Casonsei de la Bergamasca
The Casonsei de la Bergamasca, or Casoncelli, is a fresh filled pasta. The ancient recipe was born in the poor kitchens when people used the leftovers of pork and beef, they prepared a dough and filled the pasta to form ravioli. From the nineteenth century onwards, the recipe has been enriched and has been eaten also by the wealthiest families, today in fact the filling has raisins, pear, lemon biscuits. There are also salami, garlic and parsley, breadcrumbs and egg. A rich and succulent dish, with a sublime pasta!
Casonsei de la Bergamasca photo ricettaidea
Scarpinocc de Par
Also the Scarpinocc de Par is a first course of fresh filled pasta. The filling in this case is thin and it seems that the recipe is even older than that of Casoncelli. This dish was created by shepherds and is made of butter, garlic and parmesan cheese in the dough. All this can be enriched with spices. The eggs and the milk are added to the mixture to create the filling. The pasta has a particular shape called “bird wings”.
Polenta taragna con stufato
The Polenta taragna with stew is one of the symbols of Bergamo. Polenta taragna is distinguished from others because it is prepared with a mixture of yellow cornmeal and buckwheat flour. It’s a rustic polenta with a strong flavor. Once cooked, they add the cheeses, the most common are the fontina and the branzi. Separately they prepare a great meat stew, one of the most appreciated meats is the boar. Traditionally the polenta is served in a dish on the table, and is shared with all the diners.
Sweet Polenta e Osei
Polenta e Osei
The Polenta e Osei (polenta and birds) is another well known dish, and is popular in the Bergamo valleys, in Veneto and in the district of Brescia. This dish is prepared with the polenta onta, which is a polenta very rich in butter and cheese. The birds used are thrushes, finches and quails and are cooked roasted or stir-fried with lard and sage. It’s typical of Bergamo the sweet polenta e Osei, a kind of cake made with sweet polenta and then covered with almond paste. The osei are prepared with chocolate and placed on the cake.
Torta di Donizetti
Donizetti cake is dedicated to the famous composer who was born in Bergamo in 1797. It was created in 1948 for the centenary of his death. It is a donut made of flour and potato starch. In the mixture they add apricots or pineapple and everything is flavored with maraschino and vanilla. The Donizetti cake is a delicate and refined dessert.
