Roman style panzerotti (Panzerotti alla romana, region Lazio)

Ingredients (4 servings)

300 g of 00 flour (white flour)

40 g of butter

3 eggs

120 of diced scamorza (a kind of cheese)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Risotto with sweet grapes (Risotto all’uva fragola)

Here you have a recipe with a typically seasonal ingredient: fresh grapes.

The uva fragola is a type of grapes with blue/black skin, which is very sweet and is to be found in Italy from the end of August to the end of September (depending on the climate/region). It is often consumed after meals as a dessert.

Ingredients (4/6 servings)

450 g of uva fragola

1 stalk of leek

320 g of rice (for risotto)

60 g of butter

100 ml of red wine (half a glass)

1 litre of vegetal broth

40 g of parmesan

pepper

Steamed mussels with pepper (Impepata di cozze, region Campania)

This is a traditional dish from Naples and can be consumed both as a starter or as main dish of fish.

It has long been considered a poor dish, unworthy of being considered part of the traditional Italian cuisine. In recent times it has been reassessed and is highly appreciated.

According to traditional beliefs, mussels are tastier if eaten during months without an “R” (gennaio, maggio, giugno, luglio agosto, that is January, May, June, July, August).

For a starter reduce the following ingredients by half.

Pici pasta (pici, region Tuscany)

The pici are a thick hand-made kind of pasta which originates from Southern Tuscany. It can be made of flour and water only, as the addition of egg yolks is optional and depends on local traditions.

Here’s the recipe to make the pasta, while in the next post you will find a recipe on how to make a fine fish sauce to go with your fresh pici.

Potatoes and peppers (Patate e peperoni, region Calabria)

Ingredients (4/6 servings)

potatoes – 800 g (choose a variety which is suitable to be fried)

red peppers – 300 g

yellow peppers – 300g

extra virgin olive oil

Optional:

rosemary or black olives or red onions (to be placed in the pan together with peppers and potatoes)

Monza style pasta (Pasta alla monzese, region Lombardia)

Ingredients (4 servings)

penne (a kind of pasta) – 350/400 g

mild lean pork sausage - 250 g

fresh cream - 250 g

saffron - 1 package

grated parmesan - 60 g

salt and pepper

Hunter’s style rabbit (Conillu a succhittu, region Sardinia)

Ingredients (6/8 servings)

a medium-sized rabbit

2 cloves of garlic

4 dried tomatoes cut into small pieces

4 laurel leaves

2 tsps of finely chopped rosemery

2 pinches of oregano

4/5 tbsps of pickled capers

half a glass of white wine

a stock cube

extra virgin olive oil

white vinegar