What Should I Cook Today? GialloZafferano's Menu for Friday, November 13

Today's menu features five recipes that combine tradition and flavor: start with crescentine or tigelle, to serve with cured meats, followed by creamy pasta and chickpeas with tomato and pancetta. For the main course, stewed ossobuco served with golden, crispy roasted potatoes. To finish, a delicious chocolate torta caprese.

Crescentine or tigelle are soft little focaccias typical of the Modena tradition, perfect to serve as an appetizer with cured meats and cheeses. They are made with a dough based on flour, lard, yeast, and water, then cooked in the special tigelliera, which imprints the characteristic flower design on the surface. The name tigelle comes from the ancient terracotta disks once used for cooking. Enjoy them while still warm, freshly made, to appreciate all their fragrance!

Pasta and chickpeas is a great classic of Italian cuisine, a creamy and hearty first course that is perfect for anyone who loves the genuine flavors of tradition. In this version, pipe rigate is combined with chickpeas and tomato, while smoked pancetta adds a savory, irresistible note. Thanks to the use of precooked chickpeas, the preparation is even easier and faster, ideal for bringing a hot, flavorful dish to the table without spending too much time at the stove.

Stewed ossobuco is a rich and flavorful main course, perfect for anyone who loves traditional recipes. Veal ossobuchi are slowly cooked in a tomato sauce enriched with celery, carrots, onions, and white wine, until they become incredibly tender. The long cooking time allows the meat to absorb flavor and the sauce to become thick and enveloping. Serve it piping hot, with roasted potatoes or a few slices of country-style bread to soak up all the delicious sauce!

Roasted potatoes are one of the most beloved side dishes in Italian cuisine, easy to prepare and always appreciated by the whole family. Crispy and golden on the outside, soft on the inside, they are flavored with extra virgin olive oil, rosemary, garlic, and thyme, which give them an irresistible aroma. The secret to perfect roasted potatoes is even cooking, which makes them nicely golden without drying them out too much. Ideal for serving with meat main courses, they are especially delicious with stewed ossobuco, because they pair perfectly with its rich sauce.

Torta caprese is a typical dessert from the Campania tradition, famous for its moist texture and intense chocolate flavor. Made with dark chocolate, almonds, and hazelnuts, it stands out because it contains no flour, making it naturally gluten-free. According to tradition, this characteristic came from an oversight during preparation, giving rise to one of the most beloved desserts in Italian pastry. Soft inside and with a delicate crust on the surface, it is perfect to serve at the end of a meal, perhaps with a dusting of powdered sugar, or to enjoy as an afternoon snack.