Horsd’oeuvres
The “horsd’oeuvre” of Lario includes fish, for example “missoltini”, meat (nervetti and sausages), savouries of vegetables, as gherkins, peppers, mushrooms and small onions, in oil or vinigar.
Fish pate of Cavedano in gelatine
Cavedano is a delicate sweet water fish but beware of the bones! To catch this fish. the fishermen on Lake Como use a particular technique called “tirlindana” where a number of ……………. are placed in rows, perpendicular, between a floating barge and the fishing boat. This fish is not generally sold commercially but it is fairly easy to find a fisherman selling the cavedano fish.
The season : summer and autumn
Difficulty : åå
Preparation time : 1 hour
Serves: 8
Ingrediants:
1 kg. Cavedano fillets
100 gm. Lard
100 gm. Butter
½ clove of garlic
2 onions
1 small glass of gognac
½ glass of white wine
¼ l. of gelatine
4 slices of whole wheat bread
salt and pepper
marjoram
Method:
Chop the onion and brown in a little butter.
To the onion add the cavedano in small pieces, the marjoram, pepper and then pour in the white wine. Allow the liquid to evaporate. Cool, then pass through a sieve two times. Add the remaining butter (diced), the cognac and the lard. Prepare the gelatine and pour a little into the bottom of a bowl and leave to cool. When cool pour in the soft pate and cover with the remaining gelatine. Leave to cool in the refridgerator.
Serve sliced with bread.
Missoltini
The “missultit” is a lake fish, the “agone”. To become a “missoltino”, it undergoes a long and difficult operation. Take away the entrails, put much salt on them and put them in a tin, add a lot of salt again. Turn them every 12 hours. The quantity of the salt very and very important for the result. After about 2 days, wash the fish, transfix the agoni with a cord and hang them outside to dry at the open air. Leave them for a few days and after that put the fish in a tin (the “misolta” was once in wood) adding some laurel leaves. The tins are closed with a wood top that presses the fish, increased adding on it some other tins. Pressing the fish oil comes out. This proceeding is a craft and it’s really very difficult to prepare them by yourselves. You’ll find in the best shops. Very fast and easy to cook, it’s wonderful with the roasted polenta.
Red and young wine matches well.
The season: all year
Difficulty: ĺ
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
12 missoltini (ca. 800 gr.)
2 spoons of parsley
vinegar
oil
6 slices of roasted polenta
Method:
Put missoltini on a grill, enough warm, a bit inclined, to avoid that fish fry with their oil. Grill for a few minutes and put the missoltini on a plate where you will add the minced parsley, vinegar and oil. Serve with roasted polenta.
Carpione fish
Although the recipe is for the fish carpione’ other varieties of fish can be used instead. Carpione is a prized sweet water fish that is becoming rare. It is possible to find it in lake Garda but the fishing regulations are strict.
Season: Spring and Summer
Difficulty : ċċ
Prearation time: 60 mins.
Serves: 6
Ingrediants:
6 Agoni
600 gm. Alborelle
oil for frying
150 gm. flour
½ onion
1 carrot
½ stem of celery
1 clove of garlic
3 cloves
5 peppercorns
500 ml. Vinegar
1 bunch of thyme
20 gm. parsley
salt
Method:
Clean the agoni and alborelle well including the insides. Rinse and dry. Flour and fry the fish in hot oil. When cooked, drain and place in a dish (preferably of terracotta or earthenware). Chop the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and saute in some oil. Then add the thyme, peppercorns and cloves. Then mix in the wine and the vinegar and bring it to boil. Pour the sauce over the fish. Add the chopped parsley and cover. Serve cold. Accompany with a red wine or a rose ( not too bubbly)
Filascetta
Originally a recipe from Dongo and Alto Lago
Season: every
Difficulty: å
Preparation Time: about 2 hours
Ingredients:
400 gr. red onions
400 gr. bread dough
150 gr. cheese (stringy, not too fatty!)
50 gr. butter
A pinch of sugar
Salt
Oil for the baking tray
Method:
Soften in butter the sliced onions for approximately an hour; keep the flame low so that the onions do not take a dark color and therefore become bitter. Add a pinch of salt when they are cooked.
Moisten the bread dough with little lukewarm water then knead for a few minutes. Shape the dough into a ring form directly onto the baking tray or into a cake tin.
Distribute the onions over the dough, then the cheese and a pinch of sugar.
Place in a pre-heated oven of 190° and cook for approximately half hour.
