Piedmont tradition: local dishes and wine

Hello, my name is Norma, I’m 30 years old, and my passion for cooking has been with me since I was a child, when I cooked with my grandmother, who passed down the Lombard culinary tradition. I was born in Milan, but now I live in Novara for work. I love organizing lunches and dinners for friends and family, starting with appetizers like special focaccias, savory pies, cured meats, and cheeses. I enjoy making first courses, from risottos to various types of homemade pasta, followed by meat-based second courses typical of Lombardy, such as braised beef, stew, wild boar with polenta, casoncelli, and Bergamasque meatballs. Risottos are my specialty, from the classic Milanese version with ossobuco to risotto with gorgonzola. To finish, I bake tarts, and my favorite is the one with cocoa shortcrust pastry and strawberry jam.