Tag: Brescia

Brescia, between history and good food – Italian Cuisine

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After long restorations, the Winged Victory, extraordinary bronze statue of the first century AD. And the Lioness of Italy (as Carducci called her) takes the opportunity to exhibit her treasures. Not everyone knows, in fact, but Brescia is a treasure trove of art and history: Roman vestiges and Lombard monasteries, Renaissance squares and Venetian-style architecture, prestigious museum collections (such as that of the Pinacoteca Tosio Martinengo with the Raphael, Moretto, Canova and Hayez families) and even murals. Past and future coexist between the Castle that dominates the city and the former industrial structures ready to host the design or installations of SubBrixia (the project that is bringing art to metro stations). But let's go in order.

183259History and culture
The good salons of Brescia are Piazza della Loggia, which houses some of the most beautiful buildings in the city: the Loggia, of course, with its three arches and the hull-shaped dome, the Clock tower, famous for the Màcc de le Ure (the madmen of the hours), the two bronze statues that strike the bell every hour, and the pawnshop. A few steps and here is the medieval one Piazza del Duomo or Paul VI overlooked by the two cathedrals: the old cathedral, one of the most significant examples of Romanesque style and the new one with its record-breaking dome (it is the third in Italy after San Pietro and Santa Maria del Fiore). Last in chronological order, Victory Square, a metaphysical space where the inspiration of the architect Piacentini enjoyed, almost a century ago, building palaces, skyscrapers and towers in the name of the purest Rationalism. In a few minutes there is the archaeological park, ready to tell the centuries of Roman Brixia with the Forum, the imposing Capitolium (temple dedicated by Emperor Vespasian to Jupiter, Juno and Minerva) and the great Theater. A cloister, then a second, a third and here are the majestic spaces of Santa Giulia, the great monastery that testifies to the Lombard period of the city. Unesco World Heritage, today its churches, rooms and nuns' cells are occupied by art collections that tell the story of the city and its territory, from prehistoric times to the period of the Lords until the domination of the Serenissima.

183261Food of great tradition
Brescia, however, is also told through its food. The Brescia cuisine is a specialty, full of exclusive local products protected by DOP, IGP and DOCG. Furthermore, together with other Lombard capitals, the city adheres to East Lombardy, a brand that represents restaurateurs and producers who have made sustainability, biodiversity and quality a choice of life. At the table there will be casoncelli, among the tastiest examples of the great Italian tradition of stuffed pasta. They can be lean or fat: "the filling of ours", assure, for example, the centenary Pastificio Franzoni, "it is strictly braised meat!" But cheeses are also part of the golden register of city gastronomy: Brescia, in fact, is located at the confluence of three valleys (Valle Sabbia, Val Camonica and Val Trompia) from where the Bagòss, the Valtrompia Dop, the Silter. Without forgetting the goat cheeses, dal Fatulì to the Barbatass ("Strange first name", explains Cristina Peroni of the Val Persane farm, "due to the fact that it matures with noble molds that resemble badger fur"). And the desserts? The most traditional is, without a doubt, the Bossolà, a pumpkin-shaped cake with flour, sugar, milk and eggs, which became famous in the rest of Italy because the famous Brescia Iginio Massari he has been offering it for years in his pastry shop.

183258Travel notebook
Trattoria Porteri
IN THE LOCAL ALSO CUNSÌ (PEPPERS AND CHEESE), MALFATTI AL BAGÒSS, BEEF WITH OIL. TO VISIT THE ATTACHED CENTENARY SALUMERIA (IN THE PHOTO NEXT TO THE OWNERS WHO HOSTED THE SALE & PEPE SERVICE).
The Winery
IN THE FORMER MONTE DI PIETÀ, FRIED FRESH WATER FISH.
Fire Eaters
POLENTINE ON THE MENU, PREVOSTO DISH.
Osteria Zia Gabri
CREATIVE PROPOSALS: SMOKED MACKETTE WITH PLUM SORBET, GNOCCHI WITH SQUID AND TREBBIANO SAUCE.
Diameter eighteen
A FAST AND TASTY STOP WITH RICH WELL LEAVENED FOCACCE AND ARTISANAL BEERS.
Nineteen 19
THE BRESCIA TRENDY LOVES ITS SCAMPI IN TEMPURA.
Alps area
THIRTY BRESCIAN CHEESES.
Veneto pastry shop
DELICACIES SIGNED BY THE MASTER IGINIO MASSARI.
Food
LEAVENING, VASO COOKING AND FERMENTED LABORATORY.
A la Cave
SUPER SELECTED ALCOHOLIC.
Franzoni pasta factory
AMONG THE SPECIALTIES, THE CASONCELLI.
Val Persane Farm
SPECIALIZED IN GOATS.
Info: visitbrescia

Enrico Saravalle
photo by Francesca Moscheni

Bossolà, a Christmas cake from Brescia – Italian Cuisine

Bossolà, a Christmas cake from Brescia


Typical dessert of the Christmas holidays, bossolà is a sort of donut but much softer. The preparation requires various stages of processing but the result will pay off the time it took to do it

Dessert of the Brescia tradition, the bossolà has the shape of a donut. Which is why many assimilate it to bisulan Mantua or al they knock Cremonese, but unlike these it is decidedly softer and fluffier. Typical of the Christmas holidays, a Brescia and surroundings can be found since the day of All Saints. And in the Veneto pastry shop of Iginio Massari, even all year round, because as the master says "if a dessert is good, why eat it only for such a short period of the year?".

Some say it was the Venetians to bring this dessert to town, others claim it has even more ancient origins. According to the most accredited version, the term bossolà derives from the Celtic bés' mbesolàt, what does it mean coiled snake. This auspicious symbol refers to the idea of ​​power and rebirth and is present in many legends and tales of the Brescia valleys.

Made from eggs, butter and flour, the bossolà requires one rather long processing, but the result pays off for the time it took to prepare this dessert from texture of a cloud. Massari's recipe includes five phases of dough processing and almost seven hours of leavening. But there is also a simplified home version.

The ingredients for the bossolà (14 people)

First dough
white flour (0 or 00) 135 g
granulated sugar 40 g
butter 40 g
brewer's yeast 40 g
1 egg

Second dough

white flour (0 or 00) 260 g
granulated sugar 50 g
butter 50 g
2 eggs

Third dough

white flour (0 or 00) 500 g
granulated sugar 150 g
butter 145 g
salt 7 g
vanillin 5 g
6 eggs

Preparation

First dough

Pour the flour on the pastry board, make a fountain and put the crumbled yeast in the center, dissolved in a little warm water, the softened butter, an egg and the sugar. Work the dough well until it is dry and supple. Make a ball and place it in a floured bowl, cover it with a napkin and put it in a warm place, leaving it rise for about an hour.

Second dough

Mix the flour and sugar, make the fountain and pour in the eggs and the softened butter, knead well, add to the first leavened dough and work all vigorously for about 15 minutes. Make a ball again and drop it rise for 2-3 hours.

Third dough

Mix the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla, make a fountain, pour the eggs, the softened butter in the center and work for a few minutes, then add the leavened dough and manipulate vigorously all for about 15 minutes, beating the dough vigorously on the pastry board. Place it in a pan and leave it rise again for half an hour. After that put in a preheated oven at 190 ° and bake for 40-50 minutes.

Once ready, the bossolà must be garnished with a beautiful sprinkled with powdered sugar and served cold. Ideal for breakfast or as an afternoon snack, its rustic flavor goes wonderfully with milk and even better with tea. At the end of the meal, as a dessert, it can be paired with sweet or fortified white wines.

Photo credits: the Bossolà by Iginio Massari

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Bigoi col pestöm the Brescia recipe – Italian Cuisine

Bigoi col pestöm the Brescia recipe


Bigoi with pestöm, are a first course of the peasant tradition of Brescia, based on fresh pasta and salami dough, an easy and tasty recipe

Just go back 20 years, when in the Brescia farms, and not only, even those who did not have pigs bought them on purpose to make fantastic ones local salami. Each family had an expert butcher at home and then with the leftover salami mixture, simple and cheap dishes were prepared, but rich in taste, such as bigoli with pestöm.

Ingredients

For the bigoli
300 g of white flour "00"
100 g of wholemeal white flour
160 g of whole eggs
salt

For the dressing
400 g of fresh salami mixture called "pestöm"
1/2 l of white wine
2 tablespoons of tomato puree
2 bay leaves
1 stalk of celery
1 onion
1 carrot
grated cheese
oil
butter
salt

Method

Add the eggs to the flour, a pinch of salt and work everything until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Cover with cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for half an hour. Pass the dough through the bigoli extruder, also known as the bigolaro press, distribute them on a tray and lightly flour them to prevent them from sticking together. In the absence of the specific equipment, you can resort to a stratagem, roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 millimeters, cut it into strips and form large spaghetti with your hands. Otherwise smart option buy some excellent fresh bigoli and don't tell anyone.

Chop celery, carrot and onion and brown them in a pan with a drizzle of oil and a knob of butter until the sauce is browned. Coarsely crumble the fresh salami mixture (called pestöm) in the pan and cook over high heat for a few minutes, blend with the white wine and let it evaporate. Then add 2 tablespoons of puree diluted with a little hot water, the bay leaves and cook for 1 hour over low heat, adding salt. Cook the bigoli in abundant salted water, drain and toss in a pan with the sauce and pour a handful of grated cheese. Enjoy your meal!

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