Land of Lazio
When I was younger, my mom often made stuffed peppers for dinner. My sister and I, only about a year and a half apart, only ate the inside of the pepper: a mixture of rice and beef. My brother who is about 10 years younger than us, now does the same thing, passing on a tradition of only eating the stuffing of the pepper.
Anyways, today I made another type of stuffed pepper, peperoni ripieni, which is not made with beef or rice. Here is what this pepper is stuffed with:
Tuna fish (one that was in oil)
Breadcrumbs
Eggs
Olives
Capers
Parmigano Reggiano
Parsley
Yes, this was definitely not the way my mother used to make it and one that I would not have even touched when I was younger. But still, it brought back the memories of the one my mom makes. These peppers had a unique flavor, as the pepper was sweet and the filling had a savory taste. If I was to make these differently or even just in the states, I would probably not use tuna. I think it gave a different taste to the dish, but one must remember that we are here cooking traditional dishes. I would serve this as an appetizer still, but maybe use chicken or even rice in the preparation. I think it would be more of a chicken pate, than a tuna one. What I did like about this recipe was that the peppers were baked until they were brown on top. This made the peppers very soft and brought out more of the sweetness in them. This added something to the dish, making the filling tastier, as, without the peppers, I was not a fan of the filling.
Lazio has a very unique and flavorful cuisine made up of 3 main pieces:
- Cucina Macellara: This is a part of the cuisine that is built upon the tradition of the butchery in the region. This piece uses the "Quinto Quarto", or the fifth quarter of the cow: including liver, cheeks, inners, oxtail.
- Cucina Giudea: This is the Jewish influenced part of the cuisine, as there are a lot of Jewish people living in the region.
- Cucina Campagnola: This is the peasant food of the cuisine.
This region has a lot of traditions from food to culture. There is no surprise that this region has many DOP products, IGP products, and the Slow Food procedures are important as well.
Fun Fact of the Day
List the DOP and IGP products of the Lazio region.
- Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP: This is a mozzarella cheese mainly produced in Campana, but it is also produced in Lazio along the border of Campana.
- Pecorino Romano DOP: This is a hard cheese made here!
- Olio Extravergine di Olive Tuscia DOP: There are 4 main areas that produce olive oil in Lazio: Canino, Tuscia, Sabina, and Colline Pontine. Although it is produced, it is not very important for this region. Both Puglia and Tuscany produce olive oil that is a lot more important in Europe.
- Fagiolo Cannellino di Atina DOP: This is a special bean that is grown in specific soil. The skin is very thin, so much so that it does not need to be soaked like other beans. This is also kept all together and allowed to try, then the beans are taken out. Because their skin is so thin, insects could penetrate it and destroy the bean, therefore allowing it to dry inside is important.
- Ricotta di Pecora Romana DOP: This is a cheese that has been produced in Lazio over 200 years BC. This is made with sheep's milk, which Lazio has a lot of.
- Castagna di Vallerano DOP: This is a chestnut that has been produced in the region since the 1500s.
I was interested today by the wines of Lazio, as the Romans found wine to be an important part of their diet. I did some research and here is what I found:
In more recent history, Lazio has been considered the "doldrums of wine." During the last century, both the Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes of Lazio were overcropped, and some believe it made a boring wine. But in more recent years, the region has invested money and became more passionate about producing more high-quality wines. This wine is difficult to find outside of the region, sorry USA! Most of the vineyards in Lazio produce white grapes, mainly Malvasia and Trebbiano. These grapes are often blended together to make different labels like Frascati, Est! Est!! Est!!!, and Castelli Romani. The region of Lazio is the 7th largest producer in Italy, therefore I believe their wines are on the rise!
With love,
Baylee
Anyways, today I made another type of stuffed pepper, peperoni ripieni, which is not made with beef or rice. Here is what this pepper is stuffed with:
Tuna fish (one that was in oil)
Breadcrumbs
Eggs
Olives
Capers
Parmigano Reggiano
Parsley
Yes, this was definitely not the way my mother used to make it and one that I would not have even touched when I was younger. But still, it brought back the memories of the one my mom makes. These peppers had a unique flavor, as the pepper was sweet and the filling had a savory taste. If I was to make these differently or even just in the states, I would probably not use tuna. I think it gave a different taste to the dish, but one must remember that we are here cooking traditional dishes. I would serve this as an appetizer still, but maybe use chicken or even rice in the preparation. I think it would be more of a chicken pate, than a tuna one. What I did like about this recipe was that the peppers were baked until they were brown on top. This made the peppers very soft and brought out more of the sweetness in them. This added something to the dish, making the filling tastier, as, without the peppers, I was not a fan of the filling.
Lazio has a very unique and flavorful cuisine made up of 3 main pieces:
- Cucina Macellara: This is a part of the cuisine that is built upon the tradition of the butchery in the region. This piece uses the "Quinto Quarto", or the fifth quarter of the cow: including liver, cheeks, inners, oxtail.
- Cucina Giudea: This is the Jewish influenced part of the cuisine, as there are a lot of Jewish people living in the region.
- Cucina Campagnola: This is the peasant food of the cuisine.
This region has a lot of traditions from food to culture. There is no surprise that this region has many DOP products, IGP products, and the Slow Food procedures are important as well.
Fun Fact of the Day
List the DOP and IGP products of the Lazio region.
- Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP: This is a mozzarella cheese mainly produced in Campana, but it is also produced in Lazio along the border of Campana.
- Pecorino Romano DOP: This is a hard cheese made here!
- Olio Extravergine di Olive Tuscia DOP: There are 4 main areas that produce olive oil in Lazio: Canino, Tuscia, Sabina, and Colline Pontine. Although it is produced, it is not very important for this region. Both Puglia and Tuscany produce olive oil that is a lot more important in Europe.
- Fagiolo Cannellino di Atina DOP: This is a special bean that is grown in specific soil. The skin is very thin, so much so that it does not need to be soaked like other beans. This is also kept all together and allowed to try, then the beans are taken out. Because their skin is so thin, insects could penetrate it and destroy the bean, therefore allowing it to dry inside is important.
- Ricotta di Pecora Romana DOP: This is a cheese that has been produced in Lazio over 200 years BC. This is made with sheep's milk, which Lazio has a lot of.
- Castagna di Vallerano DOP: This is a chestnut that has been produced in the region since the 1500s.
I was interested today by the wines of Lazio, as the Romans found wine to be an important part of their diet. I did some research and here is what I found:
In more recent history, Lazio has been considered the "doldrums of wine." During the last century, both the Trebbiano and Malvasia grapes of Lazio were overcropped, and some believe it made a boring wine. But in more recent years, the region has invested money and became more passionate about producing more high-quality wines. This wine is difficult to find outside of the region, sorry USA! Most of the vineyards in Lazio produce white grapes, mainly Malvasia and Trebbiano. These grapes are often blended together to make different labels like Frascati, Est! Est!! Est!!!, and Castelli Romani. The region of Lazio is the 7th largest producer in Italy, therefore I believe their wines are on the rise!
With love,
Baylee
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