The White Night of Bientina (Notte Bianca)

The "White Night" is an occasion for the shops to be opened all night. This event comes once a year, in June. The purpose of this event is to show and sell the products, it's like an incentive for the people to buy, seeing the dramatic situation that we are living in our country at the moment. In my town, Bientina, this occasion presents a different theme every year: 


               Two years ago the theme was Hawaiian,

last year the theme was Western, 

instead this year the theme was Ancient Rome.

 

This occasion isn't only celebrated in the city center, but along every street of the town. Seeing that it's a themed night, everybody takes part in the theme dressing up. The buildings are decorated with lights, music and various decorations, in this way the occasion takes colour! Everybody is welcome to participate to buy products and taste the traditional foods of Tuscany that every shop has to offer on their stands outside every shop. It really feels as if travelling back in time and to live the ancient civilization. The nice thing about it is that every year it's a surprise for everybody, because the theme is announced a few days before, so that the shopkeepers and the citizens can prepare themselves in time. You never know what to expect until that day.

 Benedetta Perotti

Chocolate salami

CHOCOLATE SALAMI

Ingredients for 4 people:
- 100gr of butter
- 150gr of sugar
- one egg
- 60gr of cocoa powder
- 300gr of biscuits (for example "Oro Saiwa") 
-2 spoons of milk

At the first we break the biscuits and we loosen the butter on the flame.
When we are finished we can mix the biscuits and the butter with the other ingredients.
When we have all the ingredients all together we put the mix of ingredients in the foil paper.
We have to make an oval shape with the foil paper because it is the same shape of a salami.
Finally we put the cake in the freezer for 1 hour and it is ready!!

Agnolini alla Parmigiana

Agnolini alla parmigiana!

I chose this dish because I come from Albany and when I came here for the first time this was the first dish I ate and it impressed me! It’s very tasty and light, that’s why I like it!

Ingredients for 4 people :

For the dough:

400 g of white flour                                                                                          

4 eggs

For the filling:

400 g of beef

50 g of grated Parmesan cheese

50 g of breadcrumbs

50 g butter

50 g of bacon

2 eggs

1/2 l of broth

1 glass of red wine

1 onion

1 carrot

1 stalk of celery

olive oil

garlic

tomato sauce

cloves

Preparation and cooking:

1 hour (plus the time for the dough).

The goodness of this recipe is all in the stew that once the housewives stewed for three whole days in a special clay dish placed in a corner of the kitchen. The cooks of today do not ask the impossible, but simply a good stew.

Put the meat, after you have garnished it with bacon and garlic to brown for ten minutes in a pan with butter and chopped onion. When it has taken a beautiful color, moisten it with the wine, allowing it to quickly evaporate and then cover with the warmed broth. Put the lid over the pan and start cooking it slowly (7-8 hours). When the broth is reduced to a quite thick sauce, remove the meat (which can be served as an accompanying dish). Stir in some tomato sauce, breadcrumbs and grated cheese stirring at a good pace to get a homogeneous mixture. The final consistency should be such that the preparation for the filling can be worked easily with your fingers. Adjust the density of the broth by increasing the quantity of breadcrumbs and cheese if necessary.

Knead the flour and eggs as usual and roll the dough to obtain a thin layer. Place on it the balls of filling. Cut with a special notched stencil the circles of dough around each mound of filling. Close them on themselves by squeezing the dough around the individual balls of filling. As agnolini are ready, order them on a floured surface and then cover them with a slightly moistened cloth.

Boil the agnolini in plenty of beef broth and serve with grated Parmesan. Well-drained, this type of stuffed pasta also lends itself to be served dry.

A variation of this recipe comes from the tradition of Piacenza. The suggestion is to add to the filling of the meat sauce, finely chopped, two whole eggs and a couple of handfuls of grated parmesan then let the dough rest for at least ten hours.  Agnolini, always cooked in beef broth, can also be served dry seasoned with the filling ingredients, mushrooms or meat sauce, for example.

Recommended wine

For a dish like this, all based on the taste of the stew, you need a full-bodied red wine like a great Barbera Colli Bolognesi Doc.

 

Balla Algerta.

POLPETTE DI CARNE Giulia Campinotti

The meatballs are a classic recipe and simple to make.   The meatballs are a second dish really delicious and enjoyed by all, especially by children.

INGREDIENTS FOR 35 DUMPLINGS

Meat : 500 g

Garlic : a clove

Parmesan cheese : 50 g

Eggs : 2

Bread : 100 g

Oil, salt , ginger , parsley

Provola cheese: 50 g

 PREPARATION

To make the meatballs start preparing the ingredients. First you take the bread, remove the crust (1), cut into small cubes and chop finely with the help of a mixer (2). Wash and clean the parsley, then chop it with a knife or a crescent (3).

Chop up a clove of garlic (4) and cut the Provola cheese into cubes (5). In a large bowl place the minced meat and then add the chopped parsley (6),

chopped garlic, Provola cheese (7), beaten eggs (8) and parmesan (9).

Stir the mixture well with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed (10). Finally incorporate the breadcrumbs too (11), then add salt and pepper. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap, place in the refrigerator and let it rest for about half an hour (12).

Form the meatballs by hand (13). Fry the meatballs in hot oil, until golden brown (14). At this point, drain well on paper towels (15). Serve the meatballs together with a fresh salad or mashed potatoes.

Spaghetti allo Scoglio

SPAGHETTI AND SEAFOOD

To prepare the Spaghetti with seafood we need many ingredients and different kinds of shellfish. This dish is rich in seafood and it's really tasty. 

4 servings

Ingredients:

250grams squid cut into pieces

350grams prawns

300grams octopus, cut into cubes

300grams mussels

250grams cherry tomatoes

300grams clams

1 glass white wine

extra virgin olive oil

hot pepper

chopped parsley

garlic

Take a large frying pan and stir fry the garlic and the hot chili pepper with some olive oil on a slow fire.

Drain the clams you have left ​​at least one night in a bowl filled with water and salt to remove any grit, and add them into the pan. 

Cook for a few minutes adding a glass of white wine.

As soon as the clams are open, add the mussels and cook for a few minutes before adding the squid and prawns too.

Keep over a low heat and stir occasionally. In a pressure cooker filled with water, boil the octopus for 40 minutes and then cut it into small cubes and add it to the rest of the fish in the pan.

Now cut the tomatoes in half and place them into the pan and mix everything thoroughly in order to cook everything well.

Meanwhile cook the spaghetti and when they are cooked, drain them and add them to the prepared fish, sauté for a few seconds and sprinkle with some parsley. Serve hot. 

Samanta Recce

My favorite dish

Pasta carbonara

Ingredients for 4 people:

-350 gr. of pasta

-150 gr. of bacon 

-100 gr. of cheese

-4 egg yolks + 1 whole

My favorite dish is pasta carbonara. I like it because is the best thing that my mother knows how to cook. For the preparation you must use eggs, cheese and diced bacon. The eggs are beaten in a bowl. Then the eggs are mixed with the cheese. After, the bacon is cooked in a pan, until it becomes crispy. When the bacon is ready, it is put in the bowl with eggs and cheese and it is mixed together. When the mixture is ready, you can add it to the pasta. The preparation takes just 15 minutes. 

In my opinion it is the best dish because it is really good and easy to cook. 

SPAGHETTI ALLA CARBONARA

IT SERVES 4 PEOPLE

 INGREDIENTS:

 - 360 g of spaghetti

-  4 eggs

- 150 g of bacon

- 50 g of parmesan cheese

- salt

- pepper

- olive oil

PREPARATION: 

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.

In a frying pan, brown the bacon cut into cubes.

Cook the spaghetti "al dente", drain them, and place them in a pan with the bacon. 

Pour the hot cream of eggs and parmesan on the spaghetti.

Stir well and serve with lots of freshly-ground pepper.

I chose this recipe because I love spaghetti and this is my favourite dish !

                                         Mattia Bini 3at