QUALITALY_134

May/June 2023 XV MAGAZINE production quality, as well as the traceability of the entire supply chain, from breeding to the butcher’s counter. NICHE’ PRODUCTIONS When we speak of truffles, our minds automatically go to Piedmont, Umbria and Tuscany. Few know that in the interior of Basilicata, amidst the green hills and unspoilt mountains, dwells a truffle of very high quality that is also highly appreciated abroad. There are several species present: the smooth black , the fine white , the Bagnoli black , the hooked black and the brumale , bianchetto or marzuolo , the Scorzone . The area particularly rich in truffles is around Mount Volturino, where in the wettest places it is not difficult to find the prized white truffle. Each species has different characteristics, ranging from musky scents to garlic aromas, from dark black to yellow, to a smooth or wrinkled rind. BREAD AND FOOD Wherever you go in Italy, bread is good, but Matera’s bread is special; it would be sacrilege if visitors left this wonderful land without eating at least one slice of this croissant-shaped speciality with the local tomato and extra virgin olive oil. Pane di Matera bread - which obtained Pane di Matera PGI protection in 2008 and received new PGI protection in 2018 due to some changes in the production specifications - is obtained through an ancient processing system, specifically used by bakers in the province of Matera, who use only durum wheat semolina for the dough. It dates back to Roman times when Matera was one of the most important granaries of the Empire, although the first documents referring to it date back to the Middle Ages. The area in which Matera bread is produced includes , in addition to the capital, a number of municipalities bordering on it: Montescaglioso, Irsina, Tricarico, Grassano, and Grottole. In the municipalities of Montalbano Jonico, Tursi and Pisticci, a round-shaped bread is produced that is slightly different in terms of flavour and consistency to the typical Matera bread. AT PAGE 51 PRODUCTS Canestrato di Moliterno Canestrato di Moliterno PGI is a hard cheese, aged for at least 60 days, made from 70-90% whole sheep’s milk and the remaining 30- 10% whole goat’s milk. It is produced in 60 municipalities, 46 of which in the Potentino area and 14 in the Matera area. The last stage, that of maturing, must only take place in the municipality of Moliterno. Canestrato di Moliterno is produced year- round using milk from herds fed on pasture, fresh fodder and hay. The cheeses are dry-salted, or pickled, and then left to dry for 30-40 days before being placed in special rooms for maturing, the so-called fondaci, cold, dry, well-ventilated rooms found only in the territory of the municipality of Moliterno, located at an altitude of over 700 metres above sea level.l.m. Depending on the length of the maturing process, Canestrato di Moliterno PGI is distinguished as Primitivo (first) , matured for up to six to months; Stagionato (mature) and Extra, when the maturing process lasts up to a year and over a year respectively. The flavour is mild in fresh cheese, piquant in more mature cheese. The Primitivo type is excellent both when enjoyed alone as a table cheese and as an ingredient in simple, modern dishes, such as an apple salad from the Alta Val d’Agri. Stagionato, on the other hand, is delicious grated over traditional Lucanian recipes, such as cavuzuni, maccaruni and o’ firricieddu. __________________________________ AT PAGE 52 RECIPES __________________________________ RECIPE FIRST COURSE/MAIN COURSE Stuffed aubergines from Rotonda Red stuffed aubergines from Rotonda are a typical Lucanian dish, especially from the Rotonda area. They are perfect as a single dish. They can also be stuffed with meat sauce or with ricotta cheese and mushrooms, or with ham and scamorza cheese. Ingredients: • 9 round red aubergines; • 2 eggs; • 50 g grated cheese (grana or parmesan); 100 g cooked ham; • 400 g rustic passata; • extra virgin olive oil; • parsley; • salt and pepper. Preparation: First of all clean the aubergines. Wash them, remove the cap and hollow them out to obtain the pulp. Blanch them and put them in water with a little salt to lose their bitterness. Drain them and place them on a tea towel to dry. In the meantime, prepare the filling in a bowl by putting the eggs, grated cheese, chopped aubergine flesh, ham cut into strips, chopped parsley and salt. Then mix everything together. Separately, prepare the sauce with the passata, a drizzle of oil, salt and pepper; then stuff the aubergines with the mixture you have just made and place them in an oven dish with the tomato sauce. Then bake them in the oven at 180° for about 20 minutes. __________________________________ RECIPE SIDE DISH Baked roasted potatoes Is a typical side dish in the peasant culinary tradition of Basilicata. It is prepared with layers of potatoes, tomatoes and onion, extra virgin olive oil, chilli pepper, grated pecorino cheese, oregano and crumbled stale bread crumbs; ingredients that give the final dish its typical crispy golden colour, from which it takes its name: raganate , which means ‘au gratin’ in Lucanian dialect. They can