For today's menu we move South of Piedimont. We are in beautiful Liguria, Genoa, its capital lies on the waterfront. Above all scents and aroma typical in every region of Italy, in Genoa the aroma of Pesto is king.
Pesto is made of fresh sweet basil, garlic, sheep's milk cheese, pine nuts (or walnuts) and olive oil. The ingredients are placed together in a mortar and pounded without mercy, until they become a smooth, aromatic sauce in which the fragrance of basil is sovereign.
The sea provides many of the raw materials of Genovese cooking. Fish, with the exception of a few but excellent meat dishes, dominates the menu. As in so many other parts of Italy, Genoa relies heavily on the use of olive oil for its cooking. The coast of the two Ligurian Rivieras provides the ideal climate condition for the cultivation of olives, as changes in temperature are gradual and never extreme, and the sun shines year round.
Beyond Genoa, beyond Rapallo, Portofino, and Sestri, perched high above the rocky coast are the Cinque Terre (The Five Villages) Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. These vineyards provide the wines for which the region is famous. Amongst these are the Sciacchettra` (I dare you to pronounce it), a white wine with a slightly bitter bouquet, comparable to a French Chardonnay.
Other Ligurian wines include Rossese, Vermentino, Ligasolio (Which was Neapoleon's favorite...the Frenchman didn't support his local vineyards) and Polceverra.
The typical menu for this region is:
Trenette Con Pesto ( Trenette Noodles With Pesto)
Triglie Alla Ligure (Red Snapper Ligurian Style)
Condiglione (Mixed Salad Ligurian Style)
Pizza Di Noci E Canditi (Ligurian Walnut and Candied Peel Pie)
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Trenette con Pesto
1 lb trenette
4 medium sized potatoes, peeled
Salt & pepper to taste
1 1/4 cup of Pesto Alla Genovese (Pesto recipe follows)
Grated cheese to taste
Trenette are ribbon shaped pasta. The majority of Genoese feel that pesto should only be served with trenette. I am a little more flexible, any short pasta will do (Pennette Rigate, Ziti)
Dice the potatoes and put them into a very large pan with plenty of salted water (4 quarts)
Bring this to a boil then add the pasta and cook until "Al dente". Drain and drop the pasta and the potatoes in a deep heated dish.
Dilute the pesto with a couple of tablespoons of the water in which the pasta cooked and mix it in.
Serve very hot and sprinkle with Parmesan.
Pesto Alla Genovese
50 basil leaves, washed and dried
10 sprigs of Italian flat parsley
1/4 cup of pine nuts or walnuts, toasted
1 clove og garlic
2 tablespoons Pecorino Romano
3 Tablespoons of Parmigiano
1/2 + 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, a pinch
Place the basil leaves, parsley and the nuts in a marble mortar, or food processor, add the garlic and the pinch of salt. Work the ingredients until well blended (If using a food processor, do not over blend).
Add the grated cheeses. Slowly add the olive oil in a steady stream until creamy.
Note: I use parsley because its high concentration of chlorophyll will keep the pesto from turning dark if not used immediately, so you can make it up to 4 days in advance and keep it refrigerated!
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Triglie Alla Ligure
2 1/2 lb. of red snapper
1/2 cup olive oil
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 anchovies fillets, finely chopped
4-5 sprigs of Italian flat parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt & pepper
12 black olives (Gaeta or Kalamata) pitted and halved
4 teaspoons capers, rinsed
2 lemons
Heat the oil in a wide and shallow pan and gently sauté the garlic, anchovies and parsley.
Add the wine and simmer for a few minutes, until slightly reduced. Add the tomatoes, stirring gently.
Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the fish, season with salt and pepper and continue to simmer for 15 minutes longer.
Just before serving add the olives, capers and a good squeeze of lemon.
Accompany this entrée with a Sauvignon Blanc, as the high sugar concentration cuts nicely through the acidity of lemon and capers.
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Condiglione
6 large ripe and firm tomatoes
1 large sweet pepper, cored and seeded
3 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2 pearl (button) onions thinly sliced
2 hard-boiled eggs quartered
Salt & pepper
2 large anchovies filets, chopped
Oregano to taste
Olive oil to dress salad
Cut the tomatoes into wedges, cut the pepper into strips. Rub the salad bowl generously with the garlic. Arrange all the ingredients in the order given or however you like.
Add the olive oil last and stir into salad. Refrigerate 1 hour. Stir the salad again before serving.
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Pizza di Noci e Canditi
1 2/3 shelled walnuts
5 eggs separated
2/3 cup of sugar
5 squares of bitter chocolate, grated
Grated rind of one lemon
1/3 cup of diced, mixed candied peels
Butter and fine bread crubs for pie pan
This is not a pie as we know it in the States, it's rather more like a cake.
Pound or grind the walnuts to a powder. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar until fluffy. Beat the egg whites until stiff.
Mix the egg yolks with the powdered walnuts, chocolate, grated rind and candied peel, and fold in the egg whites.
Pour the walnut mixture into a buttered and bread-crumbed pie pan and bake at 375 degrees for about 1 hour.
When cooked the pie should be about 1/2 inch thick, much like a pizza. Turn it out and leave it to cool before serving.
