Exotic Italian cuisine

And now for something a little different

You've heard of pasta and veal parmigiana but Italian cuisine includes a vast array of lesser-known dishes that you won't readily find at your local Italian restaurant.
The idea of horsemeat might make you squeamish but cavallo isn't that unusual in some parts of Italy, particularly in northern regions, such as Venice.
Horsemeat is featured in a dish called Picula ad Caval, which is often served alongside polenta, a northern Italian staple. Ground horse meat is combined with butter, minced onions, pancetta, olive oil, dry white wine, ripe tomatoes, bell peppers, minced fresh herbs, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste.
Begin by heating the oil, butter and onion in a skillet; sauté until the onion has become golden. Then add the horsemeat and brown it, stirring it about frequently. When it has browned, sprinkle in the glass of wine, reduce the heat to barely a simmer, cover, and cook for at least an hour. Mix in the chopped tomatoes and diced peppers and continue cooking a half-hour longer.
Before removing the dish from the fire, sprinkle the minced herbs over everything. Serve it hot.
Horsemeat is most popular in a stew, such as Verona's pastissada de caval. The meat is complemented by celery, carrots, onion, cloves, coriander seeds, bay leaf, garlic, lard, olive oil, red wine, butter, flour and paprika.
Frog legs is a popular dish in France, and it's just as common and popular in many northern Italian regions, particularly in Venice, where it's enjoyed in a variety of combinations.
Rane in guazzetto combines frog's legs in a sauce made from olive oil, onion, garlic, celery stalks, tomatoes, parsley, flour, and butter. Chopped parsley and croutons are served as a garnish.
In Cosce di rane con uova, the meat is served with eggs for an interesting contrast. Wash 24 frogs legs and pat dry. Dust with flour and fry in four tablespoons of hot olive oil until they turn golden. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to rid of excess fat. Cool, bone and set aside the frogs legs. Break six eggs into a bowl, add one tablespoon of chopped parsley and two tablespoons of grated parmigiano and mix well (do not let the eggs form a foam). In an iron pan, place two tablespoons of butter and the rest of the oil and pour in the frog's legs. When hot, add the eggs and mix well so that the frog's legs are well distributed throughout the pan. When the egg starts to coagulate spread it evenly in the pan and let it cook slowly with the pan covered. When eggs are set, serve from iron skillet
When you first think of couscous, you might think of Arab cuisine, and you'd be half right. This semolina dish was introduced to Sicily during the Arab invasion of the Italian island between 827 and 1091. Cuscusu, as the Sicilians refer to it, requires plenty of patience but aficionados swear the extra work is well worth it. The entire process can take up to five hours and it's a feast fit for royalty. One recipe combines the grained semolina with veal, chicken liver, a hard-boiled egg, onion, and savoy cabbage.
In Cinghiale all'Agrodolce, wild boar is served in a sweet and sour sauce stew. The sweeter side of the dish is a result of cocoa, sugar, candied orange peel, raisins and pine nuts, while the sour taste is a mix of peperoncino hot peppers, onions, carrots and celery. The dish can be served alongside of polenta or potatoes.
Lingua salmistrata (pickled tongue) is set in a spicy marinade while cervella in carozza (fried brains) are blanched to perfection in this main-course meal.
Blanch the brains and slice evenly. Heat up four tablespoons of butter and two tablespoons of olive oil and add one small onion. When browned add the brains and sauté one minute on each side. Remove from heat and set the pan aside. Prepare a batter by placing one cup of milk in a bowl and slowly add six tablespoons of flour. Whisk well and add the egg yolk, salt and pepper. Whip the egg white and fold it into the batter. You should achieve a thick batter. Place a slice of brain with the onion on each slice of bread and dip into the batter. Fry. Drain the brains on paper towels, sprinkle with salt and two tablespoons of chopped parsley. Serve very hot.

Publication Date: 2003-10-26
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=3281