Recipes from Lombardy - Risotto, cutlets, polenta, a quiet but tasty cuisine

The typical cuisine of Lombardy has many facets. Having plains, lakes and mountains, it differs greatly from province to province. Let us begin, however, with the best known dishes in the world, namely risotto alla milanese and cotolette alla milanese. Milan is also the home of the famous panettone.

On the other hand, from the other provinces, renowned are the PIZZOCCHERI DELLA VALTELLINA or even the SBRISOLONA from Mantua. The risotto with perch and perch in carpione, typical recipes from Lake Como, are definitely worth trying. The starters consist mostly of cured meats and cheeses, of which this region is rich. in fact, let us remember the carpaccio di bresaola, a typical starter from Valtellina.

Valtellina bresaola carpaccio

This starter should be prepared at least an hour before eating it to give the meat time to soak in its seasoning

Ingredients for the Valtellina bresaola carpaccio

• grams 400 of bresaola sliced quite thinly
• grams 40 of rocket
• enough Parmesan cheese flakes
• olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice, to taste

Preparation of the Valtellina bresaola carpaccio

In a serving tray place a layer of rocket and on top the slices of bresaola, trying not to overlap them too much. Now mix the olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon juice in a bowl and drizzle this emulsion over the slices of bresaola. Sprinkle parmesan shavings on top. Let the meat season for at least an hour before serving.

Milanese Risotto

The first dish of the Lombardy tradition known all over the world. It is not an easy recipe to prepare even if it seems simple. Here the great cook makes all the difference.

Ingredients for risotto alla milanese

• grams 500 Carnaroli rice
• grams 50 of ox marrow
• one and a half litres of meat stock
• grams 100 of butter
• 1 small onion
• a sachet of saffron powder
• grams 100 of grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation of risotto alla milanese

In a rather large pot put the meat stock and when it boils add the saffron sachet which will give it that characteristic yellow colour.

In a large saucepan, sauté the finely chopped onion with half the butter and the marrow, cooking everything over a very low heat and very slowly. After about ten minutes add the rice, stirring often so that it does not stick to the bottom and toast it. Now slowly add the meat stock until the rice is cooked. Turn off the heat, add the butter and cheese, stir and serve the risotto very hot

PIZZOCCHERI from Valtellina

Ingredients for the PIZZOCCHERI della Valtellina

• grams 300 buckwheat flour
• grams 250 of white flour
• grams 100 of butter
• grams 400 of fresh cheese
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 500 grams of Savoy cabbage or Swiss chard
• 100 grams grated Parmesan cheese
• salt to taste

Preparation of the Valtellina PIZZOCCHERI

First let's prepare the PIZZOCCHERI. Mix the two flours and knead with a little warm water until smooth and firm. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin about 3 millimetres thick to cut into lasagne 5 or 6 centimetres wide and then in the other direction into noodles about half a centimetre wide.

Leave them on the floured pastry board while you clean and cut the savoy cabbage, which will be put on the stove to cook with plenty of salted water. After about 10 minutes, plunge in the PIZZOCCHERI and cook for about 8 - 10 minutes.

Drain the pasta and vegetables a little at a time and arrange them in a rather large baking tin. Sprinkle each layer with grated grana padano and very thin slices of fresh cheese until all the ingredients are used up. Finally, flavour the butter with the garlic cloves, which should be removed once the butter is melted, and place this butter on the last layer of the PIZZOCCHERI. They should be served very hot.

Risotto with perch

Ingredients for perch risotto

• 300 g perch fillets
• grams 400 of rice
• 8 sage leaves
• 1 glass of white wine
• 1 onion
• butter, grated parmesan cheese, flour and oil for frying as needed
• fish or vegetable stock, salt to taste

Preparation of risotto with perch

First of all, in a rather large pan brown the finely chopped onion in butter together with two chopped sage leaves. When it starts to brown add the rice, toasting it and turning it continuously.

Deglaze the rice with white wine and when it has completely evaporated, continue cooking the rice with the salted fish or vegetable stock for about fifteen minutes.

Meanwhile dredge the perch fillets in flour and fry them in a frying pan with butter and sage leaves. Remove the fillets from the frying pan and let them dry on paper towels. In the frying pan where you fried the fish fillets, add a little butter and brown it. Once the rice has been drained and placed on a serving plate, add the perch fillets on top and drizzle with melted butter. Serve piping hot.

We now move on to the main courses with the dish that most characterises the Lombardy region, the famous cotoletta alla milanese.

Milanese schnitzel

What you need for the Milanese veal cutlet

• 4 veal cutlets with the bone, cut from the loin
• 2 eggs
• breadcrumbs, butter for frying, salt and lemon (optional) to taste

Preparation of the Milanese cutlet

The meat suitable for the Milanese schnitzel is the bone-in schnitzel cut from a part of the suckling calf called carré. It must be at least a couple of centimetres thick.

Before preparing it, the ribs and skin are removed and flattened with a meat tenderizer. They are salted and dipped in beaten eggs and then in breadcrumbs, making them evenly spread over the meat. Cook in a frying pan with plenty of butter until golden brown on both sides. Dry them with paper towels and then sprinkle with salt until very hot and serve immediately. Some people like to accompany it with a slice of lemon.

Soused perch

What you need for carping perch

• 500 g perch fillets
• 200 g carrots
• 2 medium onions
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bunch of tarragon
• 2 bay leaves
• 10 centilitres of vinegar
• half a glass of white wine
• 1 celery
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil to taste

Preparation of the carpione perch

Wash and dry the perch fillets and season with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, peel the onions and chop finely. Clean the carrots and cut them into small strips together with the celery.

In a saucepan with a few tablespoons of olive oil, brown the onion, celery and carrots. Add the bay leaf, tarragon bunch, half of the parsley bunch, white wine and vinegar and bring to the boil, if it is too dry add half a glass of water. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by half.

Meanwhile, in a buttered baking dish place the perch fillets on the bottom and drizzle with the mixture. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about 8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool. The carpione perch should be left in the refrigerator once cold for at least 24 hours. It is eaten cold sprinkled with finely chopped parsley.

SBRISOLONA of Mantua

• grams 250 of flour
• grams 250 of maize flour
• grams 200 of sugar
• grams 200 of almonds
• 3 egg yolks
• grams 200 of butter
• grated rind of one lemon
• 1 vanilla pod

Preparation of the Mantuan SBRISOLONA

Chop three quarters of the almonds in a mixer, pour the butter into a bowl and mix with the chopped almonds. Pour in the flour, cornflour and sugar, mixing the ingredients well. Add the grated zest of a lemon.

Finally add the egg yolks and knead the dough with your hands. The dough should not be smooth and firm, but rather coarse. Place the dough in a cake tin, trying to crumble it with your hands as much as possible. Place the remaining almonds on top and sprinkle with a spoonful of sugar. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for about an hour.

This cake is delicious dipped in wine.

Paradise cake

Ingredients for the paradise cake

• grams 150 of flour
• grams 230 of butter at room temperature
• grams 230 of icing sugar
• grams 130 of potato starch
• 8 eggs
• the rind of 1 grated lemon
• 1 sachet of baking powder

Preparing the paradise cake

Beat the butter for a long time, add the sugar and grated lemon peel. Now add the eggs, 4 whole and 4 yolks. Beat them slightly first and mix them a little at a time into the melted butter. Now add the flour, potato starch and baking powder, slowly mixing the ingredients together.

Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 170 degrees for about 45 minutes.