Cheese anolini from the picturesque Val d’Arda (Piacenza)

The recipe for anolini belongs, albeit with differences in shape and filling, to the territories of Parma and Piacenza. This recipe for cheese anolini from Val d'Arda is a variation of the classic anolini recipe from Piacenza and Parma. The Val d'Arda is a picturesque valley in the Piacenza Apennines, crossed by the Arda stream,…

ByMonica7 December 20250Comments

COURSES First Course RECIPES

Dry passatelli with vegetable sauce. A local tradition and my family recipe

Dry passatelli, or passatelli asciutti, is a lesser-known variation of the more famous broth version, a holiday staple in Romagna made using recycled ingredients. However, I've decided to share the recipe here on the blog for two reasons. First, it is part of my life and one of the flavors of the Via Emilia, and I…

ByMonica2 July 20250Comments

Bologna Food COURSES First Course OCCASIONS RECIPES

Fake tortellini or tortellini bugiardi: the forgotten recipe

Fake tortellini, in Italy known as tortellini bugiardi (literally, "lying tortellini"), is a forgotten recipe from peasant cuisine. They are made with egg and flour dough and are shaped like traditional Bolognese tortellini but without filling. Tortellini bugiardi do not tell lies, even though this, little lies, is another name used to refer to this type of…

ByMonica6 June 20250Comments

COURSES First Course OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Fresh pasta triangles called Polyphemus and a vegetarian sauce

At home, we used to call them Polyphemus. Basically, they were big triangles of fresh pasta stuffed with ricotta and grated Parmigiano, topped with a mushroom and pea sauce, then baked in the oven with a bit of béchamel until creamy. It was a classic Sunday lunch dish, usually made from fall through late spring. Once…

ByMonica18 April 20250Comments

COURSES INGREDIENTS Legumes RECIPES Soups

Giugetti pasta in bean stock. Cucina povera of Romagna

Giugetti is an identity dish of the cucina povera of Romagna. Known as giugetti, giogetti, or patacucci, they belong to the large family of maltagliati and manfrigoli. They are small squares of sfoglia matta (eggless) cooked in a brodo matto (meatless broth) . This forgotten dish was typical winter eating in the second half of the 19th…

ByMonica28 January 20250Comments

COURSES First Course INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Seafood Sunday Lunch

Eggless potato gnocchi with clams. Cucina povera of Romagna

Online, you can find dozens of recipes for potato gnocchi with clams posted by as many Italian food bloggers. In this way, the recipe is everyone's and no one's. Yet, like so many other dishes, this one has its own history that no one remembers or that some people spread with mistakes attached, like the ones…

ByMonica14 January 20250Comments

Cheese COURSES INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Soups Sunday Lunch

Spoja lorda in broth (cheese stuffed pasta squares)

The cheese-filled squares of spoja lorda I put to dry on the pasta dryer look like puzzle pieces. In recent years, I have first scattered them on the table and then reassembled these pieces to create a new mosaic, more colorful and interesting, something in which I wanted to recognize myself again, feeling happy and proud…

ByMonica4 January 20250Comments

Cheese COURSES First Course INGREDIENTS RECIPES

Green cappelletti of Grandma Sara

That is a home recipe. And I mean I have never had it anywhere else. And the reason I titled the post-Green Cappelletti of Grandma Sara. After so many recipes from the Via Emilia, I am happy to return with a familiar dish that has accompanied my life since I was a little girl. I particularly love…

ByMonica29 November 20240Comments

COURSES First Course OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Homemade purple potato gnocchi (eggless)

The intense chirping of cicadas underscores the heat. How long has it been since I last shared a recipe on the blog? It's been a few months. As I knead the purple potato gnocchi dough, I can't help but think about how quickly these past few months have gone by. Now I will tell you why I've been away…

ByMonica27 July 20240Comments

Cheese COURSES First Course INGREDIENTS OCCASIONS RECIPES Sunday Lunch

Parsley and ricotta tortelloni. Recipe of Bologna

This is the recipe for ricotta tortelloni, a dish deeply rooted in the culinary tradition of Bologna and the surrounding area. While tortellini is the holiday dish, ricotta tortelloni, like cappelletti romagnoli with cheese, respected the Catholic Church's precepts of a meatless menu on the days of Eve and Lent. The recipe has been registered…

ByMonica20 May 20240Comments