<< Cuttlefish. Dear friends, We have not to forget our friends cuttlefish! 

Those cute sausages!

Try to put them together

and they will devour themselves without thinking for a moment

Human nature, no? or … Mollusk nature.>>

If I have to say it all, I have always feared a lot of green vegetables and the first time Elisa offered me to eat this dish I was not completely comfortable …

But after the first hesitations, a fragrance came from the kitchen, which began to persuade me sweetly.

After the first bite I totally changed my opinion and, brushed the dish in a few minutes (maybe seconds), I decided to look for the history of this delicacy.

I discovered that it is a discord between Ligurians and Tuscans who argue over who invented it, but this gives us the opportunity to taste it in many variations through the two regions (in Florence, for example, spinach is used instead of the beet) .

It was a recipe very eaten by farmers and builders because it is easy to transport and store in the coffers.

The Tuscan flavor of the dish is caught in the hints of garlic combined with the spiciness of the inevitable chilli pepper that are the setting for the softness of the cuttlefish.

A dear friend sent me the recipe that her father used (Viareggino Docchè) and dates back to 1919.

“Finely chop an onion, garlic and chilli. Fry everything in plenty of olive oil then add the cuttings in pieces. After about 20 minutes add the wine and salt. When all the liquid has evaporated, add the chard, cook for a few minutes and add the tomatoes and parsley and finish cooking. RECOMMENDED WINES
nosiola, malvasia from Friuli
ENJOY YOUR MEAL”

And he strongly desired to add his footnote:

“I also add that we drank red wine, as my grandfather used to when he landed … white wine gave it to baby baptisms.”

In Viareggio, a fishing village, any grandmother knows the recipe and we often find it in the daily routine of lunch.

The best thing to do is to ask the people of viareggio where they go to eat it when the grandmother is not in the kitchen.

And the answers arrived immediately without hesitation:

Finally, the good Pasquale told us that soon the Ciccarelli Esplanade Restaurant will be put on the menu, a good excuse to go and taste it.

Meanwhile, I taste the cuttlefish that cooks Elisa and if you come to visit us, one day they will be on fire, a portion can be yours.

I just have to wish you good appetite and good exploration.

See you soon with other delicacies to taste from our beautiful land.

Greetings from Monteggiori.