Piemontese Cuisine

Besides Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, Piemonte is regarded as one of the culinary capitals of Italy. It is where the Slow Food movement was born. It is the home of Nutella, Barolo and Barbaresco wines. It is the leading producer of rice (think risotto) and corn (think polenta). Piemonte specializes in creamy cow cheeses, butter and cream galore! Like the rest of Italy, the cooking here is simple. But the end result is pure, unadulterated peak flavored dishes that will leave your taste buds happy. 

Living with a 100% Piemontese family gave me great insight into Piemontese cuisine. All Italians are proud and loyal to their region. But the Piemontese take it to a level I had not yet experienced- in a good way. They are proud to be Piemontese, they cook in Piemontese style, they buy only Piemontese products and will not accept anything less. 

Grissini are served at every meal! Grissini are large, dry breadsticks that are particular to this region and each town makes them slightly diferently. They can be made with flour or corn. They can be dunked in milk & honey for breakfast, and then are used to push food onto your fork or wrap a piece of salami or lardo around at lunch or dinner. 

Another thing that is typically Italian, not just Piemontese, is the table setting. Table cloths are very important and are not shared for multiple activities. There is one for meals, one for food prep, and one for display. It is not acceptable to eat on the "display" table cloth or vice versa. Also, Italians don't like to mix courses or food on their plate. This results in A LOT of dishes that are used at meal times. There is a bowl for the pasta/rice course. Then a plate for the meat course, with a smaller plate for the side vegetables. A new plate for the salad course. And then yet another plate for the fruit course (which is also served with a knife because they always peel and cut their fruit). Following all of this is the coffee service, which has it's own cup, saucer and cucchiaino (little spoon). And this is not a special holiday occasion. 

This is every day, lunch and dinner. And always in that order. 

In the photo above you can see the table set for the first course of pasta. Notice the table cloth, long grissini bread sticks and of course the yummy pasta! This is what I call Bruschetta Pasta because it is cooked pasta that is then lightly tossed with Bruschetta (fresh tomatoes, garlic, EVOO, basil) and then served immediately. The tomato is not cooked, giving the dish a fresh taste, straight from the garden.  This was one of my favorites. 

Farinata. My least favorite northern food. I can't believe I am actually saying this, but I do not like Farinata. It is like a pizza, made with chick peas. The dough is baked and then served in slices like pizza. It is not very flavorful, and is very dense and just feels heavy and a bit oily. Non buono.

The Torinese are famous for their invention of Gianduia- a gift from the chocolate hazelnut gods! Gianduia is the cadillac of chocolate hazelnut, putting Nutella to shame. It can be found in gelato flavors, as soft chocolates and also in a chocolate liqueur. Caffe San Carlo in Torino has the BEST Gianduia gelato. I love it with Nocciola (hazelnut) or Torino nougat (almond and hazelnut flavor).

YES! Gianduia and Nocciola gelato from Caffe San Carlo!

TORTA SALATA

Ingredients:

Zucchini, sliced

Garlic, quartered

EVOO

Ricotta cheese (soft and unsalted)

3 Eggs

Salt, Pepper and Herbs

Pastry Dough

Method:

1. Sautee zucchini with garlic halves in EVOO, covered and with no salt.

2. In a separate bowl, mix together ricotta and eggs.

3. Add salt to zucchini and cook until just soft.

4. Add hot zucchini to ricotta mixture and mix together. Season with salt, pepper and herbs. 

5. Line pan with paper and pastry dough and fill with zucchini mixture.

6. Top with other pastry dough (remove paper) and pinch sides together to seal pie.

7. Bake at 200 C for 25 minutes and then lower to 180 C and bake for 10 more minutes or until golden brown.

Lardo: Flavored pork fat. A delicacy here. It is cured with fresh rosemary and actually has a delicious savory flavor. Sliced very thinly and served on crostini or grissini.

Polenta! This is served in Piemonte as well as in the Val d'Aosta. Often served with sausages and/or with cheese mixed in (typically Fontina or another good melting cheese)

Val d'Aosta cheese selection. YUMMY! From top and then clockwise, we have Parmiggiano, Butter, Seasonal/Aged (Staggionata) Toma, Younger Toma, and Aged Fontina. All from cow, and all tasty!

Genepy: The digestivo of the north. This after dinner liquor is infused with the Genepy herb. Tastes a little like juniper berry (if you like Gin, you will love this), has an herbal and pine tree quality and is slightly sweet too.

Chestnuts soaked in honey. Very typical of Piemonte and Val d'Aosta. Walnuts and hazelnuts are very common in this area and the honey is delicious as well. 

Piemontese peaches (pesce). They are so sweet, juicy and delicious!

A common recipe has the peaches peeled and then filled with a mixture of crushed amaretto cookie, cocoa powder, and peach pulp. They are then topped with a sliver of butter and baked. 

The end result- what I call "Piemontese Peaches". I have also seen this made into a cake form and pears are another great alternative to use if peaches are not in season. 

Piemontese garlic...

Even the garlic is different here. The bulbs are huge, some are the entire garlic is in one whole piece. It is more flavorful and slightly more delicate than other garlic and the large size makes it easier to cut and harder to burn!

One of the most famous dishes from Piemonte is Bagna Couda. It is literally an anchovy paste that is heated and spread on bread, and veggies. It sounds a bit sketchy but it is delicious! Like Indian families and their varying curry recipes, the Piemontese also have differing family recipes for Banga Couda. This is the delicious one I had the pleasure of trying! Also, this is usually served in the fall, not in the heat of the summer. 

BANGA COUDA

Ingredients:

Garlic, thinly sliced

Spanish Anchovies, de-boned, cleaned, rinsed again and then soaked in vinegar

Red Wine Vinegar

EVOO

Olive Oil

Butter

1 L Milk

1 TBS Red Wine

Tomato (a half)

Items to Dip:

Cauliflower, Celery, Bread, Grilled Bell Peppers

Method: 

1. Remove gills from anchovies, and wash well in water.

2. Split in half and remove backbones, hair, etc. Rinse in vinegar (soak).

3. Rinse in water again and then in vinegar again and drain.

4. Barely cover anchovies in EVOO and let sit for 2+ hrs.

5. In a pan, heat butter and add anchovies. Cook over LOW heat. Simmer and mash anchovies into the butter - they will literally melt into the butter. 

6. Add garlic and continue to heat on low.

7. Add milk and keep adding small amounts every 5 minutes (a little bit each time).

8. Add a drop of wine and tomato and continue to cook.

9. When garlic is cooked and soft, mash with fork and combine into mixture with anchovies. This will take approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour.

10. Add Olive Oil (not Extra Virgin), remove tomato and serve with dipping items!

Finished product! This delicious "paste" is served in it's own individual "fondue-like" ceramic pot with a tea light under it. Serve with fresh veggies, bread and anything else that you might like to enjoy. It tastes like a soft, slightly salty garlic butter spread with a hint of anchovy. SO GOOD!