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Erbazzone Reggiano (swiss chard pie). A treasure recipe from Emilia

Erbazzone pie (swiss chard pie). A treasure recipe from Emilia

There is a land with indefinite borders, which is the South of the North and the North of the South: someone calls it Emilia (E. Berselli, Italian writer born and raised in Emilia) The city of Reggio Emilia is the birthplace of one of the most satisfying Italian snacks: erbazzone or scarpazzone , a hearty, savory…

ByMonica2 May 20240Comments

Christmas COURSES First Course INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Rice and Grains Sunday Lunch

Rice bomb (bomba di riso), recipe from Emilia-Romagna

The rice bomb is a flan. And flan, in Italian sformato, is the name we used to call it at home. It must be said, however, that it is an Emilian rather than a Romagna dish. In fact, each Emilian province has its own version of the recipe. You can find the bomb bolognese, the one from…

ByMonica28 March 20240Comments

COURSES Desserts OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Chocolate salami (without eggs). Nonna’s recipes

If a book about grandmothers served the purpose of not missing mine, I would look for it. I'm usually able to manage memories, but some days, it is hard to manage their B-sides. Yes, memories have two sides, like coins and old vinyl records. Side A makes memories a soft dough that will rise in the oven; it…

ByMonica1 March 20240Comments

Breakfast and Merenda Cakes and Cookies COURSES OCCASIONS RECIPES

5 minutes cake, a typical recipe of Emilia-Romagna

In this gastronomic journey along the Via Emilia in search and rediscovery of familiar memories and flavors, sometimes it happens that I discover little culinary surprises. Recipes I have never heard of, such as the 5 minutes cake or, in Italian, torta dei cinque minuti. Honestly, I was surprised to discover that The Slow Food Dictionary…

ByMonica8 February 20240Comments

Christmas Drinks OCCASIONS RECIPES

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…

ByMonica16 January 20240Comments

Cakes and Cookies Chocolate Christmas COURSES INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES

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…

ByMonica12 December 20230Comments

Cheese Christmas COURSES INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Soups Sunday Lunch

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…

ByMonica27 November 20232Comments

Cheese Christmas COURSES Gluten-free INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Soups Sunday Lunch

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,…

ByMonica20 November 20230Comments

COURSES First Course RECIPES

From Ferrara. Pumpkin cappellacci pasta

I often tell you stories and tastes of the Via Emilia, the road of Roman origin that runs through Emilia-Romagna from Piacenza to Rimini. Anyway you should know that my region also has another main highway, less busy and quieter but just as significant, the Po River. Significant Italian gastronomes and writers have written about the…

ByMonica26 October 20230Comments

Ingannapreti con salsa affumicata al pomodoro e mascarpone

COURSES First Course RECIPES

Sorpresine with smoky tomato and mascarpone sauce

Sorpresine (little surprises), bugie (lies), or inganna-preti (deceive-the-priests) are some names to indicate the same kind of pasta shape that looks like it should be a filled pasta, but forget the filling because it is without the filling. In fact, sorpresine are little squares of pasta dough folded twice to resemble tortellini or cappelletti without the…

ByMonica11 October 20230Comments