighbouring regions. It is a cuisine that is not very elaborate, therefore simple and genuine, where the flavours of the raw materials used are enhanced. Pork processing in this region is very popular.
In fact, it is from Norcia and its cured meats that the word norcino was born to indicate the person who produces and sells the cured meats. Truffles are also the protagonist of many Umbrian recipes, as is olive oil.
Truffle omelette
Ingredients for the truffle omelette
8 eggs
grams 40 of butter
grams 40 of Norcia black truffle
salt and olive oil to taste
Preparing the truffle omelette
Clean the truffles very well, using a brush. Wash and dry them very well and cut them into thin slices.
Brown the butter in a frying pan. Separately beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and the truffle slices. Put the mixture into the frying pan and cook the omelette in the usual way, turning it at least once. It can be served hot but is also delicious cold.
Chicken giardiniera
What is needed for the chicken giardiniera
a chicken of about 1600 to 1800 grams
2 hard-boiled eggs
one carrot
one celery rib
a bunch of parsley
5 ripe tomatoes
800 g mixed vegetables such as cucumbers, courgettes, potatoes, green beans
80 grams of giardiniera in oil
about ten pitted black olives
salt, olive oil and mayonnaise to taste
Preparation of the chicken giardiniera
Place the chicken already cleaned, without head, legs and entrails in a pot of water together with the carrot, celery stick, parsley and ripe tomatoes. Boil for at least an hour. In the meantime, boil vegetables such as courgettes, potatoes, green beans and cucumbers al dente, but leave them raw and slice them thinly.
In a bowl, put the mayonnaise and a pinch of salt.
When the chicken is cooked, scoop out the flesh and chop not very finely. Add the boiled vegetables and pickled giardiniera to the pieces of meat. Season with salt and pepper and form a dome in a round serving dish. This dome is covered with mayonnaise and decorated with slices of hard-boiled egg and black olives.
Serve cold after at least one hour in the refrigerator.
Let us now move on to the first courses.
Acquacotta with salt cod
A traditional dish from Norcia
Ingredients for acquacotta with codfish
grams 600 of already soaked salt cod
grams 100 of tomato puree
grams 600 of diced potatoes
1 onion
1 clove of garlic
a bunch of mint leaves
stale bread, salt and pepper to taste
Preparation of acquacotta with salt cod
Cut the already soaked codfish into cubes and put the chopped garlic and onion, chopped mint leaves, tomato puree and potatoes into a pot. Adjust the salt and pepper and fill the pot with water until all the ingredients are covered. Cover the pot and let it cook for at least 40 minutes. Add the diced codfish at this point and cook for another 20 minutes or so. Serve piping hot.
Chickling vetch soup
400 grams of chickling peas (they are pea-like pulses with a more robust flavour typical of Umbria)
1 clove of chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
5 chopped peeled tomatoes
5 mint leaves
salt, pepper and olive oil to taste
Preparation of the chickling vetch soup
Soak the chickling peas the day before. The next day, boil the chickling peas in a pot of water for at least 2 hours.
Fry the chopped garlic and chopped parsley in a saucepan. Add the chopped mint leaves and as soon as the garlic has browned, add the peeled tomatoes cut into small pieces. Now add the chickling peas and season, stirring well. Add water to cover the ingredients, season with salt and pepper and cook with the lid on for at least an hour, making sure it does not dry out too much. Serve very hot.
Pasta alla norcina
A delicious first course with Norcia sausage and black truffle.
Ingredients for the pasta alla norcina
grams 400 of short pasta
grams 180 of cooking cream
half an onion
half a glass of white wine
grams 500 of Norcia sausage
black truffle, salt, pepper, olive oil and grated pecorino romano cheese to taste
Preparation of pasta alla norcina
Coarsely chop the sausages and fry the finely chopped onion in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the crumbled sausage and brown it for a few minutes. Then add the white wine and let it evaporate completely. Add the cream and as soon as the pasta is cooked al dente, toss the pasta with the sauce adding the finely chopped truffle and grated Pecorino Romano cheese at the end.
We now move on to the main courses.
Saint Anthony's meatballs
Needed for St. Anthony's meatballs
300 grams of minced beef or veal
grams 90 of stale bread
20 grams pine nuts
30 grams of sultanas
30 grams grated pecorino romano cheese
1 egg
a few basil leaves
400 grams of tomato puree
salt, pepper and olive oil to taste
Preparation of Saint Anthony's meatballs
First soak the bread, squeeze it out and place it in a bowl. Add the minced meat, chopped pine nuts, sultanas and grated pecorino romano to the soaked bread.
Set this mixture aside and prepare the meat sauce. In a saucepan put a few tablespoons of olive oil, the tomato puree, a few basil leaves and half a glass of water. Adjust the salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes.
Shape the meat mixture into meatballs, place them in the tomato sauce and cook for about ten minutes, stirring frequently to allow the meat to take on flavour on all sides.
Serve hot.
Perch and capers
Ingredients for perch and capers
800 g perch fillets
grams 20 of butter
1 glass of dry white wine
grams 25 of pickled capers
the juice of 1 lemon
salt, pepper, olive oil and flour to taste
Preparation of perch and capers
In a large frying pan, brown the floured perch fillets in oil and butter.
Pour in the wine, add the capers and lemon juice. Adjust the salt and pepper and cook for about 10-12 minutes over a high flame. Serve hot with the cooking juices on top.
Umbrian-style porchetta
What you need for the porchetta alla Umbra
A piglet weighing about 40-45 kg
for the seasoning
5 cloves of chopped garlic
bunches of mint, rosemary and wild fennel
pepper, salt and olive oil to taste.
Preparation of porchetta alla Umbra
The suckling pig must be washed and the skin must be cleaned of hair. It has to be boned, and as this is not a very easy practice, it is best to contact an expert person for this. The innards - liver, lungs, heart and kidneys - must be chopped up and cooked in a pan with a few tablespoons of olive oil, chopped fennel and garlic and pepper. The inside of the piglet is seasoned with this mixture.
The belly cut should be closed again. The suckling pig should now be threaded onto a skewer and placed between two low stands in a preheated wood-fired oven that must maintain the necessary heat throughout the cooking time.
The porchetta is served either hot or cold, cutting the piglet into thin slices.
Now to the desserts
The Assisi ROCCIATA
Ingredients for the Assisi ROCCIATA
grams 600 of fresh and dried fruit (apple, almond, sultanas, walnuts, plums and figs) cut into small cubes
grams 120 of sugar
2 tablespoons of olive oil
half a glass of vino Santo or sweet wine
a pinch of cinnamon powder
grated lemon peel
For the pastry
250 grams of flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
grams 50 of sugar
a pinch of salt
butter, olive oil and icing sugar to taste
Preparation of the Assisi ROCCIATA
The fruit, both fresh and dried, is macerated, after having been cut into very small pieces, with sugar, vino Santo, the rind of a grated lemon and cinnamon. Stir occasionally to macerate everything evenly and leave for at least two hours.
For the dough, mix the flour with the sugar, oil, a pinch of salt and enough water to make a smooth, soft dough. Cover the dough with a cloth and let it rest for about an hour.
Take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin into a sheet about half a centimetre thick. Spread the filling on top and roll the dough very tightly, folding over the edges. Place on a buttered baking tray, brush the surface with olive oil, then bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm covered with icing sugar.
Ricotta cake (according to Gubbio tradition)
Ingredients for the ricotta cake
400 grams ricotta cheese, sieved
grams 400 flour
5 eggs
grams 300 of sugar
a sachet of baking powder
one lemon, both zest and juice
enough butter and flour
Preparation of the ricotta cake
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and slowly add the sugar, ricotta cheese, flour and baking powder. Also add the juice of one lemon and the grated zest. Work hard with a wooden spoon until the mixture is smooth and lump-free.
Place the mixture in a buttered and floured cake tin, levelling off the surface. Now place in a preheated oven at 200 degrees for about 25 to 30 minutes.
