Winter
Agnello con Finocchio al Marsala
Lamb with Fennel and Marsala
After visiting the amazing Florio Company, one of the oldest producers of Marsala in Sicily, and tasting some of its rare vintages, I appreciated how suitable this strong wine was not only for making scaloppini and zabaglione but also for partnering with lamb. This dish could be made with rabbit or chicken, too. Leafy wild fennel grows in abundance in Sicily but it can be replaced here with bulb fennel. The combination of flavours is unusual but very good.
Croccante di Nocciole
Wild Hazelnut Crunch
Almost every year I make these sweets a couple of weeks before Christmas and store them in an airtight jar to keep them crisp. I put them into little individual cellophane bags to give as presents. A little care is needed when cooking them, as the liquid caramelised sugar used to make the hazelnuts stick together is extremely hot and can burn: I use a half lemon as my shaping tool to save my fingers.
Festoni del Ghiottone
Gourmet Lasagne
This dish reminds me of those apparently never-ending Christmas meals where succulent course follows succulent course. As it requires quite a lot of preparation, I suggest that you only make it on really special occasions. Because festoni is so rich and substantial, you may wish to make it a main course, accompanied only by salad.
Focaccia al Rosmarino
Pizza Bread with Rosemary
Focaccia has become almost commonplace throughout Europe, where once it was unfamiliar to all except Italians. This hasn't diminished its deliciousness, though, and home-made focaccia is the best of all. The most common variety is simply topped with some oil and sea salt, and comes in large rectangular shapes which are then cut into squares. It can also be made, however, in the shape of a pizza. Focaccia dough should be slightly thicker than a normal pizza as it is very similar to bread in consistency and, like bread, it can accompany all sorts of foods.
Il Gran Bollito Misto
Mixed Boiled Meats
This is a great winter celebration dish for a large gathering. It is found in other regions, but this version is very typical of Piedmont. Gran bollito combines at least five different types of meats, and has several little accompanying sauces: salsa verde, salso rossa (tomato and onion), salsa bianca (onion-based), and mostarda do Cremona (fruits candied slowly in a heavy sugar syrup flavoured with essence of mustard).
Linguine alla Mollica
Linguine with Anchovies, Capers, Olives and Breadcrumbs
The Italian composer, Ruggero Leoncavallo, who wrote I Pagliacci among other operas, was very partial to this dish. It is traditionally eaten on Christmas Eve in Calabria.
Pignolata
Pine Kernel Cake
The name of this pudding-cake comes from the Italian word for pine kernel, pinolo (pignolo in Tuscany). Pignolata can be rather dry, so it is often accompanied by a glass of Vin Santo or 'holy wine' (so called because it was used by connoisseur priests to celebrate mass). Others say, however, that it originally came from the Greek island Xantos.
Risotto alla Milanese con Luganega
Saffron Risotto with Sausage
Any rice dish that is described as 'milanese' usually contains some saffron. Saffron rice is in itself a very delicate dish; the addition of luganega turns it into something rather more substantial. Luganega is fresh pork sausage that is sold by length (its name derives from the Greek 'lukanika'). This typically Lombardian or Milanese product was usually made in the winter months when the household pig was killed, but nowadays it can be found all year round. It is made in a very long intestine 3cm (1 1/4 inch) in diameter. You can use coarsely minced fresh pork instead, so long as you season it well.
Salsicce Fatte A Mano Con Lenticchie
Umbrian Lentil and Home-made Sausage Stew
This dish is truly wonderful when using the fresh sausages made by the local Norcian master butchers, who are known as norcini. As they may be difficult to find, I suggest making the sausages from scratch instead - it's not too complicated, and it is well worth it. You can get hold of Castelluccio lentils, the Italian Puy lentils, in a good delicatessen.
Scottiglia di Cinghiale
Tuscan Wild Boar Stew
In Tuscany towards the autumn, you will invariably find this dish on the menu in local trattorie, eaten simply with bread as a main course. Scottiglia is a very comforting wild boar stew. In fact, Tuscans love it so much that in season they freeze parts of the animal so that they can make this stew later in the year-and Italians do not tend to freeze meat very much. Depending on the age of the boar, it can take some time to tenderise the meat, but a scottiglia is always cooked slowly to avoid toughening the meat. This type of stew can be made with other, more tender parts of the animal, but reduce the cooking time accordingly.