Valentino Collection
Valentino Collection
Milan is a metropolitan city in the Lombardy region of Italy and it replaced the Province of Milan. It includes the city of Milan and other municipalities (comuni) and was first created by the reform of local authorities (Law 142/1990). It has been operative since January 1, 2015.
Italy’s fashion houses are legendary, from Dolce Vita to Prada and Versace to Valentino. The country has always been known for its meticulous craftsmanship and luxury materials, but it was only after Word War II that Italy emerged as a fashion destination. After the war Italy’s fashion industry got the confidence and the economic support to come into its own. In an effort to restore and stabilize the Italian economy after World War II, the Marshall Plan provided American aid for Italy’s textile businesses, which were mostly small, family owned operations. This investment spurred the production of leather, fur, silk and wool— the country’s most prized luxury materials to this day.
In 2009, this Italian city was named the fashion capital of the world. Every year, several major runway shows are held in Milan that showcase international fashion icons, buyers and models. The fashion industry in Italy is known for providing fashionable clothing and accessories that boast comfort, elegance, quality and fantasy. The purpose of Italian fashion is somehow different from the ones in New York, Paris and Tokyo. Italians prefer to buy clothes that will remain stylish longer, comfortable to wear and of good quality rather than fading trends.
Prada
Laura Biagiotti
During the ’50s and ’60s, while French labels like Christian Dior and Jacques Fath turned their focus fully on couture, only Italian fashion designers truly understood the need for women to have comfortable, versatile clothing that was also tailored and refined. Italian day wear took off in America and paved the way for the ready-to-wear collections coming out of Italy’s fashion houses today. Part of the reason Italy was the first market for day wear was a coterie of women designers who understood the needs of women. Germana Marucelli, Mila Schön, Simonetta and Galitzine: These women all came from Italian aristocracy and they found themselves without jobs and without any money after the war. What they knew were clothes and they had the technical know-how to create new designs.
Armani
Zegna
In Italy, designers have shown excellence when it comes to creating clothes and accessories that are functional and practical. In terms of design, designers make sure that the fabrics and other materials used in producing clothes are of equal quality. The country’s fashion industry has remained competitive in the international fashion industry and the industry is playing a significant role in the recovery of the Italian economy from the recession that recently hit the country. Any improvement in the condition of the fashion industry will also be beneficial to other industries in Italy. This is because most of the regions and small factories in the country are involved in the production of fashion accessories, textiles, shoes and apparel.
Spring Fashion Week 2016
Some of the largest fashion companies in the world are also headquartered in Italy. Many of the major Italian fashion brands, such as Valentino, Versace, Prada, Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, Marni, Iceberg, Missoni, Trussardi, Moschino, Dirk Bikkembergs, Etro, and Zegna are currently headquartered in the city. Among the newest labels are young designers, such as Sara Battaglia, Angelos Bratis and Aquilano.Rimondi.
Via Monte Napoleone, the leading thoroughfare in Milan’s “golden quadrilateral”. In 2010, it was ranked as the sixth most expensive shopping street in the world.
Milan also hosts a fashion week twice a year in Milan’s main upscale fashion district, where the city’s most prestigious shopping streets (Via Monte Napoleone, Via della Spiga, Via Sant’Andrea, Via Manzoni and Corso Venezia) are found. Italy also is home to many fashion magazines, such as Vogue Italia, Vanity Fair, Elle, Glamour, Grazia, Amica, Flair and Gioia.
In Milan not even the onslaught of the fall collections can prevent some of the city’s most stylish from preparing delicious, fresh food.
Want to feel like you are in Milan – make some of the recipes from their well-known cuisine.
Milanese Tripe Soup
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) boiled veal tripe
- 12 ounces (300 g) cranberry beans, soaked overnight
- 2/3 pound (300 g) carrots, chopped
- 1/2 pound (200 g) canned tomatoes
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- Sage
- 2 onions, minced
- A small stick celery, minced
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- A sprig of sage
Directions
If you haven’t bought the tripe already boiled, wash it very well, then cut it into fairly large pieces and boil it in a large pot for 30 minutes. Drain and discard the liquid.
Cover the tripe again with water and add a carrot, a celery stalk, an onion and salt. Bring to a boil. Skim the surface often and simmer for 4 hours, adding water if needed.
Drain it well and cut it into the traditional thin strips. Fill a pot with water and simmer the sliced tripe for another hour.
When the hour is almost up heat the butter and the oil in a Dutch oven and sauté the onions. When they are golden, add the tripe with its liquid, and, a few minutes later, the beans, celery, carrots, tomatoes and sage.
Season the pot with salt and pepper and add a little boiling water (just enough to cover). Cover and simmer on low for about three hours. Serve with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese.
Milanese Ravioli
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups (400 g) flour
- 4 eggs, divided
- 10 ounces (250 g) ground beef
- 3 cups (150 g) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus extra for serving
- 1/4 cup (50 g) softened unsalted butter, plus additional for the sauce
- A few tablespoons of beef broth
- Salt
- A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Directions
Work the flour with a pinch of salt, two of the eggs and just enough water to obtain a smooth elastic dough. Knead it well, for 10-15 minutes, cover it with a damp cloth and set it aside.
Combine the ground beef with the butter and the grated Parmigiano. Add a pinch of nutmeg, the remaining 2 eggs, a few tablespoons of broth to moisten and mix well.
Divide the dough into two pieces and roll them out into two very thin rectangles.
Lay one of the sheets on the work surface and dot it with tablespoons of filling, separating them by a couple of inches (5 cm).
Lay the second sheet over the first, press down between the filling, so the sheets stick together and then cut each ravioli free with a serrated pasta wheel.
Bring a pot of water to boil, salt it and cook the ravioli for a few minutes, remove them with a strainer to a serving bowl. Serve them with melted butter and grated cheese.
Involtini di Vitello alla Milanese
Ingredients
- 12 thin slices veal, about one and one-half pounds, cut for scaloppine
- 1/4 cup chopped prosciutto
- 1/3 pound chicken livers, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon, plus 3 tablespoons,butter
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1/2 teaspoon finely minced garlic
- 1/2 cup fine fresh breadcrumbs
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt to taste
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup fresh or canned chicken broth
- 1/4 cup chopped sage or parsley
Directions
Put the slices of veal between sheets of plastic wrap and pound with a flat mallet until even without breaking the tissues. Set aside.
Combine the prosciutto and chicken livers in a mixing bowl.
Heat one teaspoon of the butter in a small skillet and cook the onion, stirring, until it is wilted. Add this to the mixing bowl. Add the garlic, bread crumbs, nutmeg, pepper, lemon rind, egg and cheese. Blend well.
Lay out the pieces of veal in one layer on a flat surface. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon an equal portion of the filling on each slice.
Wrap the meat around the filling, folding and tucking the ends in envelope fashion. Tie each bundle neatly in two pieces of kitchen string. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Dredge the bundles all over in flour and shake off the excess.
In a heavy skillet large enough to hold the rolls, without crowding, in one layer, heat the remaining three tablespoons of butter and add the veal bundles.
Cook, turning the bundles occasionally, until they are browned all over, about three or four minutes. Reduce the heat and continue cooking over moderately low heat for 15 minutes. Remove the veal rolls to a serving plate.
Add the wine to the skillet and stir to dissolve the brown particles that cling to the bottom and sides of the pan. Add the chicken broth and herbs. Bring to the boil and let cook over high heat about five minutes.
Remove the strings from the veal rolls and pour the sauce over the rolls. Serve immediately.
Torta Paradiso
From La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy by Academia Italina Della Cucina, 2009.
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 2 sticks room temperature butter
- 6 egg yolks
- 2 egg whites
- 1 2/3 cups sugar
- Zest from 1/2 lemon
- 2/3 cup flour
- 1 1/4 cups potato starch
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Butter and flour a 9 inch circular cake pan.
Beat the butter in an electric mixer until soft. Mix the egg yolks into the butter one at a time. Slowly add in the sugar. Add the zest, flour and potato starch.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes and insert a toothpick into the center of the cake to check if it is cooked. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If not, cook for a few minutes more until the toothpick is clean.
Remove the cake from the pan and set on a wire rack to cool. Top with Mascarpone Cream.
Mascarpone Cream
From La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy by Academia Italina Della Cucina, 2009.
Ingredients
- 1 egg, separated
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
Directions
In an electric mixer, combine the 2 egg yolks with the sugar.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg white until still. Fold the egg white into the egg yolk and sugar mixture.
Mix the egg and sugar mixture with the mascarpone cheese. Add the Amaretto and stir to combine.
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set. Spread over the cooled Torta Paradiso.
Milan is the home of Italy’s stock exchange, the Gothic cathedral – the Duomo, one of Europe’s biggest trade-fair complexes, famous nightclubs, the prestigious opera house, La Scala, A.C. Milan (football) and endless opportunities to eat the best of Lombard’s Italian food. Milan is also the fashion icon of Italy and houses millions of residents in this northern city located south of the Italian Alps. Milan is very close to several other cities, such as Venice and Florence, and attractions, such as the Alpine ski slopes or the seashore villages of Liguria and Cinque Terre. The fashion quarter is not only known for major designers in the industry, such as, Valentino, Gucci, Kenzo and Yves Saint Laurent but, also, for many small boutique stores and fashionable shops.
Milan’s cuisine features many specialties. Pasta dishes, such as “tortelli di zucca”, which is ravioli stuffed with pumpkin, “zuppa pavese” (broth with bread and eggs) and “zuppa di porri e bietole” (soup made with leeks and swiss chard). Polenta topped with mushrooms or meat sauce is typically served during the winter. Risotto alla Milanese, Osso Buco, breaded veal cutlet, pork chops or roast beef are typical main dishes. Cheese is a must on the Milanese table at the end of the meal. The cheeses that are eaten in Milan come from the surrounding countryside and alpine valleys. Among the most popular are Bagoss, Brescia cheese, Caprini, Crescenza or Stracchino, soft cheeses flavored with mountain herbs and, of course, Gorgonzola, eaten alone or served over risotto and polenta. You will notice that the dishes in Milan are based on more high calorie ingredients such as butter and sausages, supposedly due to the fact that the winters are long.
Milanese Dinner
Appetizer Course
Polenta e Gorgonzola
Servings 6
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup walnuts
- 1 cup gorgonzola blue cheese
- Chopped herbs, such as rosemary or sage
- Coarse ground black pepper
For the polenta:
- 13 oz polenta (not quick cooking)
- 7 cups water or milk or a combination
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons salt
Directions
Boil the water and/or the milk, add salt and butter.
Pour the polenta into the boiling water, slowly and mixing well with a whisk.
Cover and let simmer over low heat for 60 minutes.
Grease a large baking tray and pour the polenta onto the pan, spreading it with a spatula: it should be around 1/4 inch thick, let it cool.
With a decorative 2 inch cookie or biscuit cutter make 24 circles.
Spread the gorgonzola cheese over half of the circles, cover with the other half and decorate with a walnut on the top, herbs and black pepper.
Serve warm, heating for 5 minutes in the oven
First Course
Leek and Swiss Chard Soup – Zuppa Di Porri E Bietole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 leeks, white and light green parts, cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 8 ounces swiss chard, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 cups stock ( vegetable or chicken)
- 1/2 cup Arborio rice
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
In a large saucepan over low heat, cook the leeks in the butter and oil until tender and golden.
Add the Swiss chard and stock and bring to a simmer.
Cook until the chard wilts, about 10 minutes.
Add the rice, salt and pepper.
Cover and cook over low heat about 20 minutes or until the rice is cooked.
Stir in cheese and serve.
Main Course
Italian Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing
During the autumn season in Italy, turkey is often made with a stuffing of chestnuts and sausage. The wild turkey was brought to Europe from the New World and, once domesticated, became one of the large courtyard fowl animals in Lombardy. With Italy being one of the largest producers of chestnuts, it was natural to use them in a stuffing.
Ingredients
- Chestnut Stuffing, (recipe below)
- 1 12-to-14-pound turkey
- 1 lemon, cut in half
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
- 4 slices bacon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Directions
Make Chestnut Stuffing.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Coat a large roasting pan and a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
Remove the giblets, neck and any visible fat from the turkey. Rub the cavity with lemon halves, squeezing them as you go. Make a few tiny slits in the skin under the wings, where the legs join the body and in the thickest part of the breast. Stuff each slit with a piece of rosemary and sage.
Stuff the cavity and neck pouch with about 5 cups of the stuffing, securing the neck cavity with a skewer. Place remaining stuffing in the prepared baking dish; cover and refrigerate until needed.
Sprinkle the turkey with salt and pepper. Place bacon slices across the breast. Tie the drumsticks together.
Place the turkey, breast-side up, in the prepared roasting pan. Roast for 1 hour. Pour the wine over the turkey and baste a few times. Continue to roast for 2 hours more, basting with the pan juices several times and roast until the turkey is done, an additional 30 to 60 minutes. (An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh should register 180°F and 165°F in the stuffing.) Total cooking time will be 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
About 40 minutes before the turkey is ready, cover the reserved stuffing with a lid or foil and bake until heated through, 35 to 45 minutes. If you like a crisp top, uncover for the last 15 minutes of baking.
When the turkey is ready, place it on a carving board or platter. Scoop stuffing into a serving bowl, cover and keep warm. Tent the turkey with foil.
Place the roasting pan over medium heat and pour in the broth; bring to a boil, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Cook for 5 minutes and transfer to a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Mix water and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to the simmering sauce, whisking until lightly thickened.
Remove string from the drumsticks and carve the turkey. Serve with stuffing and gravy.
Chestnut Stuffing
Ingredients
- Two 7 1/2-ounce jars vacuum-packed cooked chestnuts
- 8 cups cubed country bread, (1 pound)
- 12 oz sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 pound mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed and sliced
- 1 small fennel bulb, diced
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1-1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Directions
Break the chestnut meat into chunks. Preheat oven to 350°F.
Spread bread on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted, 15 to 25 minutes. Set aside.
Cook sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, crumbling with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Wipe out the skillet.
Add oil to the skillet and heat over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Add mushrooms and fennel and increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring, until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
Combine the reserved chestnuts, toasted bread, sausage, onion-mushroom mixture, parsley, thyme, sage, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss until well mixed.
Whisk eggs and 1 cup broth in a small bowl. Drizzle the egg mixture over the bread mixture and toss until evenly moistened. If you like a moist stuffing, add remaining 1/2 cup broth.
Use as directed in Roast Turkey with Chestnut Stuffing or place in a 3-quart baking dish that has been coated with cooking spray, cover with a lid or foil and bake at 325°F until heated through, 35 to 45 minutes. If you like a crisp top, uncover for the last 15 minutes of baking.
Broccoli with Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into serving pieces
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- Juice of 1 medium orange
- 1 teaspoon orange peel, grated
- 1 medium navel orange, peeled and thinly sliced
Directions
Cook the broccoli in a saucepan in a small amount of salted water for about eight minutes. Drain the broccoli in a colander and place it in a serving bowl.
In the empty saucepan combine the cornstarch, chicken broth, orange juice and orange peel and stir until mixture is blended. Then bring to a boil and stir for two minutes or until it thickens. Drizzle the sauce over the broccoli. Garnish with orange slices before serving.
Dessert Course
Fresh Pear Crostata
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chopped peeled ripe pears (about 8 medium)
- One 9 inch refrigerated pie crust, or your favorite pie crust
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds
Directions
Heat the oven to 450°F. In medium bowl, mix the 1/2 cup sugar and the flour. Gently stir in the pears to coat.
Place the pie crust on a parchment lined 15×10 inch pan with sides.
Spoon the pear mixture onto center of the crust to within 2 inches of the edge. Carefully fold the 2-inch edge of crust up over pear mixture, pleating crust slightly as you go along the circle. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon sugar over the crust edge.
Bake 15 minutes and sprinkle almonds over the pear mixture. Continue to bake 5 more minutes until the pears are tender and the crust is golden. Cool 15 minutes. Cut into wedges; serve warm.
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Self-portrait red chalk on paper.
Born out-of-wedlock to Piero da Vinci and Caterina in a region of Florence, Leonardo received his early education in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter, Verrocchio. Much of his working life was spent in the service of Ludovico in Milan. He later worked in Rome, Bologna and Venice and he spent his last years in France at the home awarded him by Francis I. Little is known about Leonardo’s early life. He spent his first five years in the hamlet of Anchiano in the home of his mother, then in 1457 he went to live in the household of his father in the small town of Vinci. His father had married a woman named Albiera, who loved Leonardo but she died young. When Leonardo was sixteen his father married again, but it was not until his third and fourth marriages that Piero produced legitimate heirs.
Leonardo was and is renowned primarily as a great painter. Among his works the Mona Lisa is his most famous and The Last Supper is the most reproduced religious painting of all time. Leonardo’s drawing of the Vitruvian Man is also regarded as a cultural icon, being reproduced on items as varied as the Euro coin, textbooks and T-shirts. Only fifteen of his paintings have survived over time together with his notebooks, which contain drawings, scientific diagrams and his thoughts on the nature of painting.
Leonardo was also revered for his technological ingenuity. He conceptualised flying machines, a tank, concentrated solar power, an adding machine, the double hull and a rudimentary theory of plate tectonics. Relatively few of his designs were constructed or were even feasible during his lifetime, but some of his smaller inventions, such as an automated bobbin winder and a machine for testing the tensile strength of wire, were manufactured during his time. He made important discoveries in anatomy, civil engineering, optic, and hydrodynamics, but he did not publish his findings and they had no direct influence on later science.
Milan was once filled with canals and they were used to ship rice to the outer territories and bring marble from the lake quarries into the city center. Canals were its lifeline and linked the city to everywhere else. Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan, invited Leonardo da Vinci to be the state’s war, arms and engineering consultant for 20 years. While Milan’s canal system existed as early as the 12th century, da Vinci took it upon himself to improve its locks, which at the time were of the older ‘portcullis’ or ‘blade’ type that required two men and enormous amounts of effort to operate. Da Vinci came up with the miter gate (see drawing below) which works against the natural pressure of the water, so that only one person is needed to easily swing the doors open or closed. Da Vinci’s invention (two doors that meet at a 45 degree angle, pointing upstream, with a smaller gated culvert for flow) is still in use today. All the massive locks on the Panama and Suez canals, for example, use miter locks.
Leonardo worked in Milan from 1482 until 1499. He was commissioned to paint the Virgin of the Rocks for the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception and The Last Supper for the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie. In the spring of 1485, Leonardo travelled to Hungary on behalf of Ludovico to meet Matthias Corvinus, for whom he is believed to have painted the Holy Family. Leonardo was employed on many different projects for Ludovico, including the preparation of floats and pageants for special occasions, designs for a dome for a Milan Cathedral and a model for a huge equestrian monument.
At the start of the Second Italian War in 1499, the invading French troops overthrew Ludovico Sforza and Leonardo with his assistant, Salai, and a friend, the mathematician Luca Pacioli, fled Milan for Venice where he was employed as a military architect and engineer, devising methods to defend the city from naval attack. In 1500, he and his household were guests of the Servite monks at the monastery of Santissima Annunziata in Florence and were provided with a workshop, where Leonardo created The Virgin and Child with St. Anne and St. John the Baptist, a work that won such admiration that men and women traveled long distances to see it. In 1502 Leonardo entered the service of Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI, acting as a military architect and engineer, travelling throughout Italy with his patron.
Despite the recent awareness and admiration of Leonardo as a scientist and inventor, for the better part of four hundred years his fame rested on his achievements as a painter and on a handful of works, either authenticated or attributed to him that have been regarded as among the masterpieces. These paintings are famous for a variety of qualities which have been much imitated by students and discussed at great length by admirers and critics. Among the qualities that make Leonardo’s work unique are the innovative techniques which he used in laying on the paint; his detailed knowledge of anatomy, light, botany and geology; his interest in physiognomy and the way in which humans register emotion in expression and gesture; his innovative use of the human form in figurative composition and his use of the subtle gradation of tone. All these qualities come together in his most famous painted works, The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper and The Virgin of the Rocks.
The continued admiration that Leonardo commands from painters, critics and historians is reflected in many other written tributes. Baldassare Castiglione, author of Il Cortegiano (“The Courtier”), wrote in 1528: “… Another of the greatest painters in this world looks down on this art in which he is unequalled …”, while the biographer Anonimo Gaddiano wrote, c. 1540: “His genius was so rare and universal that it can be said that nature worked a miracle on his behalf.” The interest in Leonardo’s genius has continued unabated; experts study and translate his writings, analyse his paintings using scientific techniques, argue over attributions and search for works which have been recorded but never found. Liana Bortolon, writing in 1967, said: “Because of the multiplicity of interests that spurred him to pursue every field of knowledge … Leonardo can be considered, quite rightly, to have been the universal genius par excellence, and with all the disquieting overtones inherent in that term. Man is as uncomfortable today, faced with a genius, as he was in the 16th century. Five centuries have passed, yet we still view Leonardo with awe.”
The Cuisine of Milan
Like most cities in Italy, Milan and its surrounding area has its own regional cuisine, which uses more rice than pasta and butter instead of oil. Milanese cuisine includes “cotoletta alla milanese”, a breaded veal (pork and turkey can be used) cutlet pan-fried in butter. Other typical dishes are cassoeula (stewed pork rib chops and sausage with Savoy cabbage), ossobuco (stewed veal shank with gremolata), risotto alla milanese (with saffron and beef marrow), busecca (stewed tripe with beans) and brasato (stewed beef or pork with wine and potatoes). Season-related pastries include chiacchiere (flat fritters dusted with sugar) and tortelli (fried spherical cookies) for Carnival, colomba (glazed cake shaped as a dove) for Easter, pane dei morti (“Deads’ Day bread”, cookies flavored with cinnamon) for All Soul’s Day and panettone for Christmas. The salame milano, a salami with a very fine grain, is widespread throughout Italy. The best known Milanese cheese is gorgonzola from the namesake town nearby.
Walnut Gorgonzola Crostini
Serves 6-8
Ingredients
- 4 ounces gorgonzola, room temperature
- 1/4 cup cream
- 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 20 fresh sage leaves, washed and patted dry
- Olive oil
- 1 ciabatta loaf, cut into 1/2 inch slices
- Kosher salt or fine sea salt
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled
- 1/2 cup red grapes, sliced in half
- 1 large pear, sliced thin
Directions
Combine gorgonzola, cream, walnuts and Parmesan in a medium-sized bowl. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until a creamy spread forms.
Pour olive oil into a heavy saute pan, about a 1/4 inch full. Heat over medium high heat, but not smoking.
Place sage leaves in oil and fry on each side about two to three minutes. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
Sprinkle the sage lightly with salt. Repeat until all sage leaves have been fried. Once cooled, crumble the leaves. Save the oil for cooking other foods.
Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Place ciabatta slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Bake until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 10 minutes.
Slice garlic in half. Rub each slice of crostini with garlic. Spread a layer of gorgonzola walnut mixture on to each crostini. Garnish with grape halves and pear slices.
Sprinkle the top of each crostini with fried sage leaves and serve.
Gorgonzola walnut mixture can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
Brasato
Beef
- 5 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 celery ribs, diced
- 2 medium onions, diced
- 1 head garlic, halved crosswise
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 (750-ml) bottle Italian dry red wine (about 3 3/4 cups)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 3 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
- 3 cups water
Potatoes and carrots
- 2 1/2 pounds small white boiling potatoes
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots
Equipment: a wide 6-to 8-quart heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid
Accompaniment: crusty bread
For the beef:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.
Pat beef dry and season with 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Heat butter or oil in the pot over medium heat until it melted, then brown meat, without crowding, in 3 batches, turning, about 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter.
Reduce heat to medium, then add carrots, celery, onions, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 12 minutes. Push vegetables to one side of pot. Add tomato paste to the cleared area and cook paste, stirring, 2 minutes, then stir into vegetables. Add vinegar and cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
Stir in wine, bay leaves and thyme and boil until wine is reduced by about two-thirds, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add broth to pot along with water, beef and any juices from the platter and bring to a simmer. Cover and braise in the oven until meat is very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.
For the potatoes and carrots:
While the beef braises, peel potatoes and cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges. Slice carrots diagonally into 1-inch pieces.
Add potatoes and carrots to the stew (make sure they are submerged) and simmer in the oven, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until potatoes and carrots are tender, about 40 minutes more.
Biscottini di Milan
If you have bread flour, it will be perfect here. Since it’s denser than white flour, you’ll need less volume — 4 cups minus a tablespoon — for 500 g.
Ingredients
- 4 1/5 cups (500 g) unbleached white flour or bread flour
- 1 1/4 cups (250 g) sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, broken up into bits
- 4 egg yolks
- The grated zest of a lemon
- 1/2 cup warm water
Directions
Combine the flour and the sugar on a pastry board, make a mound and scoop a well into it. Drop the yolks and the water into the well together with the butter and the zest and work the dough until it is smooth and homogeneous.
Roll the dough out into a moderately thick (1/4-inch or 1/2-cm) sheet and cut it into rounds using a round cookie cutter or into squares/rectangles with a sharp knife.
Put the cookies on greased and floured cookie sheets and bake them in a 350 degrees F (170 C) oven until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks.
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According to the Roman historian Livy, a Celtic village was first founded in this area in the 6th century BC. Conquered by Roman legions in 222 BC, “Mediolanum” (this was the Roman name for Milan) attempted to rebel, becoming an ally of Carthage, Rome’s enemy. But the Romans won and, towards the end of the 1st century BC, Milan became a part of the state of the Caesars.
Milan then went through several transitions over the years, beginning in 1535, when the city fell under Spanish rule, and then in 1713, the city was passed to Austria.
In 1802, Milan became the capital of Napoleon’s Italian Republic, and he was crowned King of Italy and Milan in 1805. Following a brief return of the Austrians, Vittorio Emmanuele II drove them out in 1859, thus incorporating Milan into the new Kingdom of Italy. To commemorate this king, the beautiful Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele II was built in the center of Milan. The key factor of the city’s success was credited to trade, which led the city to a great success in development.
La Scala, is a world renowned opera house in Milan, Italy. The theatre was inaugurated in August 1778 and was originally known as the New Royal-Ducal Theatre at La Scala.
Milan now is the fashion icon of the country of Italy and houses millions of residents in this Northern city in the Lombardy region. Located south of the Italian Alps, Milan is very close to several other cities and attractions such as Venice and Florence, great skiing and the seashore villages of Liguria and Cinque Terre. Each are just a few short hours away, which makes Milan a great place to live or tour.
The fashion quarter is full of the big names in the industry but also many small boutique stores and fashionable shops. However, everyone looking for fashion will be searching out the big designers and they are all here, Valentino, Gucci, Kenzo and Yves Saint Laurent all have shops. This area is where you will find all the prestigious outlets, top line names with the prices to match.
Milan Specialties
Each region in Italy has its own culinary specialty, which may have been influenced by an area close to it, such as, the sea or the mountains or a bordering country. Noted below are five specialties of the Lombardy region. You will notice that the dishes in Milan are based on more high calorie ingredients such as butter and sausages, supposedly due to the fact that the winters are long.
Polenta– is made with ground yellow or white cornmeal and it is one of the staple foods in Northern Italy, especially in the region of Lombardy. Usually this dish is served with tomato sauce and sausages and ribs.
Risotto alla Milanese– is a typical dish of the city of Milan with rice, saffron and ox bone marrow. Even though there are a number of different varieties of this dish in Northern Italy, the original has these ingredients plus onion, wine, butter and beef broth.
Cotoletta alla Milanese- is actually the rib of calf with the bone, breaded and fried in butter, originally, the fried butter used was also poured on top of the meat, but in more modern times people tend to use lemon on top, and sometimes you will find it with tomato sauce and rucola (arugula) on the side, but this version is used during the cold months.
Panettone– is cake is used for Christmas in all parts of Italy and it literally means big bread. It is originally from Milan and was served only in the houses of noble people but later became popular for everyone. The shape of the Panettone is almost like a dome, and the ingredients are water, flour, butter, eggs and dried candied fruits.
La Barbajada-a sweet that is made with whipped cream, hot chocolate, coffee and milk. It is delicious drink but with a high caloric content, and it is served hot, which makes it a great winter dessert. The history behind this dessert is that the hot chocolate with whipped cream was invented by Domenico Barbaia, who operated a coffee shop in the La Scala Opera House in Milan and it became popular around the 1830’s.
Bring The Foods Of Milan To Your Table
You can make some of Milan’s culinary specialties without the unhealthy calories by using the recipes that I have adapted, as posted below:
Minestrone alla Milanese
Serves 6
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ripe tomatoes
- 3/4 pound garden peas
- 1/2 pound lima beans or 1-10 oz. package frozen, defrosted
- 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 zucchini
- 1 stalk of celery
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/4 cups small pasta or rice, whichever you prefer
- 1 bunch Parsley
- Handful of Basil and Sage
- Freshly grated Grana Padano (or Parmigiano)
Directions:
Dice the celery, carrot, and zucchini; slice the tomatoes, discarding the seeds; peel the potatoes and dice, and mince the parsley, basil, sage and the garlic with the onion. Put the vegetables, except for the peas, in a pot and add 2 quarts of water; lightly salt the soup and simmer it over a gentle flame for about 2 1/2 hours.
When the time is up stir in the peas, and the short pasta (e.g. ditalini or small shells) or rice. Adjust seasoning and cook, stirring gently, to keep the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. When the pasta is cooked, ladle the soup into bowls and serve it with grated cheese.
Pappardelle with Mushrooms 
This recipe calls for porcini mushrooms and they are necessary to do it justice. Ideally, fresh porcini, but if you cannot find them you will have to make do by purchasing cultivated mushrooms and a 1-ounce packet of dried porcini (this will be about a half cup, packed. Steep the dried mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes, then mince them and add them to the cultivated mushrooms. Strain the steeping liquid, since it may contain sand, and add it to the sauce as well. The other option, in the absence of fresh porcini, is to use the wild mushrooms available where you live, combining them with some cultured mushrooms, if need be, and some steeped dried porcini.
A last thing: This recipe calls for pappardelle, which are broad (1-inch) strips of pasta. You can, if you want, use fettuccine (half-inch strips) instead.
Serves 5-6
Ingredients:
- 1 pound pappardelle, ideally freshly made
- 3/4 pound fresh porcini, or follow directions above
- 2 shallots
- 12 oz. low sodium diced canned tomatoes
- A small bunch of parsley
- 1 clove of garlic
- The leaves of a sprig of rosemary
- A few sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup dry white wine
- Salt & pepper
- Freshly grated Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano
- Chopped parsley for a garnish
Directions:
Clean the mushrooms, brushing the dirt away from the stems, and separate the caps from the stems; dice the stems and cube the caps, keeping them separate.
Mince the shallots and the herbs and sauté them for a few minutes in the oil in a deep pot. Add the diced stems, cook another minute, and then add the wine and the tomatoes. Season with a little pepper and simmer the mixture over a very gentle flame for 30 minutes. Depending upon how much moisture the mushrooms contain you may need to add more liquid: a little more wine or water (or the liquid the mushrooms steeped in if you are using dried mushrooms), and the cubed caps. Continue simmering the sauce over a gentle flame.
In the meantime bring pasta water to a boil, salt it, and cook the pappardelle. Drain the pasta and mix with the sauce; garnish with herbs and serve with grated cheese.
Milanese Chicken Stuffed with Walnuts
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken weighing 3 ½ to 4 pounds
- 10 walnut halves, chopped
- 1 egg
- 4 white cabbage leaves, shredded
- 2 leaves sage
- 1/2 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano
- 1 tablespoon dry plain breadcrumbs
- 2 ounces pancetta, diced
- A pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 onion, cut in quarters
- 2 celery ribs, cut in quarters
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Twine
Directions:
Bring a pot of water large enough to contain the whole chicken to boiling and add the celery and onion.
In a bowl combine the shredded cabbage, sage, garlic, cheese, pancetta, breadcrumbs, egg, nutmeg, and walnuts. Mix well and season the mixture with salt and pepper.
Fill the cavity of the chicken with the stuffing and close it tightly with the twine (don’t forget to include the neck opening). See directions below.
Salt the boiling water and submerge the chicken. As soon as the water comes back to boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the chicken, partially covered, for about 2 hours.
Carefully remove the chicken with 2 large spoons to a platter. Cut up the chicken into 8 pieces, without breaking up the stuffing. Arrange the pieces on a heated platter, slice the stuffing into half-inch thick slices, and serve.
Save the broth for making risotto, or for serving meat based tortellini, or for making soup.
Step 1
With the breast side up, line up the middle of your piece of twine with the chicken’s tail and tie a knot around the tail
Step 2
Make a loop around each drumstick.
Step 3
Pull them close together and tie a knot.
Step 4
Keeping the twine tight around the chicken, pass each half of the twine through the wing.
Step 5
Tuck the wings under the chicken so that they’re holding down the twine.
Step 6
Flip the chicken over so that it’s breast side down. Tie the twine around the neck so that it’s holding down the wings. Make sure the knot is secure, then cut off any excess string.
Milanese Meat and Vegetable Stew
Milanese Stew, or Stufato Milanese: Almost every region of Italy has a stew or pot roast, it calls its own. This variation is Milanese, and it will also work well with lamb or pork; the important thing is that the pieces of meat not be too small, because if they’re small then the dish is a spezzatino as opposed to a stufato. The quality of the red wine is important; don’t use something you wouldn’t want to drink — and also, be careful not to overcook it.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds beef (chuck or a similar cut suited for pot roasting)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or Smart Balance Butter Blend
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot, chopped
- A bay leaf
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- Canned beef broth
- Flour
- Dry red wine (For example, Valcalepio Rosso, or Valpolicella), enough to cover the meat
- 2 cloves garlic
- Freshly ground nutmeg ( a pinch)
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
Dust the meat with some freshly ground pepper, a little salt, and a pinch of nutmeg. Put it in a bowl and add wine to cover; let it sit in the refrigerator for at least six hours, turning it occasionally.
Slice the onion and sauté it in the butter in a Dutch Oven until golden. Remove the onion from the pan. Remove the meat from the marinade, reserving the marinade, and pat the meat dry. Flour it and brown it in the pan drippings. Then return the onions to the pan, add the remaining ingredients and the reserved marinade, cover, and cook at the barest simmer for about 4 hours. Check on it occasionally, and, to keep the meat covered with liquid, add a little beef broth to the pot, as needed.
Served with Polenta.
Charlotte alla Milanese
Charlottes fall into the category of dolci semifreddi, in other words chilled desserts. They are also generally much more elaborate than this version, generally calling for liqueur, whipped cream, candied fruit, and all sorts of other things. In short, they’re desserts for when company is expected. So is this Milanese Charlotte, though not so much for the ingredients as for the presentation.
6-8 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 pounds tart apples, such as Granny Smith
- 3/4 cup sugar or 6 tablespoons Truvia Baking Blend
- 2 tablespoons butter or Smart Balance Butter Blend
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 jigger Rum
- The grated zest of a lemon
- Thinly sliced Italian bread, about 16 slices
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Place apples, 1/2 cup sugar (or a 1/4 cup of Truvia), lemon zest and wine in a heavy saucepan. Pour in water to cover completely. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered 15 minutes.
Place raisins in a small bowl and cover with warm water. Let soak 10 minutes, then drain and reserve.
In a small bowl, cream together butter and 2 tablespoons sugar or 1 tablespoon of Truvia until well combined. Coat the bottom and sides of a 2-quart round baking dish (or a Charlotte Mold) with this butter-sugar mixture.
Line bottom and sides of the baking dish with bread slices, overlapping slightly. Drain the apples and combine them with the drained raisins. Spoon the fruit mixture into the lined dish. Cover the top with the remaining bread. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar or 1 tablespoon of Truvia.
Bake in the preheated oven 1 hour.
To serve, pour rum over the warm charlotte and light it with a long match or kitchen torch to brown the top.
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