Some interesting recipes and method of preparation from Italy

3. Erbazzone
Ingredients:
For the puff pastry:
300 gr. flour
½ tablespoon lard (strutto)
1 knob butter
2 glasses olive oil
salt
warm milk
For the filling:
1 kg. spinach or Swiss chard
1 onion
1 handful chopped parsley
100 gr. lard or minced pancetta
1 egg
100 gr. breadcrumbs
250 gr. grated Parmesan cheese
250 gr. Ricotta cheese
1 stock cube
1 teaspoon salt

4. Method of preparation:
Blanch the spinach, chop them and squeeze the water out. Brown the finely chopped
onion with the lard (or pancetta) and the parsley, then add the stock cube, the salt, and
finally the spinach. Cook for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove the pan
from heat, add the egg and, keeping on stirring, add the breadcrumbs. (If the mixture is
too soft, add some more breadcrumbs). Leave to cool.
When the mixture is cold add the Ricotta cheese and the Parmesan cheese and
combine very well. The filling must not be too soft.
To make the dough, combine all the ingredients very well. Finally add some warm milk
to obtain a soft mixture. Let it rest for 2 hours covered with a bowl.
Divide the dough in two parts and roll them out using a rolling pin to obtain a thin
pastry. Line a baking tin (bottom and sides) with one disk of rolled out pastry, pour in
the spinach filling and level it using a spatula. Cover with the other layer of pastry and
pinch the edges of the two pastry disks together. Prick with a fork, add some little
pieces of lard on top, and bake in a pre-heated oven at 180-200°C for about 30
minutes. Serve hot or cold.

5. Gnocco Fritto Con Salumi
Gnocco Fritto with Cold Cuts
Mixed cold cuts:
Parma ham
Ham
Mortadella
Salami
Coppa (pork neck salami)
Pancetta
Ingredients for the “gnocco fritto”:
600 gr. flour
60 gr. butter
1 level tablespoon salt
warm milk
hot lard (strutto) or oil to fry

6. Method of preparation:
Knead all the ingredients with warm milk until you obtain a smooth and soft
ball and leave to rest for about 2 hours, covered with a bowl.
Roll out the dough about 2 – 3 mm. thick. Cut it into squares or rectangles
about 10 x 10 cm.
Fry the pieces of “gnocco” in a large quantity of hot lard (strutto) or oil.

8. Tortelli Verdi
Ingredients: serves 12
For the Pastry:
500 gr. flour
5 eggs
For the filling:
1 kg. spinach or Swiss chard
1 onion
1 handful chopped parsley
100 gr. lard or minced pancetta
1 egg
100 gr. breadcrumbs
250 gr. grated Parmesan cheese
250 gr. Ricotta cheese
1 stock cube
1 teaspoon salt

9. Method of preparation:
Blanch the spinach, chop them and squeeze the water out. Brown the finely chopped
onion with the lard (or pancetta) and the parsley, then add the stock cube, the salt,
and finally the spinach. Cook for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove the
pan from heat, add the egg and, keeping on stirring, add the breadcrumbs. (If the
mixture is too soft, add some more breadcrumbs). Leave to cool.
When the mixture is cold, add the Ricotta cheese and the Parmesan cheese and
combine very well. The filling must not be too soft.
On a working surface, knead the flour with the eggs until you obtain a smooth ball.
Roll out the pastry and cut it into long strips about 12 cm. wide. Place a spoon of
filling at regular distances of about 10 cm. along the strips, then turn the pastry on
the filling to make a kind of ravioli. Press the pastry between the fillings and on the
edge, so that the filling cannot come out. Cut the edge of each tortello and press
again.
Cook the tortelli in a large quantity of boiling salted water for about 5 minutes stirring
all the time. Drain them and place them in layers in a serving dish, adding melted
butter and plenty of Parmesan Cheese to every layer of tortelli. Serve hot.

10. Cappelletti In Brodo
Ingredients: serves 12
1250g. flour
1 ½ pork sausages
770g. minced pork and beef meat
50g. Mortadella
50g. Parma ham
12 eggs (for the pastry) +
1 egg (for the filling)
Parmesan Cheese
2 cloves
very little cinnamon
1 stalk celery
1 carrot
½ stock cube
breadcrumbs

11. Method of preparation:
Put the minced meat, the sausages, the half stock cube, the celery and the carrot in a pot. Make a
“bouquet” with the cloves and the cinnamon and add it to the pot. Pour in water until the meat is
almost completely covered, put on the flame and let it cook very gently for 4 – 5 hours. Remove the
cloves and cinnamon “bouquet”, pass the mixture to the mixer when it is still hot, together with the
Mortadella and the Parma ham, and add some breadcrumbs. Let it cool, then add the egg and some
Parmesan cheese.
For the pastry: knead together the flour and the eggs (12) until you obtain a smooth ball. Leave to
rest for minimum 3 hours closed in a plastic bag and covered with a bowl.
Roll out the dough using a rolling pin to obtain a thin pastry and cut it into squares of about 3cm x
3cm. Place a bit of filling in the middle of each square. Close well in half to make a filled triangle,
then join the points of the Cappelletti to obtain the characteristic shape of little “caps”.
Cook the Cappelletti in boiling stock for a couple of minutes. Serve them with hot stock, sprinkled
with Parmesan cheese.

13. Coniglio Arrosto
Roast rabbit
Ingredients:
1 rabbit
3 garlic cloves
½ glass vinegar
½ glass extra-virgin olive oil
1 level tablespoon salt
1 sprig rosemary
juice of ½ lemon
Optional: 3 spoonful tomato sauce

14. Method of preparation:
Cut the rabbit into quite small pieces, wash them and dry them. Chop the rosemary
and the garlic finely, put the mixture in a bowl together with the vinegar, oil and salt.
Mix all the ingredients and turn the pieces of rabbit over in the bowl. Leave to rest for
24 hours at least, turning the meat pieces over now and then.
Place in a pan, cover and simmer for 2 hours at least. When the rabbit is almost
cooked, uncover, pour in the lemon juice and let it evaporate for a few minutes.
Optional: you can add 3 spoonful of tomato sauce to the ingredients before
cooking.

15. Bolliti misti
Mixed boiled meat
Ingredients:
700 gr. beef shoulder
¼ capon
1 beef bone with marrow
3-4 pieces beef tail
1 small carrot
½ stalk celery
1 small piece onion

16. Method of preparation:
Pour 5 litres of water in a pot, put it on the gas stove and bring to the boil. Add the
carrot, the celery, the onion, the stock cube and salt to taste. Put all the meat in the
pot and simmer for 3 hours at least. Remove the meat from the pot, slice it and serve
hot accompanied by different types of sauces.

18. Zuppa Inglese
Ingredients: (serves 8)
4 egg yolks
2 ½ cups milk
cocoa powder
about 20 Savoiardi (sponge fingers)
3/4 cups sugar
one piece lemon zest
1/2 cup flour
1 cup Alchermes liqueur (A red Italian liqueur made from
rose and jasmine extract added to nutmeg,
cinnamon, and coriander distillation.)

19. Method of preparation:
Warm up the milk in a non-stick sauce pan.
In a large bowl beat the egg yolks with the sugar, add the flour and combine the
ingredients until well mixed.
Add the milk to the egg mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.
Put the mixture into the sauce pan and cook it on the stove at a medium low heat. Stir
the custard continuously with a wooden spoon. Pour half of it into a bowl and add
cocoa to the saucepan. Keep on cooking over low heat to let the cocoa melt.
Dip quickly both sides of the savoiardi in the liqueur. Layer them one at a time in a
glass bowl and line bottom and sides.
Spread the yellow custard first, then repeat a layer with savoiardi. Pour in the
chocolate custard, and end with a layer of savoiardi.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, better yet overnight. Turn the bowl upside down on a
plate before serving.

20. Torta di riso
Rice cake
Ingredients:
150 gr. rice
1 lt. fresh whole milk
150 gr. sugar
3 eggs
Sassolino liqueur
1 pinch salt

21. Method of preparation:
Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Pour the milk in a saucepan with the sugar
and a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Pour the rice in and let it cook for about 8
minutes. Turn off the burner and leave to cool for 10 minutes.
Pour 4 tablespoons of Sassolino liqueur in and add the egg yolks, one at a time,
stirring well. Beat the egg whites slightly with a fork and fold them in.
Butter and flour a baking dish.
Pour the mixture in the baking dish and let it rest for 2 hours, so that the rice gets to
the bottom of the dish.
Bake in a moderate oven at 180°C (350°F) for 40/45 minutes.
Finally, sprinkle one or two tablespoons of caster sugar and a little Sassolino liqueur
on top and return the cake to the previously turned off oven for 10 minutes.