Mario Matassa brings us this trout dish, known in Italian as filetti di trota con pesto di olive e capperi – make it tonight! Lake fish, like trout, naturally features strongly in the cuisine around the lakes. It was once a staple but overfishing was such that, for a time, other sources of fresh fish […]
This gnocchi dish originates from the Como area, and uses a local taleggio cheese, which combines with the tomato and pancetta to make a flavourful sauce, says Mario Matassa There is a long tradition around the Italian lakes of making homemade gnocchi – this dish is an easy way to recreate the flavours of the […]
For a festive centrepiece Italian-style you can’t go wrong with roast guinea fowl (faraona ripiena). Mario Matassa gives us the low-down… There are a number of ways to cook guinea fowl, but at Christmas a roast seems almost obligatory. The key to a good roast is to make sure you do not overcook. You might […]
Full of the strong flavours that are typical of the region, this Campanian dish will evoke memories for anyone who has ever visited Naples – Here’s Mario Matassa’s take on ‘reinforcing salad’: Insalata di rinforzo (‘reinforcing salad’) hails from Campania in the south of Italy. Its name refers to its capacity to reinforce the appetite. It can […]
Baccalà alla napoletana (salt cod) is a hugely popular dish in Italy, and is a popular Christmas Eve dish among Italians. Mario Matassa shows us how it’s done… Baccalà is sold everywhere in Italy in the run-up to Christmas. It is important to buy it in advance as it needs to be soaked in water for […]
This recipe for canestrelli biscuits makes it easy to create this tasty Ligurian treat – Mario Matassa shares his technique to show us how its done… These biscotti would traditionally have been twice cooked (bis-cotti), resulting in a crisp exterior and crumbly interior. Canestrelli can be bought today, fresh from the ovens, in any good […]
This ‘trota‘ dish has a spicy kick. Mario Matassa used wild trout here, but with the addition of more chilli pepper, farmed trout also works well In this trout recipe, which has been adapted from a method for cooking trout in the Apennine mountains above Parma, the fish is coated in flour and chilli pepper, then […]
Wild greens (verdure selvatiche) is the name given to greens that grow in the wild. They’re popular in Italy and this recipe by Mario Matassa is a good way to use them Wild greens include a wide range of plants like borage leaves, nettles, dandelions, wild fennel, hops, rocket, garlic leaves, wild beets, wild chicory, asparagus and, of […]
Enjoy this recipe for risotto con bruscandoli by Mario Matassa – it’s a fantastic way to use wild hops… Serves 2 Preparation time 15 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes Ingredients: • 180g risotto rice • a bunch of wild hops, roughly chopped • 1 small onion, peeled, finely chopped • 600-750ml vegetable stock • 30g Parmesan, grated […]
Any fan of Italian cuisine should learn how to make passata – the classic tomato sauce – here’s how to do it! Recipe & image by Mario Matassa Makes 4 x 250g jars Preparation time 20 minutes Cooking time 20 minutes, plus sterilising Ingredients: • 2kg ripe but firm plum tomatoes • 3 tbsp olive oil […]