Torta di tagliarini for The Second Duchess

As soon as I spotted The Second Duchess by Elizabeth Loupas and read on the back cover that it is set in Ferrara, I wanted to read it. My husband is a Ferrarese, and Ferrara's history is fascinating. This novel is set in Renaissance Italy and tells the story of Barbara of Austria, the second wife of Alfonso d'Este, Duke of Ferrara. Both he and his first wife Lucrezia de' Medici have been immortalised in Browning's poem My Last Duchess. The books has a riveting plot, and this was a part of the history of Ferrara I was unfamiliar with.
Barbara of Austria arrives to Ferrara as the eponymous second duchess with a great pomp. But her entry in town is marred by the undisguised threats of poison and the gossip about the first wife, who was said to be murdered by the Duke. Barbara might be plain looking, but she is intelligent and determined to find the truth. Murder, court intrigues and conspiracies - all the ingredients for those who love their doze of escapism, like I do.
There were also quite a few food references.
"...This tart is delicious, and like nothing I have ever tasted before".
"It is called a torta di tagliarini, for the sweet pasta in the filling". He smiled, "It was created for the wedding feast of my grandfather and his second wife, Lucrezia Borgia, in homage to the bride's magnificent golden hair..."

When Barbara visits the Abbess, she is served some wine and a slice of pampepato.
"She nodded, put a whole slice of cake into her mouth, and wiped her fingers daintily on a napkin. Abbess or not, clearly she did not practise austerities of the flesh".
Pampepato was mentioned several times through the novel.
"Music swirled softly through the room; the courtiers whispered and laughed. The servitors presented sweet wines and slices of pampepato, the dense cake rich with cinnamon, cloves, citron and pepper. It was the same sort of cake Mother Eleonora had offered me at the Monastero del Corpus Domini. I picked my piece into small bits; it seemed too highly spied, too cloying..." What Barabara forgets to mention that this is a chocolate cake, in fact this was the first chocolate cake in Europe, cooked in honour of the Pope (hence the name, which translates as the bread of the Pope).
I have a recipe for pampepato on my blog, if you are interested.
Barbara also reminisces about the rice pudding of her childhood:
"I was a child again, seven or eight years... My nurse was making the milchreis, rice pudding, my favourite supper. Thump-thump-thump went the wooden spoon in the pan as she stirred it and stirred it. Each stroke made a thick wet swishing sound. Milk and rice and eggs and sugar, and then the reddish-brown dusting of cinnamon..."

I was tempted to cook milchreis, and I might still do one day, but what I really fancied was to cook a torta di tagliarini. I have seen this cake in the Italian pastry shops, sold as individual-sized cakes.
For the original authentic recipe you need to make your own pasta and pastry.
My version is very much simplified. I used a ready-made block of pastry and fresh pasta.

Torta di tagliarini
Ingredients:
1 block of dessert pastry (not the whole amount, about 350g)
2 medium eggs
100g caster sugar
100g ground almonds
3 tbsp cocoa
50g melted butter
150g candied orange and lemon peel, cubed
1 tub of Milkybar dessert (70g) or 70ml double cream
80g fresh pasta

Roll the block of pastry with a rolling pin to 5mm thickness on the parchment paper and move over to the spring cake tin. It will be the base of your cake. Even the surface with the fingers.
In a medium bowl beat the eggs with the sugar, add the almonds, cocoa and melted butter, and mix well. Add the chopped orange and lemon peel and 1 tub of Milkybar. It was supposed to be the double cream, but I forgot to buy it, and the only possible candidate for a replacement that I could find in the fridge was the Milkybar dessert.
Put 2/3 of fresh pasta like tagliarini or tagliatelli at the bottom of your cake, pour the cocoa and fruit mixture over the pasta. Place the remaining pasta on top and slightly flatten, it should not all be immersed in the cocoa mix, as you want the crunchy texture on top once the cake is cooked.

steps: 1. place the pasta at the bottom; 2. pasta over the cocoa mix

Place a buttered parchment paper circle on top of the cake, and bake for 30+ minutes at 190C.

Serve warm, with or without cream. A cup of coffee wouldn't go amiss.

This cake has an interesting history and an intriguing texture, from the crunchy pasta on top to the creamy almond and cocoa filling.

I know I am abysmally or fashionably late with ReadCookEat linky for May, so I will run it until the end of June.

Have you read a book recently which inspired you to run to the kitchen and cook to your heart's content?

Are you an avid reader who enjoys food references in fiction? Would you like to recreate a meal, inspired by a book you've just finished and join in our #ReadCookEat challenge.

The idea is to choose a book, either a world classic or modern fiction, or even memoirs and pick up a dish mentioned or described in that book and then recreate it in a recipe. Please say a few lines about your chosen book, and maybe even do a quote from the book.

If you decide to take part, please add the badge to your post and link up back to Chris and me, and either use a link-up tool or add the url of your post as a comment. Alternatively, email me with the link to your post (my email is sasha1703 at yahoo dot com).

I will Pin all blogs posts taking part in this challenge, as well as RT and Google+

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Christmas lunch in Ferrara

Have you ever wondered what the Italians eat for Christmas? There is no universal menu throughout the country, as of course the Italian cuisine is very regional. And even in one region there might be differences in what is cooked and how. A few years ago when Taste Italia run an article on the food of Emilia Romagna, and featured Ferrara, I read it and asked my husband "How come I never tried any eel dishes in Ferrara? This article says it is a typical dish in your town". He was quite aghast and said that the eels are eaten in Comacchio, which is the southern part of the province. And being a townie, he obviously doesn't eat it.

As you know, we spent the last Christmas in Ferrara, and my mother-in-law was preparing our Christmas meal. I asked her if she wouldn't mind me taking some photos during the lunch.



So, the typical Ferrarese Christmas lunch is quite set. There are a few deviations, but you can bet that the first course would be Pasta in brodo, either meat-filled tortellini or cappelletti.
The brodo or broth is cooked for several hours the day before. It is a whole ceremony. At certain intervals different cuts of different meats are added to the broth, with vegetables and herbs. It is simmering for hours on the stove, and the aroma is simply fantastic.
I remember when my husband's Nonna was still aive, she was in charge of cooking the broth.
The Ferrarese appreciate the intricacies of making the proper broth for Christmas, none of that shop-bought nonsense, or heaven forbid, a broth from a stock cube or powder (they use the stock cubes, of course, but for casual meals).
While my mother-in-law doesn't make her own pasta, she buys it from the small local shops which sell homemade pasta of all sorts.

Tortellini in brodo

The meat from the broth is later served with the other meat dishes. The cold cuts are very tasty with the Italian mostarda di frutta, which could be either whole candied pieces of fruit in transparent mustard syrup, or a jam-style variety of fruit puree mixed with mustard.
This year we tried a fig mostarda, and it was delicious. The platter with cold cuts also had a dish of rolled chicken meat stuffed with chard.

Most Ferrarese (those who are meat-eaters) would also serve a salama da sugo. This pork sausage is the speciality of Ferrara. Its recipe goes back to the Renaissance times, when Ferrara was a mighty dukedom, ruled by the House of Este. It is made with a mix of pork neck and pancetta, lard, liver and tongue, all ground and seasoned with salt, pepper, red wine and spices (cloves and cinnamon). The meat of the olden days was heavily spiced to keep the whiff away. Then the mix is stuffed inside the pork casing and left to age for up to nine months.
And again, I remember how my husband's Nonna would cook it the traditional way, i.e. on a contraption of wooden spoons over a pot of boiling water. The sausage should not touch the water, and is cooked by the steam.
This spicy, strongly-flavoured meat is served with the mashed potatoes.
Being married to a Ferrarese, I had a chance to try this local delicacy quite a few times. Let me tell you, it is an acquired taste, and has been wasted on me. I can only manage a teeny-weeny piece. You probably need to learn to love it with the milk of your mother.

It is also often eaten with mashed pumpkins and coppia, the bread from Ferrara.

coppia

Another dish often served at Christmas and new year's eve is a plate of lentils, as it is supposed to bring good luck and money.

There were more side dishes of vegetables and greens, like rocket leaves.
The whole dish couldn't be further away from the British turkey/ham/beef with roast potatoes, carrots, brussels sprouts etc etc.

We finished the meal with a chocolate cake tenerina. This rich, decadent cake is made from dark chocolate. It has only a tiny amount of flour. The centre is very soft and moist. This is a delightful cake.

tenerina

There was also a choice of a panettone and a pandoro, and a selection of fresh fruit and nuts.

Our only contribution to the Christmas lunch was a box of crackers which on Eddie's request we brought with us from the UK. Eddie was the only one who appreciated the jokes inside the crackers.

If you've done posts about your Christmas meals, whether you cooked it yourself or like me, were a guest, please share with me. I'd be delighted to read what you had for Christmas lunch/dinner.
This is a one-off linky which will end on 31 January 2015. There is no badge and no request to link back to me, I'm just curious to read what you enjoyed for Christmas.

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One latte, two lattes, three... who counts anyway?!

I can see why the Italians worship their coffee, as it's simply marvellous. As customary, they prefer a very strong mini-cup of espresso, which is black and thick, and tastes almost like fuel. In a way, it is a fuel which keeps them going through the day.
Last week, when I happened to pop in the local cafe with my mother in law, she was chatting to the cafe owner Franca, who insisted on offering us a cup of coffee. Franca served us with two small cups of espresso and a bowl of sugar packets. No milk, milk is for wimps. I didn't want to offend an old lady, and drank it neat. Oh boy, it was so strong, my head almost exploded.
I could have danced through the night with all that energy. "I could have danced all night..."
But that was the only day when I had a neat espresso, most of the week I treated myself to cup of caffe latte.
We love a couple of cafes in the town centre, and would visit them mid-morning for a quick cuppa and some pastries.

Eddie basked in all the attention pretty Italian waitresses showered on him, he would cheerfully chirp "Ciao" when they called him tesoro or carino.

Sasha, on the other hand, was pretty annoyed with the Italian language. When you world is confusing as it is, to be among the people whose language is so different and incomprehensible to him, triggered his anxiety even more. He would retreat to the familiarity of the iphone and look at the photos of home and familiar objects.

Me, I was content, as long as Sasha was quiet.

Eddie and I in Centro Storico, Ferrara

The local baristas in our home town have mastered the art of making coffee, but still the Italian caffe latte is on a different level of quality and taste.

Latte at Leon d'Oro, the best in the Universe

And the pastries are to die for as well. The choice is amazing. The cakes would tempt a saint, and I am certainly not a saint.
I swear my waist expanded from just looking at all those wonderful cakes and bakes.

Cakes at Centro Storico

Actually we only looked at the cakes, as there were cakes aplenty at home. I only sighed at the sight of Sacher Torte, which is probably my top favourite cake of all times. I don't know if the Italians do a proper version of this Austrian decadent treat, as I never found out.

Cakes at Centro Storico

I have already sang songs of praise to Leon d'Oro in the past. It used to be Sasha's favourite cafe in town. As I said before, it occupies the most enviable position in town, just opposite the Cathedral. If I was doing a latte-o-meter of all the lattes I had in my life, Leon d'Oro's would be no.1.

Leon d'Oro

And the pastries are delightful. Brioches of all sizes, filled in with custard-style cream, chocolate or my favourite hazelnut cream - nocciola, call to you "Eat me!" And how could you resist?!

Centro Storico is not very far from the Cathedral as well, in the very centre, as the name suggests. Decent coffee and pastries are a welcome treat, when you are sight-seeing or shopping.

I absolutely love the way the Italians serve caffe latte. They bring you a glass or cup of hot frothy milk and a small jug with hot espresso, which you add to milk - as much or as little as you like, and that is how it should be.

My only criticism regarding the prices is that a glass of milk costs the same as a cup of caffe latte or a cappuccino. Eddie wanted to have a glass of milk with his muffin or pastry, and honestly, does it take the same effort to pour a glass of cold milk as it is to make a cup of coffee? I don't think so.
If you are visiting Ferrara, don't forget to have a latte in Leon d'Oro or Centro Storico, and have a pastry or two. That's la dolce vita.

Have you been out and about this month? If you have a review of eating out or visiting a place of interest, please come and join in Out & About linky hosted by Alison from Dragons and Fairy Dust and me.

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Christmas in Ferrara

It's been five days since we came back from Italy, where we spent a week. Ferrara is a gem of a town in any season, and at Christmas time it is extra magical. In the last few years we travelled to Italy mostly at Easter time, but it was the first time for my younger son to visit Italy in winter holidays, and he absolutely loved it.

Christmas tree by Il Duomo

He keeps telling me how much he misses his Nonna and Nonno, and that he wants to go back to Italy. Alas, it was a very stressed trip, with our older son feeling frustrated and miserable. It might be my last trip to Italy for a very long time.

Eddie truly had a whale of a time, being spoilt rotten by his grandparents, visiting cafes, book shops, toy shops, play centres and markets. He loved the hustle and bustle of the town centre, admired the Christmas decorations and ate a truck-ful of delicious Italian biscotti.

I took him to the Cathedral (Il Duomo) before Christmas, and he was in awe, saying that it was much bigger than St Mary's church in our home town.

We peeped in the crib, which was still empty. My husband took Eddie to the day service on Christmas, while Sasha and I stayed at home. It so happened that we did most of the activities, having split in pairs, as Sasha was calmer when it was one-to-one outing rather than a family group.

My camera sadly has been on its last legs, so I didn't take as many photos as I wanted. Christmas lights, twinkling in the twilight, added a touch of magic to this old Renaissance town.

The market stalls in the centre were opened all week, even when all the shops were closed. None of that Boxing day's shopping madness in Italy, this is a Catholic country, and they take Christmas seriously. Even on the 27th a lot of shops were still closed, or open for just a few hours. Not that I missed any shopping frenzy back in England, I truly detest the Boxing day's agressive shopping.

I loved the sight of the tasty offerings, like spicy chocolate cakes Pampepato, tons of sweets, truckfuls of cheese and salami, huge trays with olives, mini-mounds of arancini, which made me think of sex on legs, better known as Inspector Montalbano.

Eddie and I were admiring mini-figurines for presepe (crib) which you could build at home. There were so many wonderful mini-dwellings, sheds, fountains with running water, windmills, bakeries and of course lot of people and animals.

These Christmas tree ornaments made me chuckle, I should have bought one, but I was worried it wouldn't arrive in one piece in a suitcase.

Eddie was in his element, and he was super excited to discover that his favourite Ninja Turtles are popular in Italy. He insisted on buying a book of puzzles with the money Nonna gave to him, when we visited a bookshop.

Toy shop was a favourite port of call, but I resisted buying anything there.

We watched with fascination, how the spinning machine spun cotton candy. It was the first time Eddie tried it, and he loved it. We couldn't finish it though, it was enormous.

Window displays made me smile, all the festive clothes were black. Incidentally, my Christmas outfit was also black, so I shouldn't really reprimand the Italian shops for the lack of colour.

Black angel

The city centre was one open stage with the most amazing architecture creating a marvellous background for Christmas festivities.

Merry-go-round

Good bye, Ferrara, I don't know when I will see you again...