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Februar y/March 202 2 XVI MAGAZINE THE ALMOND: THE ABSOLUTE QUEEN OF LOCAL CONFECTIONERY Obtained by grinding the shelled fruit and sugar. Depending on the time of year, the almond takes on different shapes: at Christmas it is shaped like a fish and at Easter like a lamb. In both cases, the cake is filled with quince jam or grape jam. Carteddhrate and purceddhruzzi , sweet fried pastry, crispy rolled in honey and garnished with pine nuts or almonds, are the other desserts served from Christmas Eve until Epiphany. But the absolute ruler of Lecce pastry-making is the pasticciotto , whose base is made of shortcrust pastry filled with custard. Imprisoned until a few decades ago, without ever crossing the border into northern Salento, it is now much appreciated not only in its homeland but also in many European and non-European capitals. At this point, it is time to conclude the first leg of our culinary tour, and for the sake of a level playing field, we would like to point out another gem, not of the pastry but of the ice- cream parlour: the spumone , a dessert that has made a comeback after a few decades of absence. It is a semi-spherical ice cream in which the three traditional flavours of Salento ice cream are blended: hazelnut, chocolate and pistachio with the addition of dried fruit grains and/or flavourings. Product ANCIENT GRAINS For centuries, Salento has been a producer of ancient grains . Some were already known in the 19th century. Among the hard varieties are S. Pasquale , Nerime or Capinera , Lecce (used in Naples to make pasta), Marzuolo , also known as Triminia ; among the semi-hard varieties are Cicerella and Biancatella ; and finally the soft Majorca , Saragolla, Carosella and Schiavone. Hesiod indicated the ideal time for sowing as the rainy season, November, which Lecce traditionally coincides with the feast of Our Lady of Graces, known in the local dialect as la Matonna te li menzimenti sementi . STRONG RICOTTA Ricotta forte, or ricotta scante in Salento, is a soft, spreadable cheese product made from whey. Unlike salted ricotta, it is creamier and has a spicy, slightly bitter flavour. It is used as a condiment to flavour fresh pasta sauce or spread on bruschetta with salted anchovies. DWARF PEA AND BEAN FROM ZOLLINO OR CUCCÌA Both pulses are grown only in the countryside near the municipality of Salento. A fundamental characteristic is the conformation of this land, the subsoil of which is made of Lecce stone, which gives the two pulses a unique flavour and high nutritional quality. The Zollino dwarf pea, unlike the others, is small and round and a little flattened at the poles. Its colour is brownish-yellow with green hues. It is sown between the end of November and the beginning of December and harvested between the end of May and the beginning of June, when the plant is dry. Cuccìa beans are sown and harvested at about the same time. In order to preserve their biodiversity, local producers have, for more than a century, been hand-sorting pulses during the harvest to save them for the next sowing season. __________________________________ RECIPE Ciceri and tria Also called Massa di San Giuseppe because traditionally it is eaten on 19 March, St Joseph’s Day. It is a first course, and is considered the signature dish of Salento cuisine, made with pasta and chickpeas. Tria is a kind of tagliatella, made with whole wheat flour with the addition of barley or spelt and water. Ingredients for 4 people: 320-400 gr. fresh tria, 400 gr. chickpeas , 200 oil , two cloves of garlic , 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil , salt . For cooking the chickpeas: onion, carrot and celery ; freshly ground pepper to taste. Preparation The chickpeas, after being soaked for at least 10 hours, are cooked for about two hours on a low heat with the addition of herbs: celery, carrot and onion; part of the tria is fried in olive oil. Mix oil and garlic, first add the chickpeas, crushing some of them with a fork to form a cream, then add the remaining tria already boiled in plenty of salted water. Serve immediately with a generous sprinkling of black pepper. Turcineddhri or Gnommareddhri It is a second course with many variations in name and recipe, depending on whether it is made in the north or south of Salento. __________________________________ RECIPE Turcineddhri are prepared with the offal of suckling lamb or kid (liver, lung and kidney) stuffed into their own intestines, with clumps of giant parsley and wild fennel. Other ingredients present, according to local variations: pecorino cheese, bay leaf, lard, chilli pepper and garlic. The entrails are cut into small pieces and mixed with the other ingredients. Before using it, the intestines are washed thoroughly in salt water or water and lemon and left to dry for a long time. They are then cut into lengthwise strips of about 5 cm and stuffed with the gut mixture and wrapped with strips of gut or peritoneal membrane to hold the stuffing in place, forming the characteristic cylindrical shape. Cooking Gnommareddhri (or turcineddhri) are usually grilled with bay leaves or dried olive leaves, or baked with potatoes. If grilled, they can also be eaten in a sandwich. Drowned or ‘nfucate’ turnips It is a traditional peasant dish. Ingredients for 4 people: 2 kg of turnips, 2/3 cloves of garlic , 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil , 1 chilli pepper, half a glass of white wine, salt to taste, half a glass of water. Preparation Wash the turnips, removing the large, fibrous leaves. While they are draining, put plenty of oil, the garlic cloves and the chilli pepper in a high-sided pan. Before the oil starts to fry, add the turnips and half a glass of water and a handful of coarse salt. Immediately cover the turnips and let them stew for about 20 minutes on a medium heat, adding more water if necessary and half a glass of wine. At this point let them cook well covered for another 30 minutes. At the end of cooking add salt if necessary. This is an excellent side dish to accompany grilled meat.