MARTA GUESTHOUSE

Menu principale:

MARTA'S COOKING

I love preparing above all traditional dishes following a lot of the my Grandmother's teaching: who was an excellent cook.
The preparation of first courses is the one that I like best, they are my favourites. I often make home made pasta and this gives the dish a unique taste.
I "Tordelli" Lucchesi with ragu sauce are one of my best first course, followed by our ,"Maccheroni" still with ragu sauce or with a special wild boar sauce, or with porcini mushrooms or ...
One can not leave out lasagne or cannelloni or the tasty "Matuffi" (polenta ) with my special sauce. Another speciality is "Farro Garfagnino" (whole saraceno wheat) prepared with small but important secrets of the traditional farmhouse cooking.
I even love preparing a rich Lucchese soup with beans and lots of vegetables, with precious aromatic herbs and some good oil and pepper.
For the second courses dishes "alla cacciatora", wild boar with olives (strictly controlled origin), loin of pork cooked in wine, and my own recipe for Roast Beef.
One of my specialities is Tuscan stew accompanied with spinach, peas and other vegetable. To enrich and make more delicious the various menus I usually prepare good vegetable sformato, Lucchese crostini. Meatballs, fried pasta, home made pizza napoletana baked in a special Italian oven.
I prepare many other dishes deciding at the moment depending on the seasonal products and with some of my fantasy, which is always needed to give a uniqueness to dishes.
For desserts I can give you the chance to taste excellent Lucchese cakes, chocolate, herbs amaretti and nuts.
To prepare a dish it is very important the quality of the ingredients that I look for, and prepare with care. Marta's cuisine is simple, traditional and prepared with love because I think that each dish has its own soul and when you taste it should you an excellent sensation and people have to understand the passion and care used to prepare it.. Buon Appetito!
It will be possible to organize, only and exclusively for the guests, dish tasting and Tuscan-Lucchese cookery courses can be given by professional chefs on request.

GASTRONOMIC SPECIALITIES

TRADITIONAL DISHES

Farro (whole wheat): Whole wheat is one of the oldest types of grain, it was already cultivated by the Sirian Nomad farmers of Egypt and also known by the Ancient Greeks and Romans. In Lucchesia, Farro is used in a base of bean soup ("scritti" beans, type of Borlotti). With these two important ingredients, herbs (sage and marjoram, onion, garlic, celery, ham skin (cotica di prosciutto) the soup is made. Of course Extra Virgin Oil from the Lucchesi hills is also added and pepper if desired.

Garmugia: This is a old traditional spring soup made with onion, peas, artichokes, asparagus, fresh broad beans, meat, becon cubes, oil and meat stock. It is served with cubes of toasted home made bread.

Soups: There are varius types of soups depending on the availability of the vegetables used (type of cabbage -cavolo nero-, pumpken, tomatoes, onion, etc.). In almost all the basic ingredients used, are beans -scritti- (borlotti) either whole or pureed, herbs, onions, celery, lard, stale home made bread and olive oil.

Farinata: This is a classic traditional Lucchese dish with the basic ingredients: beans -scritti- (borlotti), cabbage -cavolo nero-, lard, tomatoes and corn meal.

Matuffi: This originates from the Garfagnana area, it is made with more liquid boiled cornmeal (Polenta). It is served in bowls with different layers of -polenta- and lucchese ragù sauce or wild mushroom sauce with parmesan cheese -originating from the north boundaries of Garfagnana in Emilia-Romagna Region.

Tordelli: These are made with fresh home-made Pasta filled with a paste of minced beef, pork, bread moistened with meat stock, parmesan cheese, eggs, herbs, onions, celery. These are then served with lucchese ragù sauce and parmesan cheese over as desired.

Sformati di verdure: The principal ingredients are French Beans, spinach, artichokes, cauliflower or Swiss chard depending on preference. The vegetable chosen is then boiled and chopped finely, it is then added the a white sauce and egg yolks. It is then put in a baking tin and dusted with bread crumbs, and baked in the oven (better in old stile oven, for the taste).

Pasimata: This is a Blessed bread used in the days of Lent at Easter. It is rectangular in form and there are peaks formed around the longer edges. It is a bread dough flavoured with aniseed seeds.

Castagnaccio:This is a Lucchese rustic cake made with chestnut flour, shelled walnuts, pine nuts, orange peel, raisins, rosmary and olive oil.

Necci:This is batter made of chestnut flour cooked in pair of griddle pans (the griddle pans have a long handle in order that they can be cooked on an open fire) these crepes are filled with fresh ricotta cheese.

Buccellato: This is a sweet loaf typical of Lucca. It is made with flour, eggs, aniseed seeds and raisins. -the importance is where it is made !

Zuppa lucchese: The stale buccellato is moistened in a very sweet wine called vin santo. The moistened buccellato then interspersed with strawberries flavoured with wine and fresh cream.

Torte coi becchi (o dei bischeri): These are tarts made with short-crust pastry. The name comes from the peak shaped pastry. The tarts are then filled with chocolate, amaretti or vegetables. Then baked in the oven, better if traditional style oven.

Torta di cioccolata: The tart is filled with a mixture of boiled rice, plain chocolate, cocoa powder, mixed peel, pine nuts, raisins, nutmeg and eggs. Then baked in the oven, better if traditional style oven.

Torta con gli erbi: The tart is filled with wild herbs, Swiss chard, eggs, sugar, pine nuts, raisins, parmesan cheese, cinnamon and boiled rice. Then baked in the oven, better if traditional style oven.

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