Bordering France in the north, Piemonte’s cuisine undoubtedly has a French quality to it, but is perhaps best known for its excellent rice and risottos. Pasta here plays second fiddle to the local qualities of rice, namely those from Vercelli and Novara. Beef here is superb, as are the cheeses, many of which are made with the milk from herds that graze on Alpine pastures. The region hosts the now world famous Slow Food Exhibition which takes place in Torino, and also ‘Cheese’, which is held in the town of Bra. The small town of Alba is known for its excellent white truffles – the zone also offers a delicious range of mushrooms, while Torino is appreciated for its coffee culture and its mouth-watering gianduia chocolates. The red wines of Piemonte are some of the best in the world and would make a good accompaniment to a hearty dish of bollito misto, the local boiled meat dish.
Traditional dishes:
Bagna Caôda: Hot Garlic Dip
Ingredients
- 2 bulbs of garlic
- 250 ml milk
- 100 g plump, salted anchovies
- 200 ml extra-virgin olive oil
- 50 g butter
- Selection of sliced vegetables (cardoons, Jerusalem artichokes, carrots, endives, spring onions, peppers)
Instructions
- Peel the garlic, and place in a terracotta pot with the milk.
- Simmer until the garlic is cooked and has lost some of its strong flavor.
- Drain cooked garlic and push through a sieve.
- Discard milk.
- Rinse the anchovies, remove any visible bones and crush in a mortar and pestle.
- Place garlic and crushed anchovies in the terracotta pot along with the oil and the butter.
- Cook over a low to medium heat for 15 minutes.
- Place the oil mixture at the center of the table over a source of heat (like you would a fondue) and with long forks, dip vegetables in this delicious garlicky oil.
- Serve with lots of crusty bread.
Risotto alla Piemontese: Risotto Piemontese Style
Ingredients
- 350 g Carnaroli rice
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- ½ onion, finely chopped
- ½ glass of dry white wine
- 1¼ liters of homemade meat broth
- Salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 50 g grated Grana or Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Melt about two thirds of the butter in a large pan and cook the chopped onion until it is transparent.
- Add the rice and cook for two minutes until all the grains are coated in butter and are translucent.
- Pour in the wine and cook until it has evaporated.
- Add the broth, a ladleful at a time, waiting until the broth has been absorbed before adding any more.
- When rice is cooked al dente and the risotto is nice and creamy, taste and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove from the heat, beat in the remaining butter and stir in the grated Grana or Parmesan cheese.
- Leave to rest for a minute then serve.
Number of servings (yield): 4
Bollito Misto: Mixed Boiled Meats
Ingredients
- 1 kg beef (shoulder or brisket)
- 500 g neck or breast of veal
- Small veal’s tongue
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 onions, roughly chopped
- 2 thick celery ribs, roughly chopped
- ½ calf’s head (or substitute with 500 g beef, veal or pork meat)
- 1 cooking hen or chicken, about 1 kg
- 500 – 600 g cotechino (pork sausage)
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a very large pan of salted water to the boil.
- Slip in the beef, veal and tongue and the roughly chopped vegetables.
- Allow to simmer for about an hour.
- Add the calf’s head and the hen or chicken and continue to simmer for another hour or until all the meats are cooked and fork tender.
- Meanwhile, cook the cotechino separately by pricking the skin with a knife and simmering it in a small pan of water until cooked – 15 to 20 minutes.
- When all meats are cooked, remove large pan from heat and add the cooked cotechino.
- Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Traditionally, these boiled meats are served with a selection of green and red sauces, mustard and horseradish.
Number of servings (yield): 6-8
Brasata al Barolo: Beef Braised in Barolo Wine
Ingredients
- 1 kg boneless beef chuck roast
- 2 carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- Sprig of rosemary
- 4 cloves
- Small sprig of fresh thyme
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 large bay leaf
- Small piece of cinnamon
- 4 grains of black pepper
- 6 juniper berries
- 1 bottle of young Barolo wine
- 50 g flour
- 50 g butter
- Splash of brandy
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Place the meat in a large terracotta pot or Dutch oven along with the chopped vegetables and all the spices.
- Pour in the Barolo.
- Cover and leave to marinade in a cool place, preferably not in the refrigerator, for 24 hours, turning the meat every so often to ensure it marinades evenly.
- Once fully marinated, remove beef from wine and spices, pat dry then coat in flour.
- Heat the butter in a large terracotta pot or Dutch oven and sear the beef on all sides.
- Remove the chopped carrots, onions and celery from the wine and add to the meat.
- Cook for a further 5 minutes, then strain the wine from the spices and add.
- Place the spices in a small muslin bag and add to meat.
- Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 2 ½ – 3 hours, occasionally turning the meat and skimming off any froth that floats to the surface, adding hot water as necessary if the sauce dries out.
- Remove meat from pot and keep warm.
- Pass the sauce through a food mill, vegetables and all, add a splash of brandy, adjust seasoning and cook over a medium heat until it reaches desired thickness.
- To serve, slice the beef, cover with sauce, and accompany with mashed potatoes or polenta.
Number of servings (yield): 4-6
Zabaione
Ingredients
- 8 large, fresh egg yolks
- 8 dessertspoons of caster sugar
- 8 dessertspoons of Marsala or other dessert wine
Instructions
- In a deep bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Little by little, add the Marsala, whisking continuously until it is has been completely absorbed by the eggs.
- Place the bowl over a bain marie, making absolutely sure that the water is hot but that it never boils.
- Continue whisking the mixture over the bain marie for 10 -15 minutes or until it becomes thick and velvety.
- Serve immediately in pretty wine glasses and accompany with dry cookies.
Number of servings (yield): 4-6