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Christmas

Vino caldo recipe, the mulled wine of Romagna
Vino caldo recipe, the mulled wine of Romagna
In Romagna, mulled wine was called vino caldo (warm wine). I use a form in the past tense since only a handful of memories and a few mentions in gastronomic collections of Romagna cuisine, above all dated ones, survive on that drink, which Romagna peasants used to fight winter frost and seasonal ailments. The mulled wine implies…
Mortadella and veal rifreddo (meatloaf)
Mortadella and veal rifreddo (meatloaf)
Rifreddo, galantina, stuffed chicken and capon are classic dishes of Bolognese cuisine. They represent one of the happiest expressions of local home cooking. The Bolognese table is welcoming in flavor and appealing to the eye. And recipes, even if rich in character and ingredients, never recall food porn. On the contrary, the local gastronomic culture doesn't lack a certain…
A recipe for chocolate pralines called Cri Cri
A recipe for chocolate pralines called Cri Cri
Cri Cri are chocolate pralines of Piedmontese origin, and if you're wondering what they have to do with me recounting the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna, I'll tell you right now. On January 6 in Italy, we celebrate the Befana, which closes the festivities of the Christmas season. That day, I would wake up early while the house was…
Layered Pandoro recipe
Layered pandoro star with mascarpone cream
The Christmas layered pandoro is a dish that takes me back to the 1980s and 1990s, when I was cheerful and carefree in that lighthearted way typical of youth. During the Christmas holidays, mascarpone was a widely used ingredient, often layered into pandoro. At some point, layered pandoro became one of the desserts served at Christmas lunch…
Chocolate panpepato from Ferrara
Chocolate panpepato from Ferrara, the recipe
The panpepato, or pampapato, is a skullcap-shaped cake. Dedicated to the Pope, created in 1580 from an idea of Alfonso II d'Este, the Lord of the city of Ferrara, and still produced both artisanally and commercially. Made from a mixture of cake flour, honey, bitter cocoa, toasted almonds, a mixture of spices (the composition is…
Herb-stuffed pork loin recipe: ho to make it
Herb-stuffed pork loin recipe: how to make it
Loin, tenderloin, and loin with bones are three distinct parts from the same part of the pork. The tenderloin is the part near the thigh, the loin with bones is the part with the ribs, and the loin is the final part of the back of the pig. The pork loin is a lean and valuable cut…
Cappelletti romagnoli with cheese recipe
Cappelletti romagnoli with cheese recipe
Filled pasta evokes memories of rituals and traditions that belong to my family history. Maybe it is that the Holiday season is coming, or it's the passing of time that is to blame, but I admit, for the past few years since mid-November onward, I have started to make stock pots and tons of fresh stuffed…
Homemade Parmigiano stock recipe
Homemade Parmigiano stock recipe (with rind)
In Italian kitchens, the stock is a staple recipe with several uses. All the broths share the same main ingredients and preparation method: water, vegetables (almost always the base is one stick of celery with the leaves, one skinless white onion, and one whole carrot), and salt. Then, there is the ingredient that gives a specific taste. Again,…
Nonna's special tiramisù recipe
The special tiramisù recipe of Nonna Sara
Nonna's special tiramisù is a recipe we had lost and recently found again. So many of her recipes brighten tables that are not our own. Nonna left few written recipes compared to her enormous repertoire. On the other hand, she shared them by letter with other women and as many as she received. Or she exchanged them with…
Fish cappelletti. Romagna stuffed pasta
Fish cappelletti of Adua. Romagna stuffed pasta
Some flavors evoke positive thoughts related to people who loved us. Cappelletti di Magro makes me think of Adua. She and her home tailoring lab are among the fond memories of my childhood and adult life. Cappelletti of Romagna Cappelletti is a stuffed pasta typical of Romagna. The name literally means "little-hats". You can find cappelletti filled with meat…

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