Tuscany offers a variety of culinary treats. The region hosts a plethora of sagre or food festivals throughout the year and the wines of Tuscany are world renowned. The province of Arezzo is known for its meat stew called scottiglia and acquacotto, a soup of onion, tomato, bread, egg and cheese. But for this time of the year, we have selected three dishes associated with the early days of summer.
Pappardelle al ragù d’anatra
Pasta with duck sauce is traditionally served in late June and early July in Arezzo. You will find it in many restaurants presented as a rich pasta dish, featuring duck sauce within ribbons of pappardelle enhanced with Parmigiano cheese.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 celery stick, chopped
- 12 oz boneless duck breasts, skin removed
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 7 oz tomato passsata
- 6 oz dry red wine
- 14 oz chicken stock
- small bunch of sage leaves
- 2 sprigs of rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 12 oz papardelle
- grated Parmigiano
Preparation
Remove the skin and cut the breasts of the duck into bite-sized pieces. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté, stirring from time to time for 10–15 minutes over a low flame. Add the duck pieces and cook while stirring. Continue to turn the duck until the pieces change from translucent to opaque.
Stir in the garlic and after 2-3 minutes (once you can smell the aroma rising from the garlic), add the wine, tomato passata and half of the chicken stock. Add the sage, rosemary, bay leaves, salt, pepper and sugar. Simmer, covered over low heat for about 1 hour, adding more chicken stock as the sauce reduces. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
Cook the papardelle in a pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and pour the pasta into the saucepan with the sauce and mix well over low heat. Serve with the grated Parmigiano.
Tripe with Potatoes
This traditional povera food has taken on a new level of ‘chic’ in many restaurants. Tripe is low in fat and packed with vitamins.
Ingredients
- 4 lbs of veal tripe
- 2 lbs potatoes
- 1 onion
- 1 stalk celery
- A small bunch of Italian parsley, chopped
- 1 small carrot, cut into small pieces
- grated Parmigiano cheese
- 3 tomatoes
- salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp crushed red pepper
Preparation
Clean the tripe of any fat and soak it in cold water for 1 hour. Simmer the tripe in lightly salted boiling water for 3 ½ hours. While the tripe is simmering, you will have plenty of time to boil the potatoes. Take a large pot and fill it with cold water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Peel and cut the potatoes into medium-sized chunks and add to the pot. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 hour covered. Keep the potatoes in the hot water until ready to add to the tripe.
Drain and rinse the tripe under cold running water, then cut it into strips. Chop the carrots, onion and celery. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil with ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper and allow the pepper to infuse for 2-3 minutes. Sauté the tripe with the carrot, onion and celery for 5-7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and using a fork, break each into pieces. Continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer; drain the potatoes and add to the tripe along with the chopped parsley. Continue cooking for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve with grated Parmigiano cheese.
Gatto Arezzo
The name of this yellow rolled cake translates to ‘Cat of Arezzo!’ To ensure the cake will be easy to roll, smooth the batter as evenly as possible in the pan and then bake the cake until lightly browned, but not dry.
Ingredients
- 6 oz flour
- 2 oz potato flour
- 9 oz sugar
- 5 eggs, separated
- 2 oz butter
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 oz powdered sugar
- 3-4 oz pineapple juice
- 6 oz apricot jam
Preparation
In a medium bowl, mix the sugar and yolk of eggs. Work on the eggs for several minutes so the cake will be softer. Add melted butter, flour, potato flour and baking powder. Separately whip four of the egg whites until stiff and then add them to the mixture. Cover a rectangular pan with parchment paper and use a spatula to pour the mixture into the pan. Place into a pre-heated oven at 350°F for 12-15 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. Bake until the cake is springy to the touch. Run a table knife around the edge of the pan and slide the cake, still on the paper, onto a wire rack and sprinkle it with pineapple juice. Let the cake cool completely. Once cooled, place it, still attached to the parchment paper, on a second piece of parchment, cake side down and peel off the parchment. Coat the surface of the cake with the jam. With the long side toward you, gently roll the edge of the cake onto itself, moving your hands carefully from one end of the side to the other to keep the roll even. Using both hands, continue to roll the cake into a cylinder. Refrigerate until ready to serve and decorate with powdered sugar just prior to serving.
