The Traditional Recipes of Liguria
The typical recipes of Liguria
One eye on the sea, one on the land, the cuisine of Liguria contains the history of its people (it must be said clearly, to dispel a long-standing belief: not only “seafaring” as revealed by the word “ligure” which originally means man of mountains) who loves the sea at least fears and respects it, who detaches himself from the land, it is necessary to navigate, and returns to his land with desperate desire. So you are surprised if the kitchen competes for, but always finds, punctually and lovingly, its balance between the simple and direct cooking of the fish (ciupin, frisceu, buridda) and the equally simple and direct but more patient cooking of the meat (cima stuffed, white and black, veal all’uccelletto) and vegetables (torta Pasqualina, stuffed lettuce).
Nor will you have reason to be surprised, far from it, if the earthy aspect of the fire, quiet and meditated of the hinterland is underlined for the meats, while for the fish the experience of the boat in the full adventure of the wave remains irrepressible.
Of course, the cuisine of Liguria also has choral dishes, the cappon magro for example, in which the products of the sea, fish and shellfish, and those of the earth (scorzonera, beets, carrots, celery, green beans and cauliflower) embrace each other in a ‘one. His fantasies, the strange sauces: the pesto alla genovese, excellent both in pasta and in minestrone, and the agiada, excellent both with cod and with lamb offal and in vegetable soup, and the walnut sauce, and the touch of mushrooms and meats. Fish and meat, vegetables and sauces are linked by the obligatory condiment: olive oil. You will then accompany them, to underline them, not with anonymous wines from other regions, with those, little known but certainly not inferior, from places.
First Courses
Trenette al pesto