Molise Packs a Flavor Punch

Molise is in the southern part of Italy. It is the youngest region in Italy having been split off from the region of Abruzzi e Molise in 1963. The split however did not become official until 1970 creating the second smallest region of Italy following Val D’Aosta in the far north. Molise is bordered by Abruzzo to the north, Puglia to the east, Lazio to the west, Campania to the south. To the northeast one finds 22 miles of pristine coastline that looks out onto the Adriatic Sea. Nearly 55% of the region is covered by mountains. The remaining terrain is rolling hills that flow down to the seashore.

The region is home to two ethnic minorities who still speak local dialects, one being an old dialect of the Croatian language, and the second known as Aberesche, which is a dialect of the Albanian language. Italian is the official language, so the people naturally speak both their own dialect as well as Italian.

The area was formerly ruled by Sicily and the cuisine was strongly influenced by the Sicilian culture. A second big influence of the cuisine is the neighboring region of Abruzzo, although there are some differences in the dishes comprised of the fresh local ingredients used. Like Puglia a history of poverty created an emphasis on the creation of simple dishes often found in the local cuisine. Many families migrated annually to move their grazing livestock to fresh grasslands. For this reason, traditionally the food needed to be quick and easy to prepare. The cuisine is dominated using aromatic herbs and vegetables that grow in the region. Not unlike Puglia eating meat was considered a sign of affluence. Most of the population only serve meat dishes for special occasions. Characteristic foods include a variety spicy salami, locally produced cheeses, meats that are normally lamb, goat or rabbit and pasta or polenta dishes served with heavy sauces and vegetables.

Pork is used in Molise cuisine to produce sausages and preserved meats. Ventricina is local pork sausage flavored with fennel and spicy hot dried chilis known as pepperoncino. Sopressata and other salamis are cured and the stored in terracotta pots filled with the local olive oil to preserve them. Frequently the sausages are served alongside polenta or served as part of an antipasto plate.

Cheeses eaten in Molise are much like those one would find in Puglia or Abruzzo. The chesses are mostly made from sheep’s milk. Well known cheeses of the region include Caciocavallo Silano, Provolone, Pecorino and Scamorza. Unlike other regions of Italy cheese and seafood is often combined in traditional dishes like the famous stuffed mussels filled with a combination of cheese and breadcrumbs then either broiled or finished by baking them in a tomato sauce.

The seaports of Molise provide a variety of fresh seafood which includes anchovies, shellfish and sea snails. We also find baccalà, a cod fish that is salt cured and dried. It is often used in the preparation of Baccalà alla cantalupese. The fish is seasoned with grapes, peppers, capers and garlic. One of my favorite plates is Pasta Diavolillo. The sauce is made with hot chili pepper, olive oil or tomato sauce. Seafood such as shrimp or mussels are added to make is a special treat.

The people of Molise still traditionally make their pasta by hand. Although there are many varieties Cavatelli, a pasta made from semolina flour and water, is most frequently used. It is normally served with mushrooms, broccoli or a hearty meat sauce.

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Recipe Cavatelli with Broccoli

Ingredients

• 500 grams cavatelli

• 3 cups broccoli divided into small florets

• 1.5 cups chicken broth

• 3 cloves garlic minced

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• .5 cup Pecorino Romano cheese freshly grated

• 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 pinch salt

• 1 pinch pepper

Instructions

In a saucepan, heat the extra virgin olive oil over a moderate heat.

Once the oil is hot enough, immediately add the minced garlic. Cook and stir until golden.

Add the broccoli, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the chicken broth and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes or until broccoli florets are cooked. Set aside.

In a pasta pot, boil salted water and cook the cavatelli. If you're cooking fresh pasta, they should be done in 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of the pasta. If you're using dried cavatelli, they may take up to 15 minutes to cook.

Drain pasta and add them to the saucepan. Toss with the sauce and add grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Toss off the heat for about a minute. Add pasta water and continue to toss the pasta to thin sauce as needed.

Garnish with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and serve.

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Molise cooking often features polenta. Cornmeal is cooked into a mush to create the polenta. It is cooled then sliced and fried with garlic. The fried slices are the layered with ingredients like peppers or beans, topped with tomato sauce and baked. A second type

of polenta is made with a combination of potato and wheat. It is called P’lenta d’iragn. White in color it is normally served on top of a bed of tomato sauce. Polenta is also used to make a flatbread, pizza con le foglie, or pizza of the leaves. It is named so because it is topped with wild greens when served. The leftover pizza is crumbled and added to pork broth to make a soup called pizza e minestra. Like most Italian kitchens, nothing goes to waste.

Molise desserts often feature olive oil which produces a unique flavor profile. Picatelli, a pastry filled with honey, grapes and nuts is one example. Corn flour is also used to make some desserts. Panettoncino is a springy chocolate cake that uses polenta as its base. It looks very similar to the panettone cakes we see here around the holidays, but the flavor and texture are slightly different due to the use of the corn flour.

I hope you enjoyed my post. Try the recipe for the cavatelli with broccoli. It is both healthy and delicious.

I will be in touch again next week.

Until then, alla prossima!

Buon cibo e buon appetito a tutti!!

Chef John