“Primi” First courses
Tuscany’s traditional cuisine is known for its hearty and filling dishes, consisting of pasta, rice, soup, or polenta, traditionally served before the main meat or fish dishes. The most famous pasta dish from Tuscany is pappardelle alla lepre (noodles with a hare sauce), but Tuscany is also known for its soups.
The most popular is ribollita, a hearty mix of vegetables, beans, cabbage, and bread, which is so thick it’s more like a casserole than a soup. Another popular vegetable-based soup is minestrone. Pappa al pomodoro is a rich tomato soup thickened with bread and seasoned with basil. Acquacotta, an onion, celery, and mushroom soup, is served over toasted bread with whisked egg. Bean soup (zuppa di fagioli) and onion soup (carabaccia) are also favorites. Along the coast, every restaurant has its own version of cacciucco, a fish soup similar to French bouillabaisse. If pasta is your preference, most Italian staples are usually available.
Try experimenting with local specialties like pici (handmade pasta found around Siena), or tortelli (ricotta and spinach-stuffed pasta from the Maremma) instead of sticking to the more traditional meat and tomato sauces (pasta al sugo or al pomodoro).
PASTA AL FUMO (Smoked Pasta)
Recipe invented in Cortona
Preparation time: 15 minutes
The true story of the recipe of Pasta al Fumo (Smoking pasta)
Adriana Biagianti Accordi, a Cortonese citizen, invented this sauce while working at the famous restaurant Tonino’s. She was inspired by a mysterious dish she encountered on a catering trip in the north of Italy. Adriana experimented with the dish and eventually developed the popular recipe for “Pasta al Fumo”. This dish has since become a cult favorite in the Cortona area and has spread to many restaurants across Italy. It remains a top dish at Tonino’s Restaurant today.
Ingredients x 6 person
- 200 grams of smoked bacon
- 100 grams of tomato purèe
- 2 cloves of garlic and
- One twig of rosemary
- 3 hot red peppers
- 50 grams of extra virgin oil
- 100 grams of cooking cream
- One small glass of Vodka
- types of pasta: spaghetti n. 5 | penne | Fresh Pici
Process
- Heat a small amount of oil in a pan, add the garlic, rosemary and hot peppers, Let it brown.
- Chop the bacon with a mincer and cook over high heat
- Pour the glass of Vodk.
- dd the tomato purèe and the cooking cream. Cook for other 10 minutes.
- oil the pasta you have choose in salted water, drain and add it in to the pan with sauce. Mix thoroughly and slowly, Enjoy your Smokey Pasta! taratarà.
Picture courtesy of the Fufluns restaurant.
