a tavola - the cuisine of friuli-venezia giulia
(return to food)
Cooking in Friuli reflects the earth and its products. The mountain
area limits what can be grown, and it depends on weather and seasons. The forest, however, is
generous with herbs and mushrooms, fruit and game.
The first place for typical foods from the area goes to prosciutto di San Daniele - cured
raw ham from San Daniele. It is produced by a unique climate: the winds of the Alps and
the breezes of the Adriatic. The local producers are most proud of their famous local product:
record books of the oldest companies show that during the last century they supplied the British
royal family and the imperial house of Vienna.
Other pork products are also made at home from the pigs in the back yard fed on family scraps.
Sweets are substantial, stuffed with fruit, nuts, almonds, spices, honey, raisins and dried fruit.
During the cold winter months families gather around a roaring fire, eating boiled or roasted
chestnuts along with strong wine. Guests are treated royally, the best bottle of wine opened in
their honor, and the tradition of hospitality of the grandfathers is alive today.
Cooking in Trieste and Grado reflects the Venetian style of cooking seafood, with
strong Austrian and Slavic influences. Gulash is a favorite dish, a well-known stew with a strong
flavour made slightly sweet by the abundant use of onions. The tradition of rebechin, that is
filling the stomachs of the dockworkers who after starting their work at dawn stop at the nearest
bar for a hearty snack. This usually consists of something salty with a base of beans and onion,
tuna, sardines, and other goodies.
Other specialties are brodetto, a fish soup, made with pieces of various fish, and mesta,
a kind of polenta cooked in water and milk and eaten with fish.
ANTIPASTO
Formaggio con le Pere - Cheese with Pears
150 gr rocket (rucola)
150 gr cornsalad (valeriana)
200 gr Montasio cheese julienne
2 pears, julienne
grated peppercorns to taste
sesame oil to taste
1/2 dl extra virgin olive oil
Sliced radishes for garnish
Julienne the cheese and the pears. Put the rocket and the cornsalad, onto plate. Put the cheese and
add the pear; season with the pepper and sesame and a little extra virgin olive oil. Garnish with
sliced radishes.
Preparation time: 15 minutes.
Serves 4.
Roberto Sclabas Aviano Hotel & Catering College
Masionette Olio e Limone - small crabs in oil and lemon
1 Kg. small crabs
Olive oil
Juice of 2 lemons
Salt, Pepper
One teaspoon of chopped parsley
1.5 liter of Court Boullion
Court Boullion:
1.5 l. of water
Vinegar
Lemon
Salt, Pepper
Onion
Celery
Whole pepper seeds
Bay-leaf
Prepare the Court Boulionne and add the small crabs. Bring the mixture to a boil. When it
boils strain and leave to cool. Clean the Crabs, remove the legs and the lower shell section.
Remove the flesh and clean thoroughly and separate from the intestine. Season both the white
and red flesh in a bowl with salt, pepper, the lemon juice, the olive oil and chopped parsley.
Serve with a garnish of choice.
Serves 4.
Luca Barbon Aviano Hotel & Catering College
Radici e Fasoi - Radicchio & Beans
400 g. Radicchio
200 g. Beans
Salt to taste
Bacon
2 or 3 tablespoons oil
Vinegar to taste
Put the beans to soak for 12 hours. Dry, drain off and cook in the water. Wash the radicchio
and put around a bowl. Cool the beans and put them on the radicchio. Brown the bacon, add
the vinegar and pour on the beans and radicchio. Add salt, pepper and oil, and serve.
Serves 4.
Michele Corradini Aviano Hotel & Catering College
PRIMI PIATTI - FIRST COURSES
PASTA
Orecchiette con Cannellini, Rucola e Ricotta Salata - Orecchiette with Cannellini, Arugula and Ricotta Salata
The toothy texture of freshly made orecchiette and cannellini beans make this a wonderful dish,
but it is also delicious prepared in a flash with store-bought orecchiette and canned beans.
Ricotta salata is fresh ricotta with the addition of salt that has been drained in slatted baskets for
12-15 days, giving the cheese a more compact texture and more flavor than fresh ricotta.
It usually comes in forms that are approximately 1 pound. Shavings of pecorino primo sale,
fresh sheep's milk cheese, can be a good substitute. Look for either in specialty stores and
Italian grocers.
1 pound store bought pasta
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 cups cooked and drained dried cannellini beans or Braised Cannellini
Beans, or 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup Chicken Stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
2 bunches arugula, (stem ends discarded), shredded 1/2 inch, thoroughly
washed and drained (about 4 cups, loosely packed)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup peeled, seeded and diced (1/4-inch) ripe plum tomatoes (*)
1 1/2 cups (about 4 1/2 ounces) grated ricotta salata, plus more for
passing, if desired
Prepare the orecchiette.
In a large pot, bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook the orecchiette
according to directions on the package. Meanwhile, in a large (about 12-inch) skillet, heat
the oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add
the onions and cook, stirring, until wilted but not brown, about 4 minutes. Add the beans
and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Stir in the arugula, adjust the heat to simmering and
simmer 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and drain the orecchiette. Return the
orecchiette to the pot, place over medium-low heat and add the bean sauce. Stir, adding
some of the reserved pasta cooking water if necessary, to make the sauce creamy. Check for
salt and pepper, adding more if necessary. Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the tomato
and grated cheese and serve.
(*)Note: To make peeled seeded and chopped tomatoes, cut out the cores from 3 or 4 ripe
plum tomatoes. Cut an "X" in the end opposite the cores. Plunge the tomatoes into a pot of
boiling water and leave them just until the skins are loosened, from 10 seconds to 1 minute,
depending on the tomatoes. Remove the tomatoes and plunge them into a bowl of cold water
just long enough to cool them. Slip off the skins and cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise.
Scoop out and discard seeds. Cut tomatoes into 1/4-inch dice.
Serves 6.
Lidia's Italian Table
Panzerotti con Barbabietola burro e salvia - Panzerotti with beetroot and
butter dressing
For the pasta:
500 gr of flour
3 eggs
salt
2 tablespoon of oil
water
Put the flour in the centre, mix with eggs, salt, thicken the mixture and add the water.
Work the pastry with a pastry cutter. Slice into pieces of twenty centimetres in diameter,
wet the edges with egg and in the centre put a little filling. Fold to close.
For the filling dry the mixture
200 gr of beetroot
a casserole with 50 gr of melted butter
salt and pepper
nutmeg
grated cheese
salt
Serves 4.
Valeria Menarin Aviano Hotel & Catering College
POLENTA
Polenta con Osei - Polenta with Skewered Meats
This is a piatto unico. That is, one plate which includes both first and second courses.
Osei means small birds-thrushes, sparrows, finches. Tiny delicacies with a long gastronomic
tradition and many passionate afficionados, small birds are generally prepared grilled,
stewed (in umido), or skewered and saut�ed. But in the last ten years, their numbers
have decreased because of overhunting, and most of those that are left are now thankfully
protected by strict antihunting laws as endangered species. In the following recipe, one of
the more popular , pork, beef, and veal have been substituted for the birds.
8 ounces pancetta, sliced
8 ounces round of beef fillets
12 leaves fresh sage
1 pound pork loin, cut into fillets
4 ounces veal cutlet
12 skewers
4 links fennel sausage, removed from casing and cut into chunks
4 ounces pancetta, cubed
2 cups coarsely ground cornmeal
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
About 1/2 cup basic meat broth
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place 1 slice of pancetta on each beef fillet. Cover with a piece of sage and roll into a
tight cylinder. Do the same for the pork and veal. Thread the rolled meats onto the skewers,
alternating with chunks of sausage and cubes of pancetta.
Meanwhile, make the polenta: Bring 8 cups salted water to a rolling boil over medium heat in
a heavy-gauge saucepan. Reduce the heat to low, pour in the polenta in a steady stream, and
cook, whisking frequently until the polenta comes away from the sides of the pan and the
whisk stands up by itself in the center of the polenta.
While the polenta is cooking, heat the butter in a skillet over low to moderate heat and
cook the skewers a few minutes per side until golden. Season with salt and pepper and continue
to cook for 15 minutes, adding broth as necessary to keep the meats from sticking.
Spoon the cooked polenta onto a serving platter. Stick the skewers into the surface of the
polenta so that they are standing up straight, and serve with a platter of saut�ed greens
Serves 4
RICE
Riso e Latte - Rice and milk
250 gm of rice
1.5 litre of milk
40 gr of butter
freshly grated parmesan cheese
salt
Bring 1.5 litres of slighty salted milk to the boil. Add the rice. Simmer. As the milk reduces
slowly add a little more, Cook the rice. Remove from the heat and mix in the previously softened
butter and mix thoroughly. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. If you wish to embellish
this dish add pumpkin during the cooking.
Serves 4.
Risotto con Salsiccia e Verza - Risotto with Sausages and Cabbage
200 g. sausages
400 g. rice
1 onion
300 g. cabbage
50 g. Parmesan cheese
1 glass white wine
1,5 l. stock
olive oil
salt
100 g. butter
Clean and wash the cabbage, slice it and brown it with the sausages and onion. Remove any
fat, add the wine And make it evaporate. Add the rice and the stock. Cook for 18 minutes,
adding stock now and again. When the rice is ready, add butter and Parmesan cheese. Test
the flavor and serve.
Serves 4
Emanuela Fort Aviano Hotel & Catering College
SECONDI PIATTI
CARNE - MEAT
Gulasch
1 kilo lean beef cut in one-inch squares
500 grams potatoes, peeled and cut in one-inch pieces
500 grams drained canned tomatoes passed through a sieve
200 grams onion
100 grams lard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup beef broth
a bunch of laurel, rosemary, and marjoram tied in a gauze bag
Heat the lard in a large saucepan, add the meat and chopped onion, brown for several minutes.
Add the paprika, salt to taste, and add the tomatoes and the bunch of herbs. Add half a cup
of water or broth, cover, and cook over a me- dium fire for an hour and a half. Check occasionally,
add more water or broth if indicated. Add the potatoes and half a cup of water or broth.
When the potatoes are almost cooked the cooking can be finished in the oven. Remove the bag
of herbs before serving.
Coniglio alla Campagnola - Rabbit Country Style
1 rabbit
half a stick of celery
half carrot
half onion
half tablespoon of concentrated tomato puree
15 cl. cream
1 bay-leaf
40 g walnut kernels
quarter of rabbit liver
rabbit stock
1 dl. white wine
15 cl. marsala wine
salt and pepper
Put the rabbit liver into the marsala wine for 2 hours. Chop the vegetables, brown with oil,
butter and bay-leaf. Add the diced rabbit and saut�. When the meat is cooked add the white
wine and leave this to evaporate. Simmer with rabbit stock. Add the concentrated tomato
puree. Cook for 15 minutes. Finally add the cream beaten with walnut kernels and liver.
Boil for 5 minutes, add salt to taste, and serve.
Serves 4.
Enea Franzon Aviano Hotel & Catering College
POLLAME - FOWL
Faigiano Arrosto con le Castagne - Roast Pheasant with Chestnuts
1 Pheasant (cleaned)
200 g. Chestnuts, cleaned and peeled
200 g. veal
1 sausage
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 Carrot
1/2 Onion
1/2 stick of Celery
White wine to taste
Brandy to taste
1 dl Meat stock
1 egg
Sage
Rosemary
Boil and peel the chestnuts. Chop the carrot, onion and celery.
Stuffing:
Mince the sausage meat and veal with the previously boiled and peeled chestnuts, carrot
onion and celery; add the egg, salt, pepper and nutmeg sage and rosemary. Salt and pepper
the pheasant inside and fill with the stuffing. Close the end, salt and pepper the outside
of the pheasant.
Saute' the pheasant and add the brandy and white wine. Bake in the oven for several minutes.
During the cooking, add stock. When the skin is brown, remove the pheasant form the oven;
cut in quarters and serve with roast potatoes.
Serves 4.
Mauro Amato Aviano Hotel & Catering College
Insalata di Dente di Leone con Fagiolini Ricotta Salata, Vinegrette di
Mandorle - Salad of Danelion Geens Sring Beans and Dried Ricotta with
Almond Vinaigrette
6 tbs. olive oil
1/4 pound ricotta salata
1 pound dandelion greens, cleaned and washed
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of honey
To make the dressing, in a blender work the olive oil, vinegar, honey, 2 tablespoons of the
toasted almonds and salt to taste, until combined. Toss greens with dressing, then divide
greens between plates, mounding them in the center of the plate.
Sprinkle with toasted almonds and top with shavings of ricotta salata; serve immediately.
Serves 6.
Lidia's Italian Table
DOLCI - SWEETS
Crostata di Mirtille ed Albicocche al Frangipane - Blueberry Apricot
Frangipane Tart
Frangipane is an almond cream filling or a rich vanilla custard finished
with crushed macaroons. When baked, frangipane takes on a cake-like texture.
Yields: 1 tart, 10" round or 8 small, individual tarts
Equipment: 10" round tart pan with removable fluted rim or 8 small, individual tart pans.
Tart shell:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cups sugar
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch salt
1 egg, beaten
1 sticks (1/4 lb.) unsalted butter, softened
1/8 tsp. almond extract
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the eggs and stir
with a wooden spoon or mix with your hands until the mixture looks crumbly. Work in the
softened butter and almond extract until no traces of butter are visible. Wrap in plastic
wrap and refrigerate until firm, or freeze for later use.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness
of 1/8 inch. (Allow the dough to soften slightly if it is too cold to work easily.) Transfer
the rolled dough to a 10" tart pan with a removable bottom. Prick the bottom of the tart
freely with a fork. Trim off any excess or overhang, crimp the border with the tines of a
fork, and put shell in the freezer for 10 minutes. Bake shell for 30 minutes and cool
before filling.
Filling:
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into bits and softened
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup blanched almonds, ground - almond flour
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup blueberry preserve, dry reconstituted or frozen or fresh blueberries
24 apricot halves
1/2 cup apricot glaze
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl cream the butter with the mixer, add the sugar and beat the mixture until fluffy.
Add the egg, beating well. Add vanilla. Beat in almonds and flour. Spread the blueberry
preserve in the shell (if using frozen or dry - spread first with additional 1/2 cup of
apricot preserves). Spread the frangipane mixture over the preserves, top it with the
apricot halves cut sides down, and bake the tart on the baking sheet in the lower third of
the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is golden and set. Brush the tart with
the apricot glaze, let it cool, and remove the rim of the pan.
Serves 4.
Lidia's Italian Table
Crema Fritta - Fried Cream
350g. milk
85g. sugar
60g. flour
25 eggs
Bring the milk to the boil, blend the sugar, yolk, flour in an other small saucepan, with
the flavourings. Put the boiled milk hot in the mixture. Keep on the heat until the cream
thickens. Spread the mixture about 2 cm deep over a baking tray and leave to cool.
Cut the cream into small circles, flour and fry in an iron frying pan. Finally, sprinkle
with sugar and serve.
Serves 4.
Fabiana De Lorenzi Aviano Hotel & Catering College
Polenta al Profumo di Vaniglia - Polenta Perfumed with Vanilla
1 litre of water
200 gm flour
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
Vanilla
Boil one litre of salted water. Once it has started to boil, add the flour and the vanilla,
while whisking strongly. Cook for 40 minutes, stirring regularly with a wooden spoon. Take
it from the oven. Spread it on a cookie tray and allow it to cool. Cut it into rectangular
pieces and brown them in an iron frying pan. Serve on a plate sprinkled with sugar.
Serves 4.
