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of the Washington, D.C. Area Cuisine |
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of the Washington, D.C. Area Cuisine |
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The most famous dish of Abruzzo and also of Molise is maccheroni alla chitarra, made with the help of an implement known as chitarra (guitar). This piece of equipment is made up of a wooden frame strung with parallel steel wires; a rolling pin pushes the sheet of pasta dough--made of durum wheat and eggs-- through the strings which cut the dough in the characteristic shape of spaghetti. This pasta dish is served with a tomato sauce variously flavored with peppers, pork, goose, or lamb meats, and complemented by regional side dishes such as sagne e fagioli , a bean and noodle soup flavored with a thin sauce made from fresh tomatoes, garlic, oil, and hot peperoncino (chili peppers).
brodetto alla vastese
The variety of fish from the Adriatic has resulted in three basic brodetti (broths) variations, respectively from Giulianova, Pescara, and Vasto. The fish is cooked in an earthenware cookery pot with fresh tomatoes, various spices, and peperoncino.
Rustic pizzas are also very common: some of these are the Easter Pizza (a rustic cake with cheese and pepper from the Teramano area); the fiadoni from Chieti, dough of eggs and cheese well risen, cooked in the oven in a thin casing of pastry; rustic tart pastry filled with everything imaginable: eggs, fresh cheeses, ricotta, vegetables, and all sorts of flavorings and spices.
Also from Teramano are the spreadable sausages flavored with nutmeg, liver sausages tasting of garlic and spices. The ventricina from the Vasto area is made with large pieces of fat and lean pork, pressed and seasoned with powdered sweet peppers and fennel and all encased in the dehydrated stomach of the pig itself. Atri and Riviondoli are famous for cheeses and mozzarella - fresh or seasoned - made from ewe's milk, although a great number of lesser known varieties of these cheeses can be found all over Abruzzo and Molise.
 Parrozzo  |
Last but not least, the sweets. The sweets of Abruzzo are famous throughout the world: amongst the most famous are: the confetti (sugared almonds) from Sulmona; the Torrone Nurzia, soft chocolate nougat from L'Aquila; the Parrozzo from Pescara, immortalized by the poet D'Annunzio, made from a mixture of crushed almonds. The traditional sweets include: ferratelle, aniseed wafers cooked in a hot plier with large stepped teeth; the cicerchiata, balls of fried sweet dough joined into ring shapes by cooked honey; the croccante a type of nougat made with almonds and caramelled sugar, flavored with lemon; the mostaccioli essentially biscuits sweetened with cooked must; the pepatelli from Teramano, cookies of fine bran, with almonds and honey, but quite spicy; from Guardiagrele come the heavy macaroons and the sise delle manache, triangular pieces of sponge cake with confectioner's cream; and from Lanciano the bocconotti with stuffings of almonds and chocolate. | Sweets of Abruzzo
Ferratelle (Pizzelle)
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The typical antipasti consist of
Bruschetta,toasted bread with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic;
Capocolli,sausage made from the head and tail of a pig;
Prosciutto affumicato, smoked ham from Rionero Sannitico;
Salsiccie al finocchio, sausage with fennel;
Soppressata, a type of salame. The best sausages and salamis may be found the Upper Molise area. Castel del Giudice, Capracotta and Agnone are known to produce the best suppressata, and excellent smoked prosciutto. At Montenero di Bisaccia, a ventricina salami is produced which is similar to the one from Abruzzo and certainly not less spicy. Sessano produces a special pork liver sausage called frascateglie in the local dialect, similar to the mazzafegati and the fegatazzi of the bordering regions. These sausages are frequently eaten with polenta. The mulette, a kind of capocollo or coppa (types of ham) made with peperoncino rather than pepper. Lastly, the sanguinaccio sausage, made with solidified pigs’ blood cut into small pieces and cooked in salted water then mixed with white breadcrumbs, orange peel, sultanas, parsley, peperoncino and garlic. Polenta
Some primi piatti or main dishes are:
Brodosini made of Tagliatelle (noodles) in broth with pork cheek and fat;
Calcioni di ricotta, a specialty of Campobasso, made of fried pasta stuffed with ricotta, provolone, prosciutto, and parsley, and usually served with fried artichokes, cauliflower, brains, sweetbreads, potato croquettes, and scamorza cheese;
Cavatiegl e Patane, or Gnocchi (dumplings) served in a meat sauce of rabbit and pork. Of course main dishes include a variety of Pasta, such as Cavatelli, Lasagna, or maccheroni served with a meat sauce (ragu') of lamb or goat;
Pasta e fagioli, Pasta-and-white-bean soup cooked with pig's feet and pork rinds;
Polenta d'iragn, a polenta-like dish actually made of wheat and potatoes, sauced with raw tomatoes and pecorino;
Risotto alla marinara,rice with seafood;
Spaghetti with diavolillo, a strong chili pepper sauce;
Zuppa di cardi, a soup of cardoons, tomatoes, onions, pancetta, olive oil; and
Zuppa di ortiche, a soup of nettle stems, tomatoes, onions, pancetta, olive oil.
Grilled rabbit
Some common Secondi Piatti or meat and vegetable dishes are
Lamb, the most popular meat, served grilled, roasted, or stewed. Many organ meats of lamb, especially tripe, are popular;Coniglio alla molisana, grilled rabbit pieces skewered with sausage and herbs;Mazzarelle, tightly wrapped rolls made with lung and tripe of lamb; Ragu' d' agnello,braised lamb with sweet peppers, a specialty of Isernia;
Torcinelli, rolled strips of lamb tripe, sweetbreads, and liver; and
Pamparella or pork pancetta dried with peperoncino, soaked in wine and cut into small pieces. Pamparella is used to flavor sauces, in particular the sauce for dressing the tacconi, a rustic pasta made with flour and water.
Tasty vegetable dishes are Carciofi ripieni, artichokes stuffed with anchovies and capers;
Peeled sweet peppers stuffed with breadcrumbs, anchovies, parsley, basil and peperoncino, sautéed in a frying pan and cooked with chopped tomatoes;
Cipollacci con pecorino, fried strong onions and pecorino cheese; and
Frittata con basilico e cipolle, omelette with basil and onions.
Fish dishes include red mullet soup, and spaghetti with cuttlefish. Trout from the Biferno river is notable for its flavor, and is cooked with a simple but tasty sauce of aromatic herbs; and finally Zuppa di pesce, a fish stew, a specialty of Termoli.
The cheeses produced in Molise are not very different from those produced in Abruzzo:
The more common ones are Burrino and Manteca, soft, delicious, buttery cow's-milk cheeses;
Pecorino, sheep's-milk cheese, served young and soft or aged and hard;
Scamorza, bland cow's-milk cheese, often served grilled;
and Caciocavallo, sheep's-milk cheese.
calciumi
Sweets and desserts have a most ancient tradition here and are linked to the history of the territory and to religious and family festivities. Most common are the
Calciumi (also called Caucioni or cauciuni), sweet ravioli filled with chestnuts, almonds, chocolate, vanilla, cooked wine musts, and cinnamon and then fried;
Ciambelline, ring-shaped cakes made in the countryside. They may be all'olio (with olive oil) or al vino rosso (with red wine);
Ferratelle all'anice, anise cakes made in metal molds and stamped with special patterns;
Ricotta pizza, a cake pan filled with a blend of ricotta cheese, sugar, flour, butter, maraschino liqueur, and chocolate chips.
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