“L’Italia a morsi”: recipes from Lierna

01/24/2019

The territory of the municipality of Lierna is located on the eastern shore of Lake Como, bordering Varenna and Mandello del Lario.

Comprised of twelve villages, Lierna is famous for its religious monuments, military architecture, lakefront beaches that have little to envy of maritime ones, and its vibrant cultural scene. But not only that, it is also renowned for its wines, fish, olive oil, cheeses, honey, allowing locals to bring truly sublime dishes to the table.

In the episode shot in Lierna, on Lake Como, a small village rich in history dating back to ancient Rome, Chiara Maci met Annamaria.

View of Varenna on Lake Como

A cook by passion and profession, our Cesarina Annamaria boasts experiences in the field of gastronomic training both in Italy and in various parts of the world, with a particular focus on nutrition sciences.

Annamaria loves to make slight modifications to Lombard cuisine, as she enjoys interpreting ancient tastes with the lightness of healthier flavors and ingredients.

Annamaria Chiappetti ai fornelli

Annamaria welcomed Chiara Maci into her cozy and elegant home overlooking Lake Como. In this corner of paradise, immersed in tranquility and surrounded by natural beauty, we can taste Annamaria's delicacies. Her recipes respect the seasonality of the products and the traditions of the area, always seeking lightness through the right balance of various ingredients.

"My cuisine combines tradition, health, and great attention to ingredients and lightness." - Annamaria

Recipes from the episode:

Fried Sage
Missoltini with Polenta
Cagnone-style Rice
Lavarello Fillet
Miascia Cake

Fried sage

A crispy delicacy suitable as an appetizer or snack

DifficultyEasy

€

CostLow

Ingredients

Large sage leaves
150 gr flour
300 gr carbonated water or beer
1 liter peanut oil
Salt to taste

Method

Wash and dry the sage leaves well; then prepare the batter with water and carbonated liquid.
Heat the peanut oil in a deep pan until hot, then dip the leaves in the batter and fry them.
Remove excess oil from the leaves with paper towels and serve them hot with a pinch of salt.

Annamaria

Missoltini with polenta

A dish that warms the heart

DifficultyMedium

Ingredients

1 liter water
200 gr corn flour
50 gr buckwheat flour
200 gr missoltini (dried fish)
Balsamic vinegar to taste
Olive oil to taste

Method

Boil the water then gradually add the mixed flour (buckwheat and corn).
Stir with a whisk to prevent lumps and cook for about 1 hour.
Pour the polenta into a dish to cool.
Cut the cooled polenta into 2cm strips and place them on the grill along with the missoltini, turning them to cook on both sides.
Meanwhile, prepare a nice emulsion of balsamic vinegar and oil.
When the polenta and fish are ready, clean the missoltini from the tail, head, and central bone and cut them into small pieces. Do the same with the polenta.
Finally, compose the dish by placing a piece of polenta, a piece of missoltini, and a few drops of emulsion.

Annamaria

Cagnone-style rice with perch

A flavorful dish, yet light and digestible at the same time

DifficultyMedium

Servings4

€

CostMedium

Ingredients

300 gr Carnaroli rice
750 gr perch fillets
250 gr butter
100 gr breadcrumbs
3 sage leaves
Salt to taste

Method

Boil the white rice (better if Carnaroli) in plenty of salted water.
Bread the perch fillets with breadcrumbs.
In a pan, melt butter over low heat, then fry the fillets until golden brown. Optionally, add a few sage leaves to the frying.
Finally, plate the drained rice, the fish fillets on top, and the cooking butter.

Annamaria

Lavarello fillets with green sauce

A dish with a delicate flavor capable of pleasing everyone

DifficultyEasy

€

CostMedium

Ingredients

1 kg filleted lavarello
For the green sauce:
Salt to taste
1 boiled egg
120 gr parsley
80 gr stale bread
3 anchovy fillets
1 tablespoon capers
Olive oil to taste

Method

For the green sauce: roughly chop the parsley, then put it in a mixer with stale bread, boiled egg, anchovies, capers, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, and blend until creamy and homogeneous.
Grill the lavarello fillets on a griddle and when ready, plate them with plenty of green sauce.

Annamaria

Miascia cake

Bread and fruit for a zero waste cake, rich in flavor

DifficultyEasy

Cooking time40m

€

CostLow

Ingredients

50 gr raisins
2 eggs
50 gr amaretti biscuits
500 ml milk
250 gr stale bread
2 pears
2 apples
75 gr sugar
Grated zest of one lemon
A small glass of herbal and almond liqueur
Pine nuts

Method

Soak the stale bread in milk for two hours, then add diced pears and apples, raisins, toasted pine nuts, eggs, and liqueur, mixing everything well.
Pour the mixture into a cake tin and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 15 minutes, then at 150°C for another 25 minutes.

Le esperienze di Cesarine sul Lago di Como

Follow Chiara Maci's lead and book a culinary experience in the enchanting area of Lake Como! Discover the cooking classes and tours that Cesarine has prepared for you!

View experiences

L'Italia a morsi

"Italia a Morsi" is a culinary television program airing since January 16, 2019. In each episode, Chiara Maci visits an Italian location in search of its culinary traditions: in the first part of the episode, the food blogger and host explores the city and meets local producers; in the second part, she goes to the home of a Cesarina who prepares typical dishes of her area and serves them in her home restaurant.