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Recipe Book

The Marches

Like many other regions, Marche’s geography has resulted in two principal different types of cuisine. Along its Adriatic coasts, fish of course, rules supreme, and is often to be found cooked as fish soup, brodetto, a dish which has as many variations as there are towns that cook it. Inland, you can find pork, rabbit and lamb, and the area’s truffles and cheeses are also excellent. Local pastas include vincisgrassi and passatelli, and the deep fried stuffed olives from Ascoli are a real treat.

Traditional dishes:

Olive all’Ascolana: Stuffed Fried Olives

Ingredients

  • 1 kg of large green olives in brine
  • 150 g ground pork meat
  • 75 g prosciutto crudo, finely chopped
  • 4 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 100 g breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp tomato sauce
  • 4 eggs
  • 50 g flour
  • Olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper

Instructions

  • Rinse the olives and remove the stone, trying not to break up the flesh.
  • Heat a drizzling of olive oil in a pan and brown the ground pork, stirring often to break it up and brown all over.
  • Season with salt and pepper.
  • Place pork in a bowl and mix with the chopped prosciutto, Parmesan, a grating of nutmeg, 1 tablespoon of breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce, salt, pepper and two of the eggs to help bind the mixture.
  • Mix well and use to stuff the olives.
  • Beat the two remaining eggs with a little salt and pepper.
  • Roll the stuffed olives in a little flour, then in the beaten egg, and finally in the remaining breadcrumbs.
  • Heat the olive oil in a deep frying pan and fry the olives until golden brown all over.
  • Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on kitchen paper.
  • Serve immediately, arranged in a pyramid shape on a pretty serving dish.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Brodetto: Fish Soup

This particular brodetto is from Le Marche, but there are as many different versions as there are towns.

Ingredients

  • 500 g cuttlefish
  • 1 ½ kg mixed fish (red mullet, sole, cod, monkfish, scorpion fish, scampi)
  • Olive oil, chopped
  • Small onion, finely chopped
  • Fish stock, hot
  • Few stands of saffron
  • Small glass of water
  • Small glass of white wine
  • 75 g flour
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 8 small slices toasted stale bread, lightly rubbed with garlic

Instructions

  • Clean and de-bone the cuttlefish and cut it into pieces.
  • Clean the other fish and cut into chunks.
  • Roll chunks of fish in the flour, shaking gently to remove excess, and place to the side.
  • Heat a good drizzling of olive oil in a large pan, and sweat the onion until it is transparent then toss in the chopped cuttlefish.
  • Cook for a few minutes over a low heat until cuttlefish begins to color, then pour in enough hot fish stock to cover, add the saffron, cover and leave to simmer away gently for about 5-10 minutes.
  • Remove cuttlefish from broth.
  • In a second large pan arrange the floured fish and the cuttlefish pieces in layers, being careful to ensure that the most tender fish are at the top.
  • Pour over the hot cuttlefish broth from the other pan, add the water and wine, season with salt and pepper and bring to a lively simmer.
  • Cook this way for 15 – 20 minutes then carry pan to the table to serve.
  • Place two small slices of toasted bread in each bowl, cover with a serving of fish and pour over the broth.
  • Eat immediately.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Passatelli di Urbino: Bread Pasta

Ingredients

  • 200 g spinach
  • 300 g beef fillet, diced
  • 75 g grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
  • 3 tbsp butter
  • 2 eggs, plus 2 yolks
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • 75 g breadcrumbs
  • 1 liter of meat broth

Instructions

  • Trim and rinse spinach and cook it without adding any extra liquid.
  • Once cooked, squeeze dry.
  • In a food processor, whiz together the spinach, beef, Parmesan, butter, eggs, abundant nutmeg and a good pinch of salt.
  • Stir in the breadcrumbs to form a thick paste.
  • Using a pasta machine if you have one, or rolling out by hand, create lots of very thick spaghetti shapes, and place on some oiled, greaseproof paper.
  • Bring the meat broth to the boil and cook the passatelli.
  • As soon as they float to the surface, they are ready.
  • Drain, and serve immediately with some grated Parmesan cheese.

Number of servings (yield): 4

Coniglio in Porchetta: Stuffed Rabbit

Ingredients

  • 1 large rabbit (with liver etc.)
  • Vinegar
  • Bunch wild fennel fronds
  • 50 g pancetta
  • 200 g ground veal or pork
  • 75 g salami
  • 100 g sausage meat
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 egg
  • 25 g lard
  • Extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • ½ glass of dry white wine, mixed with an equal quantity of water

Instructions

  • Wash the rabbit with a mix of water and vinegar.
  • Bring a large pan of water to the boil and blanche rabbit in it briefly, about 1 minute.
  • Drain and place rabbit on a clean tea towel to dry off.
  • Quickly blanch the fennel in the same water, and the rabbit liver also.
  • Pat dry.
  • Place the fennel, pancetta, ground veal, salami, sausage meat, and the garlic in a food processor and whiz together.
  • Place mixture in a bowl and work in the egg, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
  • Stuff the inside of the rabbit with the filling and secure with kitchen string.
  • Place in a large ovenproof dish, spread the upper side of the rabbit with the lard and season with salt and pepper.
  • Pour wine and water mix around rabbit.
  • Cook rabbit in an oven preheated to 360ºF for about 1 ½ hours or until meat is tender, adding a little white wine or water if necessary, to stop it drying out.
  • Before serving, remove string, cut rabbit into pieces and accompany with slices of stuffing.

Number of servings (yield): 4-6

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