RISOTTO ALLA PILOTA*
This is the most renowned dish in the province of Mantua. It draws its name from “pilota” the person who used to husk and pack the rice in the rice farms.
70 gr. per person of rice of the variety Vialone Nano
40 gr per person of “pesto” or “salamella mantovana” (typical Mantuan pork sausage)
Grated Grana cheese
Warm up a stainless steel saucepan containing a quantity of water equal to that of the rice, put the rice on la large sheet of hard paper and make it slide to the centre of the pot when water boils. The rice will then make a little mountain whose top shall come out of the water.
Sit, put the lid on and let it cook over a high flame for about 10 minutes.
While the rice gets cooked, prepare the seasoning breaking the sausage into crumbs and roasting them with a little oil until they brown.
When the rice is ready, turn the heat off, add the seasoning and the Grana cheese with a wooden spoon and mix it up.
Cover with a thick cloth and a lid, let it set for about 15 minutes and serve.
PUMPKIN TORTELLI
TORTELLI DI ZUCCA
Symbol of the Mantuan traditional cookery, they are served on Christmas Eve.
1 kg of pumpkin
150 gr of macarrons
180 gr of “ mostarda mantovana di mele” (pickled apples)
160 gr of grated Parmesan cheese
nutmeg
one egg
salt
breadcrumbs
fresh pasta
butter
Take the skin and the seeds off a pumkin of the Mantuan Variety and steam it.
Smash the pumkin with a fork to make it creamy.
Add minced macaroons, pickled apples, Parmesan cheese, salt and, if necessary, breadcrumbs to make the mixture dry.
Then let it set.
Cut the sheet of fresh pasta into rectangles of about 8x4 cm. and put some filling at the centre of each rectangle.
Fold them up to obtain small wallet-shaped packets and press the borders to seal them.
Boil in salty water and season with melted butter and Parmesan cheese.
Bibliography:
- * these are my mum Daniela's recipes.
- AA.VV., Mantova in tavola – Itinerari del Mantovano, pubblicazioni dell’ APT del Mantovano, 2002
- R. Delfino, Le ricette della grande cucina mantovana, Ed. Demetra, 1998
- C. Eramo, Cucina mantovana, Franco Muzzio Editore, 2002
- F. Marenghi, La cucina mantovana ieri e oggi, Ed. Riccardi & Associati, 1996
I'm still working on the other translations!
