Today we're diving into the very heart of Italian cuisine—from the northern Alps to the southern coasts. We're making two iconic dishes that Italians pass down from generation to generation.
🍖 Polenta e Brasato al Barolo
A classic Piedmontese dish: braised beef cheek in a rich wine sauce with vegetables that melts in your mouth. Served on a bed of creamy cornmeal polenta—golden and velvety.
Ingredients:
For brasato:
• Beef cheek or shank — 1 kg
• Barolo red wine (or other full-bodied) — 750 ml
• Carrots — 2 (large)
• Celery — 2 stalks
• Onion — 1 large bulb
• Garlic — 4 cloves
• Tomato paste — 2 tbsp
• Beef stock — 300 ml
• Rosemary sprigs — 3
• Bay leaves — 2
• Juniper berries — 6 (optional)
• Olive oil — 3 tbsp
• Salt, black pepper — to taste
For polenta:
• Medium-grind cornmeal — 250 g
• Water — 1 liter
• Milk — 250 ml
• Butter — 50 g
• Grated Parmesan — 80 g
• Salt — 1 tsp
Preparation:
1. Cut the meat into large chunks 7×7 cm, pat dry with paper towels. Dice the carrots and celery into 1×1 cm cubes, slice the onion into 0.5 cm half-rings, crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife. In a heavy-bottomed pot or braising pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until a light haze appears.
2. Sear the meat chunks on all sides until a deep brown crust forms—3-4 minutes per side. The meat should make a sizzling sound on contact with the pan and develop a caramelized crust the color of dark chocolate. Transfer to a plate.
3. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the same pan. Sauté over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring with a wooden spatula, until the vegetables soften and turn slightly golden at the edges. Add the tomato paste, stir, and cook another 2 minutes—the paste should darken and start sticking to the bottom.
4. Pour in the wine, increase heat to maximum, and bring to a vigorous boil. Stir intensely, scraping all the caramelized bits from the bottom—they'll give depth of flavor. Reduce the wine for 5-7 minutes until the volume halves and the alcoholic smell gives way to a concentrated wine aroma.
5. Return the meat to the pot, add the stock, rosemary, bay leaves, and juniper. The liquid should cover two-thirds of the meat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to minimum, cover, and braise for 3-3.5 hours. Check every hour—the meat is ready when the fibers separate easily with a fork and the sauce has thickened to the consistency of thin sour cream.
6. 30 minutes before the meat is done, start the polenta. In a heavy-bottomed pot, bring the water, milk, and salt to a boil. Pour in the cornmeal in a thin stream, constantly whisking to prevent lumps. Cook over minimum heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon—polenta is ready when it easily pulls away from the pot walls and reaches a creamy but dense texture.
7. Remove the polenta from heat, stir in the butter and Parmesan until fully melted—the mass should become silky and glossy. Spoon the polenta onto warmed plates, place the meat chunks on top, and pour the sauce with vegetables generously over everything. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
💡 Fact: Brasato al Barolo is the pride of Piedmont, the region that produces the legendary Barolo wine. Traditionally this dish was made by winemakers after harvest, using wine from the previous year's vintage and the toughest cuts of meat, which after hours of braising became incredibly tender.
🍝 Spaghetti alle Vongole
A Neapolitan coastal classic: spaghetti with clams in a light garlic-wine sauce with parsley. A minimalist, elegant dish with bright seafood flavor and aroma.
Ingredients:
• Spaghetti — 400 g
• Fresh clams (vongole veraci) — 1 kg
• Garlic — 4 large cloves
• Dry white wine — 150 ml
• Fresh parsley — large bunch (30 g)
• Extra virgin olive oil — 80 ml
• Hot pepper flakes (peperoncino) — 1 tsp
• Sea salt — to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper — pinch
Preparation:
1. Thoroughly rinse the clams under cold running water, rubbing the shells against each other to remove sand and seaweed. Place in a large bowl, cover with cold salted water (30 g salt per 1 liter), and leave for 1 hour in the refrigerator—the clams will spit out sand. Change the water twice. Discard any shells that remain open and don't close when tapped—they're dead.
2. Peel the garlic and slice into thin slices 1-2 mm thick (don't crush!). Finely chop the parsley—stems and leaves separately. In a large deep skillet (at least 30 cm diameter), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and pepper flakes, sauté for 1-1.5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic turns golden and fragrant but not brown—otherwise it'll be bitter.
3. Increase heat to maximum. Add the drained clams and parsley stems, toss vigorously. After 30 seconds, pour in the wine—it should hiss and bubble. Cover the skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan vigorously every minute. Clams are ready when the shells have fully opened. Discard any that remain closed.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water (4 liters) to a boil, add salt (20 g). Drop in the spaghetti and cook for 2 minutes less than the package directions for al dente—usually 6-7 minutes. The pasta should remain firm in the center, with a white dot when broken.
5. With a slotted spoon, transfer half the clams with their meat to a separate plate—these are for presentation. Remove the rest from their shells, return the meat to the skillet, discard the empty shells. Collect a ladle of starchy pasta water (about 100 ml).
6. Transfer the undercooked spaghetti directly into the skillet with the sauce, add a ladle of pasta water. Cook over high heat for 2-3 minutes, constantly tossing with tongs and shaking the pan. The pasta should absorb the sauce and be coated in a glossy emulsion—if dry, add more pasta water. Spaghetti is ready when it reaches al dente—springy but not chalky.
7. Remove from heat, add the chopped parsley leaves and freshly ground black pepper, toss. Let stand for 30 seconds to stabilize the sauce. Portion the spaghetti into warmed deep plates, top with the clams in shells. Pour the remaining sauce from the skillet over everything. Serve immediately, without cheese—that's taboo for seafood dishes in Italy!
💡 Fact: In Naples and along the Campania coast, fierce debates rage about which version is correct—with tomatoes (in rosso) or without (in bianco). The in bianco version is considered more aristocratic and allows the seafood flavor of the clams to fully shine through. True Neapolitans never add cheese to this dish—it's considered an insult to the sea.