The Cooking of Emilia-Romagna, Illustrated Edition: Culinary Treasures from Northern Italy

THE COOKING OF

EMILIA-ROMAGNA

Culinary Treasures from Northern Italy

GIOVANNA BELLIA LA MARCA

HIPPOCRENE BOOKS, INC.

New York

Also by Giovanna Bellia La Marca:

Sicilian Feasts

Language & Travel Guide to Sicily

Illustrated edition, 2025

Copyright © 2025, 2011 Giovanna Bellia La Marca.

All rights reserved.

Color photographs by Francesca LaMarca Sacco.

Jacket design by Acme Klong Design.

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HIPPOCRENE BOOKS, INC.

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Cataloging-in-Publication Data available from the Library of Congress

Previous edition ISBN: 978-0-7818-1256-6

Printed in the United States of America.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the memory of our beloved Aunt Elvira Franceschini Riggi who brought the cooking of Emilia-Romagna to the United States, and to her niece Annamaria Clerici, who continued her family traditions by creating culinary wonders in her tiny kitchen in their native town of Berceto.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I thank Annemaria Clerici for all that I’ve learned from her during our many visits to Berceto and in frequent phone conversations while I tested recipes in Cliffside Park. Thanks for the wonderful stories and chestnut recipes that Mariolina Grassi and her sons Gianni and Giorgio shared with me over the years. My thanks to Mark and Isabella Musa for sharing family recipes and to the Musa and Berni families for introducing my husband Howard to the cooking of the region of Parma from the time he met Mark in the first grade. I am most grateful to Laura Berni for sharing with me her mother Angiolina’s treasured handwritten notebook of traditional recipes.

My thanks to my family for their continued support: To my husband, Howard, for his daily help; to our daughter, Nicoletta La Marca Sacco, for bringing sunshine into our lives; to our son-in-law, Dr. Steven Christopher Sacco, for his affection; to our grandson Felice for being our resident computer techie; and to our granddaughter Francesca for her infectious laughter which keeps the entire family in good humor.

CONTENTS

Introduction

Antipasti e Stuzzichini Appetizers and Snacks

Pasta Fresca e Tortelli Fresh Noodles and Filled Pasta

Brodi e Minestre Broths and Soups

Timballi, Gnocchi, Riso e Polenta Molded Pasta, Dumplings, Rice & Polenta

Secondi Piatti Main Dishes

Salse Sauces

Contorni e Insalate Side Dishes and Salads

Dolci Sweets

The Wines of Emilia-Romagna

Guide to Ingredients and Cooking Techniques

Cooking Courses in Emilia-Romagna and New York

Resources in the United States

Bibliography

Italian Recipe Name Index

Index

EMILIA-ROMAGNA

INTRODUCTION

Since Italian cooking is based on the products of the region, none is more fortunate than Emilia-Romagna, which counts among its culinary miracles the world-renowned Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, considered the king of cheeses, and the flavorful dried porcini mushrooms of Borgo Val Di Taro. The region includes the very fertile Po Valley and the Apennine mountains, with enchanting hill towns dotting the landscape finally ending in the Adriatic Sea.

The region produces the soft wheat that is ideal for the fresh, rich egg pasta which is the centerpiece of its famous cooking. This is the region where noodles, such as tagliatelle, lasagne, and filled pasta dishes, like tortellini in broth and tortelli (a type of ravioli) served with sauce, are the stars of the table. The savory fillings of the various kinds of tortelli are made with the cured meats for which this area is known. Culatello, the cured inner part of the ham that is another specialty of Parma and even more prized than prosciutto, is fantastic on a piece of gnocco fritto or fried dough as an appetizer with a glass of lambrusco, the favored wine of the region. A cured specialty from the city of Modena is zampone, stuffed pig’s foot, which is a must for the traditional New Year’s Day dinner accompanied by lentils and mashed potatoes.

Emilia-Romagna is made up of what were historically two distinct areas. Emilia’s cities, Piacenza, Parma, Reggio Emilia, and Bologna, follow each other along the ancient Roman road named Via Emilia. The territory of Romagna, that includes the cities of Ferrara, Ravenna, Forli’ and Rimini, is bound by the Adriatic Sea. The cooking of Emilia derives from a cooking tradition of sumptuous yet delicate foods. The cooking of Romagna is traditionally robust, with more assertive flavors, pairing well with the Sangiovese wine favored in the region. Of course being bound by the Adriatic Sea, the meats of Emilia give way to the bounty of the sea.

Bologna, the capital of the region, is known as "la dotta or the learned" because of its ancient university which was established in 1088 as the first in Europe and in the Italic peninsula (as the geographic location was known long before the regions were united in 1861 into the sovereign country of Italy). This beautiful northern city is known for its miles of elegant porticoed streets, its great museums, and of course, its still outstanding university. Near the university are Bologna’s own pair of leaning towers: La Garisenda and La Torre Degli Asinelli, that stand as symbols of the city. The art museum known as the Pinacoteca Nazionale, housed in a Renaissance palace, surprises the visitor with its modern interior, indirect lighting, and beautifully designed displays. Music lovers will be delighted to visit the Museo Civico Musicale that has a vast collection of manuscripts and scores dating from before 1900, together with a collection of instruments and a gallery of portraits.

Bologna has yet another distinction: it’s also called "la grassa" (literally meaning fat) from the days when the use of fat in cooking was a good thing and a sign of wealth, taste, pride, and family well-being. This is a city where everyone eats well, even a traveler just passing through its train station. Although you can get wonderful lunch boxes packed with the local specialties and a bottle of wine or water in every Italian railroad station, in Bologna the lunch is likely to include the choice of hot Lasagne Bolognesi, the delicious freshly made spinach noodles layered with the traditional Bolognese sauce and creamy white béchamel sauce, then liberally sprinkled with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and dotted with butter. Rich and delicate at the same time, this dish is one of the stars of Italian cooking.

To the north of Bologna, the city of Modena is known for its exceptional balsamic vinegar, which has taken the culinary world by storm. Modena’s Romanesque cathedral stands as a testament to the work of human genius. This medieval complex, begun in 1099, has been named a UNESCO World Heritage site because of the singular manner in which architecture and sculpture are integrated to serve both religious and secular needs.

The city of Parma needs no introduction as a culinary nirvana. It is known throughout the world for its Prosciutto di Parma, a distinctive cured ham of exceptional flavor, and for Parmigiano, long regarded as the king of cheeses and sold as Parmigiano-Reggiano. The city was governed by the beloved Maria Luisa Duchess of Parma, the second wife of Napoleon, from 1815 to 1847, a period of peace and prosperity. One fragrant symbol of the city are Violette di Parma which were once made into a perfume for Maria Luisa and continue to be the favorite traditional scent. The Cathedral of Parma has a beautiful and very unusual medieval baptistery dating back to the twelfth century that was designed by the master sculptor and architect Benedetto Antelami in a unique octagonal shape that allows for baptism by immersion. Parma’s Teatro Regio, in a city that has a major music conservatory, boasts one of the most discriminating and demanding opera audiences; a natural since Emilia-Romagna has given the world Giuseppe Verdi, Arturo Toscanini, Mirella Freni, and Luciano Pavarotti.

The city of Ferrara, built on the delta of the Po River to the east of Parma, is another UNESCO World Heritage site. This city exemplifies the Renaissance humanist concept of the ideal city designed and built according to the then-new principles of perspective, making it the birthplace of modern town planning. The magnificent decorations of the Palazzi d’Este by Jacopo Bellini, Piero Della Francesca, and Andrea Mantegna attest to Ferrara’s place as a Renaissance center of artistic and intellectual geniuses.

The first time we went to the mountain town of Bedonia, we experienced first-hand the beauty, the generous hospitality, and the incomparable cuisine of the region. We were on our honeymoon visiting my husband’s best friend, Mark Musa, who was spending the summer with his parents, together with his beautiful wife Isabella. Our welcome dinner, prepared by Cleonige, the family housekeeper and cook, introduced us to malfatti, a dumpling made from the spinach and ricotta filling usually used to fill the equally delicious tortelli (a kind of ravioli). Malfatti, which literally means badly made, are balls of spinach, ricotta, Parmigiano, and egg that are coated with flour, poached, and dressed with melted butter. This delectable and easy to make dish immediately became and has remained to this day our very favorite Italian primo or first course. Isabella also treated us to Bomba di Riso, an oven-baked molded rice dish from her native Parma that is another outstanding typical dish of the region. (An amusing side note: Cleonige had been with the family forever and took great pride in her cooking and housekeeping. She was so insulted when an American washing machine arrived in Bedonia that she refused to use it. On subsequent trips we could see the still brand-new washing machine languishing in a corner covered with a sheet. )

Berceto, another beautiful hill town and the birthplace of our beloved Aunt Elvira, seems to have everything: the remains of an ancient castle, a stately medieval duomo, picturesque panoramas, and some of the finest restaurants in the region. Dining at the nationally known restaurant Da Rino in the center of town was always an exceptional experience. Treats such as Torta Fritta (page 13) and appetizing mushroom dishes expertly prepared in literally dozens of different ways were the rule.

The town of Bardi also has its own castle that has been fully restored and is open to the public. A culinary curiosity of this town rests with the fact that many of the people of Bardi emigrated to England, and return for their vacations, so the local cafés serve tea and sherry in the afternoon. Our friend Irene Berni often made her special Torta Bianca di Mandorle (page 152), a white almond cake that she served with afternoon tea in her lovely villa.

Continuing on the Via Emilia towards the sea, we come to Ravenna, another World Heritage site for the fifth- and sixth-century basilicas of Sant’Apollinare Nuovo and Sant’Apollinare in Classe, which together with the medieval church of San Vitale exhibit some of the most extraordinary mosaics in the world. My visit to Ravenna remains memorable since I arrived on August 15th or Ferragosto, a day when Italian cities are entrusted to the travelers while the Italians flock to the countryside, the mountains, or the seashore. It was a magical day. Empty of most of its inhabitants— with practically no traffic and certainly no buses or taxis—walking around this beautiful medieval city I felt transported