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A
taste of Autumn luxury
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| The
best of Reggio Emilia's seasonal ingredients for
two elegant dishes that will have you coming back
for more |
 Reggio
Emilia paid homage to its traditional balsamic
vinegar in the recent "Balsamic
days" (Giorni balsamici) festival. The
town's acetaie - vinegar factories
- opened their doors to the public letting them
in on an age-old and evocative tradition. On show
were all the town's most famous titbits - cured
meats, erbazzone
(spinach pie),and, it being Autumn, we can't forget
our friend the truffle.
Here are two elegant and moreish dishes that make
the most of these Autumn ingredients.
Baked apples with ham and balsamic vinegar
Ingredients (serves 8):
300 gr cooked ham
4 rennet apples
8 shallots
sage
parsley
butter
balsamic vinegar
Peel and core the apples, then cut them in half
horizontally to make 8 "cups". Melt the butter and
brush over the apples. Put apples in an ovenproof
dish and bake at 200°C for 30 minutes. Remove from
the oven and sprinkle a spoonful of balsamic vinegar
over them. Dice the ham, chop the scallions and
sage and cook gently in some butter. Add the 'juice'
left by the baked apples, stir and spoon over the
apples. Garnish with some finely chopped parsley
and serve as a light starter with a dry white wine
such as Colli
di Rimini Biancame.
 Veal
and truffle pie
Ingredients (serves 4):
Pastry
350 gr white flour
50 gr butter
3 egg yolks
oil
1 egg (beaten)
a pinch of salt
flour and butter (for dusting and greasing)
Filling
1.1 kg boned loin of veal
1 stick of celery
1 carrot
1 onion
bay leaves
sage
rosemary
1 white truffle
100 gr sliced Emmental corn flour
dry white wine
olive oilsalt
pepper
Béchamel sauce
350 ml milk
100 gr leeks
35 gr flour
35 gr butter
parsley
salt
Sieve the four and make a well in the centre. Add
the yolks, butter, salt and approx. 100 ml of cold
water. Work into a dough as quickly as possible,
then leave aside in the fridge for 30 minutes. Draw
up the sides of the meat and tie firmly with string.
Heat some oil in a pan and brown meat on all sides.
Remove and place in an ovenproof dish with the chopped
vegetables. Add 2 bay leaves, some sage, rosemary
and then season. Drizzle oil over the top and cook
for 60 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C, adding
the wine after approx. 30 minutes. Make a béchamel
sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan, adding
the flour then gradually pouring in the milk, stirring
all the time in order to keep the mixture smooth.
Cook with some baked leek to flavour. Roll out the
pastry as thinly as possible on a floured surface
and cut into two pieces. Line a greased tin with
one piece of pastry. Layer the sliced meat, béchamel,
sliced truffle and Emmental finishing with the white
sauce. Cover with remaining pastry and brush with
beaten egg. Bake for 30 minutes at 200°C. While
the pie is cooking make a gravy from the meat juices
and corn flour. Serve with a bottle of Gutturnio
dei Colli Piacentini.
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| by
MARIA LINARDI |
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Nov.
27th, 2001
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THE SURVIVOR'S 
