a tavola - the cuisine of Trentino
(return to food)
The Cuisine of Trentino-Alto Adige - History
The Dolomites were among the most isolated places on earth until a century
ago, reachable only on foot over Alpine passes that remained snowbound
throughout the winter. Conditions were tremendously difficult, and as a
result few outsiders were particularly interested in the area, despite it's
being quite close to the Val D'Adige, the main migration and invasion route
between Italy and Germany.
Conditions were tremendously difficult, and as a
result few outsiders were particularly interested in the area...
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The fact that the local population originally lived in conditions of
extreme poverty meant that the typical dishes of Trentino became very
uniform and substantial in character. In some secluded valleys, this
archaic flavour has been preserved in certain recipes, which are still in
use in farm kitchens open to the public.
In the Noce valleys for example, the main condiment was butter. Pork was
the most respected meat bred in the "tres" of the farmstead: the
"lucaniche" and the "l'osoc�", especially if smoked, conserved at length
the secret flavour which the family butcher had given them. Lamb's meat and
tripe were very popular. Tripe was cleaned, the fat removed, and then
boiled for several hours. It was eaten with a soup made from home grown
vegetables and flavoured with oil and onion.
The meal was served almost always with polenta which was a meal in itself
in the "monchi" recipe: spoonfuls of "polenta" were put on a plate, similar
to large "gnocchi", sprinkled with grated cheese and flavoured with melted
butter and sage. Another tasty dish was "polenta rostida", slices or pieces
of polenta reheated in pig's fat, with cheese and chopped potato.
Bread was made from rye flour and was baked in the village oven by the
women four times a year and was then stored in a dry place on wooden racks.
Important dishes were "menestra dei frigoloti": "minestra da orzi" with pig
or mutton bones added, gnocchi "de com�de" (mountain spinach), potato and
garlic soup: milk was the main ingredient. For breakfast it was common to
eat fried potatoes with "ciciole", the
leftovers of pork fat dripping, or with lard; for lunch or dinner, after a
bowl of "menestra da orzi" (barley soup), "torta de patate cruve" (potato
cake) was served (finely chopped potato was put into a copper plated pot,
with a pinch of salt and a spoonful of white flour and pig's fat was added;
it was then placed in a very hot oven for about three quarters of an hour,
until the dough started to turn golden).
...in the winter evenings, grannies used to prepare an imported German dish for their grandchildren...
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At the farmstead, in the winter evenings, grannies used to prepare for
their grandchildren an imported German dish called "smorm" (omelettes made
with flour and eggs, cut up into small pieces and sprinkled with sugar).
When the cow had calved, the calf's first milk was used to make a cake
called "de colostro", when a pig was slaughtered, a special cake was made
in preparation for the harsh seasons: the "torta de sangue" (blood cake).
The "torta de lev�" was eaten on Sundays: fermented yeast was added at two
different intervals to white flour, some eggs, a knob of butter; after
mixing together it would be left to stand and then placed in the oven until
cooked.
In Valle del Fersina, situated in the east of Trentino, where a language of
German origin is still spoken today, "mocheno", "kropfen" and "str�boi" are
very common. These cakes have a particular flavour and are eaten during
holidays and local village feasts. The basic ingredients are eggs, milk,
sugar, beer, flour, grappa and yeast but the secret lies in being able to
pour the dough through a funnel into a frying pan of hot oil. The "mochen"
women are capable of creating a sort of circular net of mixture which when
cooked is sprinkled with icing sugar.
In Valle di Fiemme "canoc�i", typical ravioli of the Alpine area have a
fundamental ingredient, potato filling, which acts as an absorbent. They
were the main dish during holidays, and even though they didn't constitute
a very substantial meal they took time to prepare and the women farm
workers had more time available during their days off. The filling is made
with potato, cheese (usually "Puzzone di Moena" or "Nostrano di Cavalese",
nutmeg and chives. This is rolled into dough cut into rounds and folded in
half moon shapes. After cooking in boiling salted water, parmesan cheese,
melted butter and sage, and a sprinkling of poppy seed, can be added.
The "minestra de orz�t" (recipe below) is still eaten today in Valsugana,
made with vegetables and barley. Tarts with blackberries, bilberries or
raspberries, picked from the woods in the area, make some of the best
desserts.
The Cuisine of Trentino-Alto Adige - Today
ANTIPASTO - APPETIZERS
Speck
A leg of salted pork cured for 20-24 weeks. It is eaten thinly sliced on
thick slices of buttered black bread made of rye and/or whole wheat.
It can also be served alone with lemon juice.
Speck is considered more flavorful and drier than Parma ham.
Strangolappreti - Strangle the Priests
These intriguingly named spinach dumplings are a
classic in Trentino's gastronomic repertoire and
make for a delightfully, light attractive appetizer.
1 ten ounce package frozen leaf chopped spinach, thawed
Salt
2 1/2 cups stale bread trimmed of crust and cut up
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
4 to 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 to 8 sage leaves preferably fresh, or 1 small onion finely minced
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
Cook frozen spinach in a covered pan with salt over a low heat for about 5
minutes. Drain and when cool squeeze gently to force out moisture.
Place bread in large mixing bowl and steep in milk. When fully steeped, add
spinach and return to pan; cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for
about 3 minutes, then let cool. When cooled fold in 2 eggs, 1 tablespoon
flour and bread crumbs as necessary, to produce a firm consistency.
In a large pot bring to a boil 4 to 5 quarts salted water. With a teaspoon
form a dumpling from spinach mixture and immerse in boiling water. Note:
for the dumpling to successfully detach from teaspoon, immerse fully in the
water on the teaspoon. Continue until the spinach mixture is entirely used
up. As soon as the dumplings rise to surface, remove with skimmer and drain
thoroughly. Arrange on a serving dish.
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When foam subsides and
butter has turned a rich gold but not yet brown, add sage leaves or minced
onion. Toss once or twice and pour contents of pan over spinach dumplings
Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano and serve.
Serves 4
PRIMI PIATTI - FIRST COURSES
Canederli - Dumplings
These are dumplings made of white or whole wheat flour and egg. They are
served as a main dish with butter or cheese. They can be added to soups, or
served as a side dish with meat in gravy. Spinach and speck are often
added to the dough before cooking.
Canederli allo Speck - Canederli with Speck
Simple fare from the Dolomites this, bread balls to go into a clear soup.
And surprisingly good too. Speck is a similar to prosciutto but smoked. If
you cannot find it a mildly sugared Virginia cured ham might work well as a
substitute. This recipe is drawn from Anneliese Kompatscher's La Cucina
nelle Dolomiti.
3/4 pound (300 g) day-old white bread, finely diced
1/4 pound (100 g) speck, finely diced
1/2 a medium onion, minced
2 glasses milk (about 1 1/2 cups, 375 ml, I'd say)
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
Onion grass, chopped
Salt
2 eggs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 cups (1250 ml) broth
Combine the diced bread and speck in a bowl. Saut� the onion in the butter
until it is translucent. Whisk the eggs with some of the milk, stir in the
parsley, and combine the mixture with the bread. Let rest a half hour.
Set a pot of lightly salted water to boil.
In the mean time, mix the flour, onion, salt to taste, and if need be
a little more milk into the bread mixture. Wet your hands and shape the
mixture into 8 balls roughly the size of golf balls. Simmer the canederli
in the water for about 15 minutes, and in the meantime heat your broth.
Transfer the cooked canederli to the broth with a slotted spoon, garnish
with spring onions, and serve.
Note: If you are not sure you have enough flour in the mixture begin by
cooking one canederlo. If it holds, fine. If it dissolves, remake the
canederli, adding more flour to the bread mixture.
Serves 4
Classic Spatzle
4 eggs
1/4 cup cold water
3 1/4 teaspoon ssalt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
1 3/4 cups flour
Spatzle maker:
Break four eggs in a medium sized bowl. Add water, 1/4 tsp. salt and
nutmeg. Beat with a wire whisk until frothy. Add flour slowly until the
mixture is stiff, and gathers around the whisk.
Remove any mixture from the whip and continue stirring with a spoon until
mixture comes off the sides of the bowl.
Add remaining salt to a large pot. Bring salted water to a boil. Put mix
into a spatzle maker and drop into water. Bring water back to a boil and
simmer for two minutes. After cooking remove spatzle from water strain and
rinse under cold water, draining well.
Line pan with a dry cotton dish towel. Place spatzel on towel and cover to
store until ready to use.
To serve, heat butter and saut� spatzle, being careful not to brown.
Spatzle can also be served with pan gravy . While saut�ing you can make a
number of variations of this famous dish by adding chopped parsley, bacon
bits, salt and nutmeg; saut�ing with minced onions or shallots; or adding
Parmesan cheese or a combination of all of the above.
Serving Ideas : As pasta or fried with onions. Spatzle will keep for
about four days in the refrigerator.
Serves 6
MINESTRE - SOUPS
Canederli al Fegato in Brodo -- Liver Canederli in Broth
Simple fare from the Dolomites this, bread balls to go into a clear soup.
And surprisingly good too. There are a number of variations on the concept;
these are more pronounced in flavor than some other forms. However, they
are good and an excellent use for liver. This recipe is drawn from
Anneliese Kompatscher's La Cucina nelle Dolomiti.
3/4 pound (300g) day-old bread, finely diced
1/2 pound (200 g) beef liver
1/4 pound (100 g) kidney fat or 1/3 cup (100 ml) olive oil
1/2 a medium onion, minced
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 clove garlic
1/2 teaspoon chopped marjoram
An egg
The zest of a lemon, grated
Salt to taste
1 quart (1 liter) meat broth
Dice the bread and put it in a bowl. Grind the liver, kidney fat, onion and
parsley. Stir the egg into the mixture, salt it lightly, and add grated
lemon rind to taste. Combine the mixture with the bread.
Set a pot of lightly salted water to boil.
Wet your hands and shape the mixture into 8 balls roughly the size of golf
balls. Simmer the canederli in the water for about 15 minutes, and in the
meantime heat your broth. Transfer the cooked canederli to the broth with a
slotted spoon and serve.
Serves 4
Canederli di Magro in Brodo - Meatless Canederli in Meat Broth
While good in broth these will also work well dry as a side dish,
especially with a hearty stew (for example, goulash). If you're making them
as a side dish you'll want to omit the broth and double the remaining
ingredients. The basic recipe is drawn from Anneliese Kompatscher's La
Cucina nelle Dolomiti.
3/4 pound (300g) day-old bread, finely diced
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (60 g) unsalted butter
About a cup (250 ml) milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon minced parsley
Salt
A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
A small onion, minced
A walnut-sized chunk unsalted butter
1 tablespoon flour
1 quart of meat broth
chives or green onions
Dice the bread and saut� it briefly in the 1/4 cup of butter, then transfer
it to a bowl.
Beat the eggs and the milk until the mixture is frothy and pour it over the
bread. Stir in the parsley, salt and nutmeg. Mince the onion, saut� it in
the remaining butter until it is translucent and mix it into the bread too.
Let the mixture rest for a half hour.
Set a pot of lightly salted water to boil.
In the mean time, mix the flour, into the bread and, if need be ,a
little more milk. Wet your hands and shape the mixture into 8 balls roughly
the size of golf balls. Simmer the canederli in the water for about 15
minutes, and in the meantime heat your broth. Transfer the cooked canederli
to the broth with a slotted spoon, garnish with green onions or chives, and
serve.
Serves 4
Orc da C�rn (Ladino Recipe )
1 heaping cup pearled barley, soaked
A handful of dried beans, soaked several hours
1/2 an onion
1 leek
2 leaves Savoy cabbage
1 carrot
2-3 celery ribs
2 mountain potatoes (use small potatoes here)
1/2 pound (500 g) smoked pork (use cured ham if need be)
2 quarts (2 l) cold water
Butter
Salt
Minced parsley
Begin by slicing the vegetables as finely as possible and placing them in a
pot with the water and a pinch of salt. Add the smoked meat, or in its
absence some pork rind (cotenna; this is cured but not heavily seasoned --
substitute with ham if need be), and the soaked beans.
Bring the mixture to a boil and when the beans are half cooked add the
barley. Let simmer for a couple of hours, stirring frequently lest it
stick. When the meat has almost fallen apart and the soup is quite dense,
stir in a walnut-sized chunk of butter, garnish with parsley, and serve.
This is to serve six and was reserved for a special occasion.
Day-in-and-day-out, people made do.
VERDURA - VEGETABLES
Canederli ai Funghi Porcini - Porcini Canederli
These are more of a side dish than an accompaniment to soup; they'll go
nicely with a stew or goulash. The recipe is drawn from Canederli,
Specialit� a Tutto il Mondo, by Angelika Ilies and Klaus Arras.
2 ounces (50 g) dried porcini, steeped in warm water for an hour
2/3 pound (250 g) day old white bread, diced
A small onion, minced
1 clove garlic
4/5 cup (200 ml) milk
1/2 cup (100 g) unsalted butter
A bunch of chives chopped
3 eggs
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons flour
Put the diced bread in a bowl and pour the milk over it. Let it rest
covered for an hour. In the meantime finely dice the onion and the garlic.
Drain the mushrooms and mince them.
Melt the butter and saut� the garlic and onion until the onion turns
translucent. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking over a medium flame for
about five minutes, then let the mixture cool.
Wash and dry the onion grass and cut it into rings; stir them into the
bread. Whisk the eggs and add them to the bread too, together with the
mushrooms and enough flour to firm the mixture up. Set a pot of lightly
salted water to boil.
Mix just enough flour into the bread mixture to firm it up. Wet your hands
and shape the mixture into 8-10 canederli. Simmer them for 20-30 minutes
and serve, with a little melted butter and flakes of Parmigiano.
Note: If you are not sure you have enough flour in the mixture begin by
cooking one canederlo. If it holds, fine. If it dissolves, remake the
canederli, adding more flour to the bread mixture.
Serves 4 as a side dish.
Canederli di Spinaci - Spinach Canederli
These are more of a side dish than an accompaniment to soup; they'll go
nicely with a stew or goulash. The recipe is drawn form Canederli,
Specialit� a Tutto il Mondo by Angelika Ilies and Klaus Arras.
3/4 pound (300 g) day old white bread, diced
2/3 cup (150 ml) warm milk
1 1/3 pounds (600 g) fresh spinach
A medium onion
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic
2 small eggs
Salt & freshly ground pepper
3-4 tablespoons flour
Dice the bread quite finely and put it in a bowl; stir in the milk and let
the mixture rest covered. In the meantime wash the spinach well, removing
roots and overly coarse stalks. Heat the spinach in a pot with just the
water remaining on the leaves until it wilts, then drain it, squeeze it
dry, and mince it.
Peel and finely dice the onion. Melt the butter and saut� the onion until
it is translucent. Crush and add the garlic, then the spinach, and cook,
stirring, for about 5 minutes to drive off excess moisture.
Lightly whisk the eggs and incorporate them, together with the spinach
mixture, a pinch of nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste, into the bread.
Let the mixture sit for a half hour longer.
Set a pot of lightly salted water to boil.
Mix just enough flour into the bread mixture to firm it up. Wet your hands
and shape the mixture into 8-10 canederli. Simmer them for 20-30 minutes
and serve, with a little melted butter, flakes of Parmigiano, and, if you
like, freshly diced ripe tomatoes.
Note: If you are not sure you have enough flour in the mixture begin by
cooking one canederlo. If it holds, fine. If it dissolves, remake the
canederli, adding more flour to the bread mixture.
Serves 4 as a side dish.
Crauti
Cabbage sliced into thin strips and cooked in water with vinegar or wine,
bay leaves, juniper berries and flour.
DOLCI - SWEETS
Apple Pancakes
2 c flour-unbleached, unsifted
1/4 ts Salt
4 large eggs beaten
1/2 c milk
2 c apple slices
3/4 c Butter or margarine
2 tb sugar
1/4 ts Cinnamon
Sift together the flour, 2 tsp sugar and the salt.
Beat eggs & milk together. Gradually add flour mixture,
beat until smooth. Saut� apples in 1/4 cup of butter
until tender. Mix 2 Tbsp sugar and the cinnamon
together. Toss with apples. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a 6
inch diameter deep fry pan. Pour in the batter to a
depth of a about 1/4 inch. when set place 1/4 of the
apples on top, cover with more batter. Fry pancake
until lightly brown on both sides. Keep warm and
repeat procedure until all batter and apples are used up.
Serves 6
Zelten - Dry fruit bread
3 1/2 tbsp
sultanas
3 1/2 tbsp pinoli
1 cup dried figs
1 1/4 cup walnuts
2 3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/3 cup milk
2 sachets baking powder
butter
All the ingredients of winter sweets, nuts and dried fruit for this Alpine
delight. The traditional method is to use baker's yeast and rise this bread
like cake, but here is a simlplified modern version.
Chop the dried fruit and nuts roughly. Melt the butter in a double boiler
and work in the sugar stirring energetically. Add a little flour at a
time, till when you have finished it, then add the milk also very little
at a time. Break in one egg after another and then the baking powder.
Work for 15 minutes or in a blender at low speed. The dough should become
whitish and perfectly smooth. Stir in the nuts and
dried fruit with a pinch of salt. Butter a baking mould and pour the
mixture inside. Bake at 350�F/180�C/G4 for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven
and overturn onto a pastry rack to cool. Cut into slices and serve.
Strudel
A dessert treat made thin layers of pastry filled with fruit (apple) and
poppy seeds. It is best eaten warm, accompanied by custard or cream.
Apple Strudel
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 Golden Delicious or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into
1-inch pieces
Zest of 1 lemon, minced
1/3 cup raisins
cup pine nuts
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup granulated sugar
5 to 6 sheets phyllo dough
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted Confectioners' sugar
Place 3 tablespoons of the bread crumbs in a bowl and set aside. Melt the
butter and skim off the foam that forms on the surface. Let the melted
butter sit for 5 minutes until it settles with a milky liquid on the
bottom. Carefully spoon 4 tablespoons of the golden colored butter off the
top to a small bowl and set aside.
Toast the remaining bread crumbs in the remaining butter until golden
brown, 3 or 4 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix together the toasted bread
crumbs, the apples, lemon zest, raisins, and pine nuts.
Preheat the oven to 350� F. Lightly flour a cookie sheet.
In a small bowl, mix together the cinnamon and the sugar. Lay the phyllo
sheets out on a clean work space and cover them with a damp towel. Gently
spread 1 sheet of phyllo out on a work space with the longer side facing
you. Working quickly so the phyllo doesn't dry out, lightly brush it with
the reserved melted butter, and sprinkle it with about 1 teaspoon of the
cinnamon sugar and about a teaspoon of the reserved bread crumbs. Lay a
second sheet of phyllo on top of the first sheet and brush with more
butter. Sprinkle on more cinnamon sugar and bread crumbs. Repeat this
process with 3 more sheets of phyllo, for a total of 5 layers.
Combine the apple mixture with the remaining cinnamon sugar. Lay the
apple mix across the middle of the phyllo in a strip about 4 inches wide.
Pick the far edge of the dough up over the apples and roll the phyllo
around the apples to make a tight cylinder. Tuck the ends in to seal the
strudel. If the layers around the strudel tear, use the extra sheet to
wrap around the cylinder and make a smooth surface.
Carefully lift the strudel to the cookie sheet. With a paring knife, make
4 small slits in the top of the strudel to let the steam escape during the
baking. Brush with the melted butter. Bake the strudel for 45 minutes, or
until golden brown. Cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then dust with the
confectioners' sugar and serve warm.
Serves 4 - 6