Due Maremmani
EVEN TODAY THE MAREMMA, the region between Siena and the coast, is one of the wildest parts of Tuscany, with gullied hills cloaked by impregnable thickets of scrub oak, gorge-like valleys, and marshy coastal lowlands. In the past travel was extremely difficult, industry nonexistent, and the few unlucky enough to live in the region kept to the hills to avoid the malaria lurking in the lowlands. Like others who live in wild, unforgiving lands, they learned to make do with little and turn that into a feast. Here are two simple recipes, one perfect for the fall and the other ideal for cold winter nights: acquacotta and scottiglia.
Acquacotta literally means cooked water. The dish is generally served as a one course meal, and in the past was eaten in the field by shepherds and stockmen. As is the case with any regional dish, there are as many versions as there are cooks.
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- A six inch stick of celery, a small carrot, and three small onions, minced together
- 1/2 a small, crumbled hot pepper, or more, to taste
- Salt to taste
- 2 pounds beet greens or spinach, stemmed, washed and coarsely chopped
- 1 pound peeled, chopped ripe tomatoes (canned will do in a pinch)
- Up to a pound of vegetables such as peas, beans, bell peppers, artichoke hearts, or whatever else is in season that you might fancy (optional)
- 1 1/2 quarts boiling water
- 5 eggs, beaten in a bowl
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino Toscano (pecorino Toscano is relatively mild - substitute Parmigiano, not pecorino romano)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (omit if the cheese is sharp)
- Thinly sliced toasted Italian bread
Set a heavy bottomed pot on the fire. When it's hot, add the oil and the onion mixture; season the mixture with salt and the chili pepper. When the onions have turned translucent, add the greens. Cover and cook over low heat till the greens have wilted, then add the tomatoes and the other vegetables, if you're including them. Simmer for about twenty minutes, then add the boiling water. Check the seasoning and simmer for another twenty minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs and mix in the cheese, adding salt if necessary.
Line the bottoms of your soup bowls with thinly sliced toasted bread and spoon the beaten egg mixture over the bread. Bring the soup to the table, stir it well, and ladle it into the bowls, making sure that the hot soup flows over the egg, cooking it.
Serves six.
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Scottiglia, as Aldo Santini observes in La Cucina Maremmana, is the charcoal-makers' answer to Livorno's cacciucco: A stew made from whatever animals they could catch, boiled in a great pot with whatever seasonings they had on hand. This means that no two cook's scottiglias are the same, and also that batches made by an individual cook can vary considerably.
As is the case with cacciucco, the key to a good scottiglia is variety: as many different kinds of meat as possible should be used, including, for example, pork, rabbit, chicken, beef, and lamb. The cuts used needn't be expensive, and indeed the best results are produced by meat from older animals, which has more flavor. It does take longer to cook, but that will warm your kitchen in winter.
To make scottiglia for 6 you will need:
- 3 pounds relatively lean meat, diced; from at least three if not more different animals.
- 2 cups dry red wine
- 1 quart simmering broth
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 pound peeled or canned plum tomatoes, chopped
- A 6-inch carrot, a small onion, and a 6-inch piece of celery, minced
- 1-2 Crushed seeded hot peppers to taste (optional, and go easy -- this is not chili)
- A small bunch of parsley, minced
- Salt to taste
- 2 cloves garlic
- Slices of toasted Tuscan bread for lining soup bowls.
Begin by mincing the carrot, celery, onion, parsley, and, if you're using it, red pepper. Sauté the mixture in a large, heavy-bottomed pot, and when the onion has begin to brown add the diced meat. Continue cooking until the meat has browned, then add the wine. Let the mixture come back to a boil, add the tomatoes, check seasoning, and simmer it, adding broth as necessary to keep it from drying out, for about 90 minutes, or until the meat is fork-tender.
While the meat is cooking, rub the bread with the garlic. When the meat is done remove it to a platter and keep it warm. There should be quite a bit of sauce. Ladle it over the bread, let it soak for a minute, and then add the meat to the bowls as well. This is a one-course meal; serve it with the vegetable of your choice and a dry red wine.
If you are in Tuscany and would like to try Scottiglia made by a master, you should go to Trattoria Il Barilotto, in Santa Fiora (on Monte Amiata). As for a wine, what could go better than Morellino di Scansano? It's a relatively new denomination but has already shown great promise. Here you will want the normal Morellino, not the Riserva.
Of those I have tried, I have liked Erik Banti's best. His Morellino di Scansano 1995 has excellent fruit in the bouquet, with a pleasing mix of berries. It is very smooth on the palate, and well rounded, with delicate tannins and a warm vinous finish. He calls his Riserva Ciabatta, which means slipper. Perhaps a self-effacing name, because the wines deserves much respect. Beautiful ruby color, with wonderful berryfruit notes on nose nicely balanced by faint spice and wood. On the palate the wine is luscious, with voluptuous tannins and a clean, extremely persistent finish. This could be very nice with a well done Scottiglia, but would, I think, be overkill.
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Good Food &
Drink,
Kyle Phillips
