CARDI FRITTI RECIPE Called “cardi” in Italian, cardoons are a thistlelike vegetable which is used in European countries, and is especially popular in the region of Abruzzo, Italy. It is, however, sadly neglected by most Americans, although they do grow wild in America. Cooked cardoons are similar to artichoke hearts both in flavor and texture.

Cavatelli alla ventricina recipe Ventricina is a distinct salami made in a variety of ways all over Abruzzo. The main ingredients are always nice cuts of pork meat and fat, dried red peppers and fennel seeds. The flavour can be sweet or spicy, and some ventricina (Teramo area) is made to be much like a

Potato risotto alla vastese recipe This is a quick rice dish that the grandmothers of Vasto have passed down to us. Homemade tomato sauce makes it even tastier.   Ingredients for 4 70g pancetta (unsmoked bacon) diced ½ of a medium onion chopped 2 sticks celery chopped 4 tbsp olive oil 500ml tomato sauce A

Lentil Chestnut Soup Recipe There are several small mountain towns in Abruzzo where lentils are a main staple and many families grow them in the garden. Lentils are harvested by hand, impurities are picked out by hand, and then they are stored in cloth sacks. Santo Stefano di Sessanio is famous for its high-quality lentils.

Roasted Artichoke Recipe Try to buy small artichokes that are fairly uniform in size so they will roast evenly. If possible buy the ones with larger stems; they are good eating. Use a roasting pan that is flat on the bottom and just large enough to hold the vegetables, otherwise the vegetables will not cook

Polpette Cacio e Uova Recipe “Cace e Ove” or Cacio e Uova is a very popular dish all over the province of Chieti. As often is the case with Abruzzo cuisine, it’s a dish that was created using leftovers and low-cost ingredients. In the past meat was really hard to come by because it was

Cavatelli recipe In some parts of Italy this pasta is also known as gnocchetti or seashells. The rolling and forming of the pasta is not done for aesthetic reasons. It is practical in that the ridges and/or small pockets in the cavatelli help to pick up and hold the sauce.   Ingredients (4 appetizer portions)