#cugna

Receta de Crostata de cugna

Receta de Crostata de cugna

Publicado por Escuela de Cocina y Pasteleria Terra de Escudella

el 21 de marzo de 2019 Requiere 30 min, para cuatro personas.

Ingredientes · ½ kg de harina floja · 200 gr de mantequilla · 4 yemas de huevo · 1 c.s.de azúcar avainillado · Ralladura de ½ limón · Confitura al gusto Elaboracion Tamizamos la harina con el azúcar avainillado, añadimos el…

Receta de Crostata de cugna

Receta de Crostata de cugna

Publicado por Escuela de Cocina y Pasteleria Terra de Escudella

el 21 de marzo de 2019 Requiere 30 min, para cuatro personas.

Ingredientes · ½ kg de harina floja · 200 gr de mantequilla · 4 yemas de huevo · 1 c.s.de azúcar avainillado · Ralladura de ½ limón · Confitura al gusto Elaboracion Tamizamos la harina con el azúcar avainillado, añadimos el…

two piemontese recipes from our time in the mountains. one, "cugna," which is time and flavor intensive and the other, chestnut fritters, which are simple, quick and heavenly.

Cugna di Piemonte

cugna,' as claudia explained to us, was originally invented by piemontese farmers to use up fall fruit, and goes especially well with bolito (boiled meats), fresh cheeses and polenta. i called it jam on steroids when we had the variety made by her neighbor spread on some fresh bread. unfortunately it requires that you have something like a cauldron because all that bulk boils down to something incredibly intense, and the fruits are worth the labor. i intend to make the paired down version (with grapes instead of must) sometime this spring.

3 kilos of peaches, plums or apricots of any variety

2 kilos of pears

1.5 kilos of figs

2 kilos of hazelnuts, toasted

3.5 kilos of sugar

1.5 kilos of grape must (left over after pressing wine), preferrably dolcetto (a variety from these parts) ideally 20 days fermented. *if you dont happen to have grape must lying around after your vendemmia, you can feel free to use 3 kilos of pureed black grapes.

Wash, dry and pit the fruit. cut it into little pieces and put it in large pot with the must. bring it to a slow bubble and let it cook for 3-4 hours. mix every so often. add sugar and let it cook down a bit more. toast the hazelnuts, add them to the mix. take off the fire and let cool. pour into jars (sterilized for 20 minutes in boiling water) and let cool some more and then seal.

frittelle di castagna

this is a perfect example of how claudia managed to make something from nothing. using the timeless rule that flour plus egg plus a lot of fat will probably create something palatable if not delicious, she whipped up these fritters made from chestnut flour (a very piemontese ingredient) for dessert after an already abundant dinner. i dont care if i never make a reduction or a foam in my life, if i can combine left overs and odd bits of pantry items into dishes that make my guests drool, i'll consider myself a cook.

250 g. chestnut  flour

2 eggs

"milk as much as necessary until the mixture becomes like that of crepes" (that was a direct translation of claudia's precise measurements)

an inch of corn oil, heated but not boiling in a pan

a half cup of raisins, soaked for an hour or so in enough grappa to cover them

a half cup of chestnut (or any kind of) honey

take a spoon full of the floureggmilk mixture and drop it into the oil, it should bob and float while crisping along the edges. you can do a few at once depending on the pan size.  turn the fritters once when the top becomes brown and then using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. drain the grappa from the raisins (into your mouth) and mix them with the chestnut honey in a small bowl. when the fritters have sat for a few minutes on the towel, transfer to a platter and dob each one with a spoonful of honey/raisin mixture.