Street food history Marche, Abruzzo and Molise

LA CRESCIA 

Well, here in Central Italy there are all references from region to region, from city to city. To say: crescia is basically from the Marche region but it can also be found in Umbria and to be honest (don't blame the purists) it is not very different from the more famous and globalized piadina romagnola (and not even from the Tuscan schiacciata). In fact: crescia is a disc of pasta cooked, depending on the area, on the grill, under the embers, on a griddle. The same disc is accompanied or stuffed with sausage, wild herbs, ham, loin, cheese (in Ancona only with herbs, and it is called sa'Zefoje) and that's it. Then there are the variations: the puff pastry from Urbino, the one made with leftover polenta from Jesi, etc., but the substance changes little. You eat on the street, of course, but also at a restaurant, well put on your plate.

 

ASCOLANA OLIVES

Ascoli olives are the perfect street food: you pinch them easily with your fingers, each one is a bite, and while you're chewing one you're already thinking about the next one. Everyone knows them, but perhaps not everyone knows that: the olive must be the "ascolana tenera", the PDO one, green, large, soft; there must be beef, pork, and chicken inside; the breading should not be exaggerated; The frying, of course, perfect. To be honest, the best way to eat them is to have your own fryer: in Ascoli, and elsewhere in the Marche region, the best sellers are the butchers, who therefore sell the bombette nice and ready but still to be cooked. Nevertheless, there is no shortage of stops to enjoy them (and there are also many other pieces of the "fritto all'ascolana", i.e. cremini, zucchini, artichokes, zucchini flowers, ribs). Don't miss them: munching on olives is the way to happiness.

 

FRIED FOOD AND SEAFOOD GASTRONOMY

Anyone who has ever been to the fish market in San Benedetto del Tronto at five in the morning knows what the Adriatic is capable of. Lord, what comes out of those nets! There are many ports in the Marche, Abruzzo and Molise where, at the fishermen's stalls, freshly caught fish is sold raw (coquillage) and fried, but also prepared in a thousand ways. Examples? Fried squid, prawns, paranza, octopus, seafood, mackerel, snails, cod, marinated anchovies, baked cuttlefish, dogfish with tomato sauce.

 

SANDWICHES WITH TRIMMINGS

If once upon a time the sandwich with trimmings was all the rage under the arcades of the Foro Annonario in Senigallia, now it is almost impossible to find it. That said, it is practically the Marche version of the sandwich with Tuscan lampredotto or the bread with Sicilian spleen: the trimmings are the guts of the suckling veal, the same used in the Lazio pajata. They are roasted on the grill seasoned with garlic and rosemary and stuffed in the middle of a rosette. The effect? Butter that melts in your mouth!

 

ARROSTICINI (OR ROSTELLE)

In Pescara, the arrosticini, slender skewers, go down, which is a beauty, and before you know it you will have eaten about twenty of them. Maybe it's because the meat morsels are small, maybe it's because the sheep (or mutton) are tasty, maybe it's because the grilling flavors even more, but it's impossible to stop. Nowadays they are eaten all over Italy, but just as they are good in Abruzzo, they are only good in Abruzzo.

 

THE TORCINELLI (OR TUNCENELLE)

Torcinelli are the symbol of Molise street food, even if in reality - in a wonderful food syncretism - they are practically identical to the Apulian gnummareddi and even to the Sicilian stigghiola. It is a roll of liver and tripe and lamb intestines seasoned with salt, pepper, chilli and parsley cooked on the grill. They are the most popular in the province of Campobasso and you will easily find them in butchers but also in the braziers that serve them prèt-à-manger. The recipe for tuncenelle in Abruzzo is more or less identical, but they change their name from place to place: tuncenelle, in fact, in Chieti, but mazzarelle in Teramo (in reality, mazzarelle is easier to be cooked in a pot and served at the table) and marra in L'Aquila. If you find a skewer stand, it's easy for them to have them too.

 

THE PIZZAS OF THE ADRIATIC

Whether you are in the Marche, Abruzzo or Molise, in the chalets by the sea you cannot fail to eat a pizza. The "pizzetta dell'Adriatico" is the perfect snack: a tasty headband cooked in a mini pan, which is also eaten stuffed and usually does not exceed one euro. In summer it is the classic meal between one bath and another and in the area of Pesaro there is also the "pizzetta dei tedeschi" version, that is, with mayonnaise on top. In Campobasso there is also a beautiful tradition of pizza by the slice.

Hello everyone, here I am again to present you a new recipe the  Adriatic pizza, this new year. 

Let's get down to the recipe!

Ingredients

490 gr of rustica (type 2 flour)

200 gr of flour

1.5 gr of dehydrated brewer's yeast

420 gr of cold water from the fridge

15 gr of extra virgin olive oil

15 gr of fine salt

Procedure

As a first step, sift the flours in the bowl of a stand mixer or in any bowl, if kneaded by hand. Add the water and work very coarsely with a fork, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. After the time in the fridge, take out your autolytic dough, add the yeast and start kneading, add the oil and finally the salt. Bring the dough to stringing, then transfer it to the work surface, roll it out and let it rest covered with a bell for at least 30 minutes. At this point, make a round of three folds, put the dough in a bowl greased with oil, cover with plastic wrap and leave to mature in the fridge for 24 hours. After the fridge stop, take out and let the dough acclimatize for an hour. You can now move on to cutting the loaves by doing so. Divide the dough and at each portion, make rounds of folds, roll the balls and let them rise one last time, covered well, until doubled. Now you can roll out your pizzas and top them as you like, on this occasion I stuffed them with seafood from my beautiful Adriatic Sea, you stuff as you like. My amazing Adriatic pizza is ready to be enjoyed.

GNAM GNAM!