TWO TYPICAL DISHES: IL CACCIUCCO - IL TORDELLO

The sea and the land, the beach and the hills and special recognition in its own right must also be given to the Lake and the area of Massaciuccoli and to its abundant game: Versilia at the table always enjoys two culinary moments the “land” and the “sea”- often complementary and without taking into account Lucca and Garfagnana, a few kilometres away, with the products from the Apennines. Two typical dishes from this area suspended between the sea and the mountains: Il Cacciucco and I Tordelli (written with a d instead of a t as opposed to the rest of Italy: tordelli - tortelli. Cacciucco originated in Livorno, but soon after transferred to Viareggio, where this fish soup was prepared in a lighter more gentle way. This change was officially approved by the same Pellegrino Artusi, the gastronomist from Emilio Romagna who at the end of the 1800's classified the cuisine of the then emerging Kingdom of Italy.

CACCIUCCO

500 g. fish per person made up of: 100 gr. fish with bones ( gurnard, common star-gazer, conger-eel, scad, sea bream and mullet), 100 g white fish, 150 g. octopus and squid (cuttlefish) 100 g. mussels and clams 50 g. prawns and squill fish garlic, oil, white wine, bread toasted in the oven and flavoured with garlic.

Cacciucco is made with fish that is found at Viareggio's harbour, where over 100 boats unload thousands of crates of ultra fresh fish every day.

In the recipe there is: gurnard, rock fish, weever, sea bass, smooth hound, conger eel, octopus and squid (cuttlefish). Naturally it is served with “not today’s” homemade bread: posato (rested) as they say in Tuscany.

TORDELLI

Tordelli (the word is medieval and derives from torta) are pieces of stuffed pasta that are prepared even today in households from Camaiore to Pietrasanta and as far as Seravezza and Stazzema. There exists a form of an itinerary comprised of restaurants, trattorias, freshly homemade pasta shops and working class clubs, where you can taste the Versiliese tordelli. The filling, made with beef, pork, mortadella and vegetables, is covered with a firm enough pasta and served with a rich meat sauce. From district to district changes are based above

all on the aromatic herbs added to the filling starting off with peporino, a type of wild thyme. Tordelli are eaten at parties, anniversaries and at patron saint celebrations. Street festivals are dedicated to the tordello, especially those organized in summer by the localities involved in the Palio di Querceta, a donkey race that takes place every May and situated a few kilometres inland from the beach at Forte dei Marmi.

Tordelli

the homemade pasta: 600 g. flour, 1egg, salt, water mix well then knead. Roll out the

dough thinly make discs measuring about 4cm with a glass. In the middle place a tablespoon of filling; fold them into the shape of a half moon sealing the edges with a fork taking care not to break the dough. the filling: 150 g. minced veal, 300 g. minced

beef, 150 g. brains previously boiled and skinned (today can be replaced with ricotta cheese or with bread previously soaked in milk), 500 g. everlasting spinach boiled and cut into small pieces 1 sausage, 2 eggs, 50 g. grated parmesan cheese, 15 g. grated pecorino romano cheese, a pinch of salt, pepper, cut everything into small pieces, fry the minced beef and veal in a little butter, take away from the heat then add the other ingredients mixing well.