SIMPOSIO | the Modena Issue: Italian recipes, travel, and culture

A seasonal Italian cookbook from Italy dedicated to Winter and Modena, Emilia Romagna. Explore Italy through delicious recipes, beautiful places, local stories, and traditions. An Italy travel cookbook to guide you through the rich history, culture, and food. A great gift and coffee table book. Ciao, hello Italian food lovers, and welcome to the Simposio dedicated to Winter in Italy. In this cookbook, we will explore Modena in Emilia Romagna. The lovely tiny delicious Modena. Modena is famous worldwide for its traditional balsamic vinegar, the real, authentic, aged for at least twelve years. So after investing a little capital in a tiny bottle of it, I enjoyed testing recipes that exalted its flavor. It turned out pork is balsamic’s best friend. After exploring Modena, I’m sure you’ll want to keep feasting and celebrating Carnevale, so I shared some regional recipes: two sweet treats and polpette! Yes, there are special meatballs made for Carnevale. But winter is also a time to pamper yourself, contemplate beauty, and learn new things, so I added a Winter Flowers Project and a Corcos Project… what’s that? You may be wondering… An insight about Vittorio Matteo Corcos, the painter of modern femininity, whose painting “Dreams” inspired much of this cookbook and a lot of my recent artsy life. The Belle Epoque painter known for his capacity to read the souls of women and reveal them in his portraits. More winter cuddles will come from flaming hot minestrone soups. You thought there was only one minestrone recipe, right? I did so as well, but we were wrong! We’ll explore three recipes from North to South of the peninsula. For more healthy but delicious eating, and to celebrate the winter veggies, we will honor the king of them all: the already crowned (just put it upside down) Sir Artichoke! Winter Sundays wouldn’t be complete (and warm and cozy) without turning on the oven! So get ready to flour your hands (and nose and cheeks), and be sure you have a good book at hand to read while waiting for your creations to rise. Lastly, I added a few little gems from my always fascinating, difficult-to-live but never boring city, Rome: a secret spot out of touristic paths and some wintry adventures. Ready for a rich, mindful, tasty winter? Remember: ingredients are usually for two servings, but you can duplicate them as needed. Measurements are in grams, cups, and oz whenever possible! Benvenuti in Italia! Claudia INDEX: 06 Welcome To The Italian Winter 08 A Winter Bucket List 10 Modena 18 Gnocchi Fritti 22 Pesto Modenese 24 Crescentine or Tigelle 28 Borlengo 32 Tagliatelle 38 Ragù Modenese 40 Tortellini Modenesi 44 Torta Di Riso Modenese 48 Bensone 50 Carnevale 52 Tagliatelle Fritte 54 Cicerchiata 58 Eggs And Flour 60 Polpette Di Carnevale 62 The Table 64 Balsamic Vinegar 66 Pork Fillets With Apples And Balsamic 68 Frittata With Balsamic 72 Balsamic Vinegar Pork Cutlets 74 Tagliata Rucola, Grana E Balsamico 76 Minestrone 78 Minestrone Alla Milanese 82 Minestrone Alla Genovese 86 Minestrone Alla Livornese 90 Winter Flowers 96 Vittorio Matteo Corcos 106 Artichokes 108 Patate E Carciofi Alla Romana 110 Carciofini Sott’Olio 114 Carciofi Alla Napoletana 118 Fondi Di Carciofo 120 Artichokes And Parmesan Salad 122 Carciofi Alla Villanella 126 Snow In Rome 130 Lievito 132 Grissini 136 Brezels 140 Ricotta Bread 142 Palazzo Della Sapienza 146 Father’s Day 148 The Mimosa Melodrama