Typical First Courses of Liguria: A Journey Through Flavors and Tradition

Typical First Courses of Liguria: A Journey Through Flavors and Tradition

Liguria is a land of breathtaking contrasts: from cliffs overlooking the crystal-clear sea to the olive groves and vineyards of the interior. But the true soul of Liguria is also found in its unique flavors and culinary traditions. The pasta-based first courses, in particular, tell stories of the sea and the land, of simple and genuine ingredients transformed into gastronomic masterpieces. Let’s discover together some of the most iconic first courses of Ligurian cuisine that will make you fall in love with our region at the table!

Trofie al Pesto

Perhaps the most famous dish of Liguria, trofie al pesto, is a true symbol of Ligurian cuisine. Trofie is a short pasta, twisted on itself, made with durum wheat flour and water. Pesto alla genovese, made with fresh basil, pine nuts, garlic, Parmigiano Reggiano, Pecorino, extra virgin olive oil, and a pinch of salt, is the perfect accompaniment to this pasta. The secret to good pesto lies in the freshness of the ingredients and the preparation technique, preferably with a marble mortar and wooden pestle.

Trenette al Pesto

Trenette is another type of Ligurian pasta, similar to linguine. Traditionally served with pesto alla genovese, they are often enriched with potatoes and green beans, cooked directly in the same water as the pasta. This dish represents a perfect balance of flavors and textures, where the creaminess of the pesto combines with the sweetness of the potatoes and the freshness of the green beans.

Pansoti with Walnut Sauce

Pansoti, or pansotti, are ravioli filled with a mix of local wild herbs called “preboggion.” These ravioli are then served with a delicious walnut sauce, made with walnuts, garlic, Parmesan, bread soaked in milk, and extra virgin olive oil. This dish is an explosion of flavors, where the sweetness of the walnuts and the taste of the herbs blend in perfect harmony.

Corzetti della Val Polcevera

Corzetti, or croxetti, are a traditional pasta from Val Polcevera, characterized by their round shape and a pattern impressed on each piece. These designs, often made with special wooden stamps, can vary from floral motifs to family crests. Corzetti are usually served with a pine nut, butter, and sage sauce, or with a simple tomato and basil sauce.

Testaroli al Pesto

Originating from the Lunigiana, an area between Liguria and Tuscany, testaroli is a very particular type of pasta. These are thin discs of dough cooked on a testo, a cast iron or terracotta griddle. Once cooked, the testaroli are cut into squares and seasoned with pesto alla genovese or with oil and cheese. Their unique texture and rustic flavor make them a truly special dish.

Mandilli de Saea

Also known as “silk handkerchiefs,” mandilli de saea are large, fresh lasagna sheets, extremely thin and delicate. They are usually served with pesto alla genovese, which adheres perfectly to the smooth surface of the pasta, creating a perfect combination of flavor and texture.

Minestrone alla Genovese

Perhaps not everyone knows that our fresh vegetable minestrone, known worldwide, owes its origins to the sea. In the port of Genoa, there were “catrai,” real floating inns set on boats or small barges that offered minestrone to sailors, which, with its green freshness, was a great comfort after long periods spent eating dry biscuits and salted foods. The dish belongs to the traditional poor cuisine typical of Liguria: its ingredients are easily obtainable natural products, such as seasonal vegetables and legumes: potatoes, beans, zucchini, chard, borage, and pasta called “scuccuzzù” or even rice, as well as the indispensable basil pesto (baxaicò).

Ravioli di Borragine

Ravioli are for all of us the dishes of Sunday lunch at grandma’s: usually filled with borage, a wild herb that grows in our countryside, Parmesan, marjoram, and ricotta. They are served with various types of sauce like tomato or ragù, but the “purist” recipe provides them only with oil and aromatic herbs.

Did we whet your appetite?

Our cuisine offers a variety of first courses that reflect the richness of the territory but also the simplicity of local cooking. Each dish tells a story made of ancient traditions and genuine ingredients, skillfully transformed into recipes that have conquered palates around the world

Go Local! | La Cucina Bianca: discovering the gastronomic tradition of the Maritime Alps

Go Local! | La Cucina Bianca: discovering the gastronomic tradition of the Maritime Alps

If you are not a fish lover and therefore dismiss a trip to Liguria out of hand thinking that the cuisine is only seafood, you are making a big mistake! Are you familiar with Ligurian cuisine? In our hinterland, more specifically along the moors that separate us not only from lower Piedmont but also from France, the so-called ‘Strada della Cucina Bianca‘ (White Cuisine Route) winds its way, a food and wine itinerary that will amaze you thanks to its, literal and otherwise, distance from coastal cuisine. The flavours are those of the malghe, high mountain summer pastures, and express the simplicity of the cuisine of yesteryear, bringing to the table recipes based on poor ingredients such as eggs, milk, flour, butter and then vegetables such as leeks or potatoes: hence the adjective ‘white‘.

Our favourites
  • Il Brodo di Erbe Amare: a soup made with borage and nettle tips
  • Le Turle: ravioli filled with mint and potatoes
  • Le Raviore: unlike the Turle, these ravioli are filled only with various wild herbs (nettles, mint, luisa grass, etc.)
  • Gli Streppa e Caccia Là: literally ‘tear and throw there’, fresh pasta created from a mixture of water and flour whose shape is irregular (precisely because it is torn into pieces and put directly into the pot to cook)
  • Il Brusso: fermented ricotta cheese with a really strong flavour
  • I Bastardui: small dumplings kneaded with herbs

Celebrated at the end of August, in the small village of Mendatica, the famous festival of the same name will give you the chance to taste all these recipes on one occasion. However, the Cucina Bianca brings together several villages in one big embrace. You can also enjoy it in Cosio and Borghetto d’Arroscia, Montegrosso Pian Latte, Pieve di Teco, Acquetico, Monesi di Triora, Viozene, and on the Colle di Tenda.

Some addresses not to be missed
The typical biscuits of Liguria

The typical biscuits of Liguria

Among the specialities for which our region is known, there are few famous dessert recipes… but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t actually sweet treats to try.
But which do we think are the DOC Ligurian biscuits?

 The canestrelli

Canestrelli are flower-shaped shortbread biscuits belonging to the Ligurian tradition, created in the early 19th century in Torriglia near Genoa. The recipe includes only flour, butter, eggs and lots of sugar, but in some cases some lemon juice is also added.
Little curiosity: be careful asking for Canestrelli in Taggia: here the canestrello is a kind of salted cracker, made with our Taggiasco olive oil… delicious! You can find it in all the bakeries of the small town of Taggia.

Amaretti from Sassello

Sassello is a small town on the heights of Albisola, on a road connecting Liguria and Piedmont. It is famous for its particular macaroons that, compared to the better known Saronno macaroons, are softer and more crumbly.
The original recipe calls for sweet almonds, egg white, sugar and bitter almonds, but every pastry shop in Sassello boasts of having a secret ingredient. Other versions of these Ligurian amaretti, less common than those from Sassello, are the macaroons from Vallecrosia and the those from Gavenola, a hamlet of Borghetto d’Arroscia, both in the province of Imperia.

Baci from Alassio

Alassio is a famous seaside resort in the province of Savona, where back in 1919 Rinaldo Balzola, of the famous pastry which bears his name (and is still in business today)  patented this sweet that became famous among the town’s rich tourists from all over Europe.
The recipe? Roasted hazelnuts, sugar, bitter cocoa, honey, eggs, egg whites, dark chocolate for the cream.

From Alassio, these Baci actually spread a little throughout Liguria, and now several towns, including Sanremo, boast their own typical baci, which are exactly the same product as the baci created in Alassio.

Biscotti Lagaccio

These biscuits are the real biscuits of Ligurian grandmothers, who use to crumble or dip them in their cup of milk in the morning.Halfway between a biscuit and a rusk, they bear the name of a neighbourhood in Genoa.
They are often confused with Salute biscuits typical of the Ovada area in Piedmont, but they are actually two different products. They were first produced in a bakery in Genoa in 1593 and were originally slices of toasted bread to be eaten during sea crossings as a substitute for galettes. All you need to make them is flour, butter, brewer’s yeast and sugar.

Let us say, however, that our customers’ favourite goodness is the shortbread and biscuits made by our Bruna, the legendary baker from Borgomaro who bakes hundreds of pastries for us during our season. And it is precisely these that you find at our five o’clock tea and on our breakfast buffet that both young and old go crazy for

In the kitchen with Mamma Piera | Stuffed Genoese Cima Meat

In the kitchen with Mamma Piera | Stuffed Genoese Cima Meat

Preparation 45 min

Cooking time 2h and 20 min

Portions 6

Total Time 3h and 5 min

Calories 425

Ingredients

  • 1 breast pocket of veal, about 900 g
  • 1 onion
  • 1 carrot
  • 2 bay leaves. For the stuffing: 200 g minced veal
  • 200 g sweetbreads
  • 2 eggs
  • 100 g breadcrumbs
  • 200 g chard
  • 3 tablespoons peas
  • 2 tablespoons pine nuts
  • 50 g of lard
  • 40 g of Grana Padano cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped marjoram
  • milk
  • salt

PROCEDURE

Prepare the filling: boil the chard in salted water, squeeze and chop it. Blanch sweetbreads for a few minutes in lightly salted water, drain and dice them. Mince the lard. Let the breadcrumbs soften in a bowl of milk and squeeze them out.

 

Gather everything in a large bowl, add the eggs and grated Parmesan cheese, minced veal, pine nuts, peas, marjoram, salt and pepper and carefully mix the mixture. With this stuff the veal pocket, sew the opening with white kitchen thread and tie the meat like a roast. Soak it in 3 liters of cold water along with the onion, carrot and bay leaves, place on the stove and cook, letting it simmer for a good 2 hours.

 

Drain the meat, place it between two plates, place a weight on top so that it has the typical flattened shape, and let it cool.

The top 5 aperitif bars in Imperia

The top 5 aperitif bars in Imperia

Apericena, aperifritto, aperipizza… in short, the art of the aperitivo is now a typically Italian must! In Italy, the expression ‘taking an aperitif’ no longer means just enjoying a good drink, but doing so while munching on something (free of charge) such as scones, pizzettine, pancakes, mini-portions of salad, in short, more generally finger food.  And not the usual nuts and chips, for goodness sake, don’t deny us a bit of healthy spilucching (spiluccare: to munch on smth). After all, a worldwide famous italian singer, Al Bano, says it himself: ‘a glass of wine, with a sandwich… happiness!’

But thinking about it, the aperitif is a good tool to discover the food and wine traditions of any city in a short time, to understand its customs and fashions, to get a different cultural point of view, isn’t it?  Or are you maybe thinking this is our usual excuse to have a good drink?

I swear not, it is just the right occasion to discover the 5 bars for an aperitif in Imperia!

Bar La Torre

We set off from Porto Maurizio (to my great regret as a pure Onegliese DOC) to open the dances with a bar that, strictly speaking, was originally located in my beloved Oneglia, the eastern part of Imperia, and has now moved to the westernmost tip of the city. Watchword: sea view.

Fulvio and Fabrizio’s Bar la Torre attracts everyone, from every corner of our charming little town, partly because the location is perhaps totally out of competition in terms of beauty, and then because the two of them – the owners – are friendliness made flesh. You will find a nice list of cocktails that will not leave your mouth watering!

A Cuvea du Baffu

OK, let’s go on with the most popular. Federico, known as Baffo (mustache) has managed to give immense lustre to this bar, not even that small, in a super strategic position in Imperia. The bar is just the right amount of rustic, with a touch of modernity.  Good variety of wines and cocktails, small plates served at the table that will make you stop thinking about dinner, friendliness and efficiency. Totally adequate prices.

Monkeys

We raise the bar in terms of location (just look outside) and product offering (just look inside).

A tiny bar on the promenade of the old port of Oneglia hides a treasure trove of more than a thousand different bottles, all displayed behind the bar. Dark but chill atmosphere. Their small plate of appetisers, Antonella knows, will not score them many points in this classification, while their first place as a drink selection is indisputable. Slightly higher than average prices.

Taste of Surf

Surf is new on the Imperia scene, but it won everyone over immediately. A real breath of fresh air, a new perspective with which to frame the aperitif in our town, but with careful study behind every preparation.

Tradition and innovation coming together, in short. “A cuisine that looks to the future, without forgetting its origins.”  The cocktails, accompanied by tasty tapas that you can order à la carte, will amaze you with their balance, originality and refinement. Slightly higher than average prices.

Frisciolata & Fainà

We conclude our list with a real new entry! Frisciolata & Fainà occupies, geographically, the place of the old Bacan in the historic centre of Oneglia. The name, typically Ligurian, means ‘Farinata & Farinata’ – names declined in Ligurian dialect, with the same literal translation but… with a substantial difference! Frisciolata is the typical farinata from Imperia, in which we find spring onions cut into rounds as an extra ingredient, while Fainà is the white, classic farinata.

Here you will not only find these delicacies served as accompaniments, but you are sure to enjoy nice cocktails and excellent local wines!

 

The paella and Saracen mussels festival: two events not to be missed in Borgomaro!

The paella and Saracen mussels festival: two events not to be missed in Borgomaro!

“No! Had we known, we would have stayed an extra weekend!” and “Phew! We would have arrived a day earlier if we had known!” are exactly the two phrases most often repeated by our customers when they discover they have just missed the Borgomaro festivals, the traditional and immortal ritual that enlivens the summer evenings of our Impero Valley and beyond.

In fact, you should know that the sagra originates as a typical festival for the patron saint of a village, during which other activities such as fairs, dances, and various entertainments can also take place. This is a type of celebration that here in Liguria, especially in the hinterland, is still synonymous with fun, revelry and goliardy, even among the youngest.

In fact, the term ‘sagra‘ is no longer used only to define the celebration of the patron saint, but the extension of the term generally encompasses a large village party accompanied by good food, wine and lots of music. Normally, all this is made possible by the collaboration of the municipal administration and the local Pro Loco, in this case the U Castello association, which for decades now has succeeded in the magical feat of bringing us all together to give us these magical evenings. Suffice it to say that my parents took their first steps, first words and first dances together on the smooth, festively decorated slate squares where young people of their age used to meet in the evenings for dancing and chatting… not movida and discos!

Generally speaking, each town proposes an annual event in the summer (normally on Saturdays, but possibly also an entire weekend) where during dinner a typical dish is served, among the many culinary proposals, which will then give its name to the evening (e.g.: the festival of fried bread). We, in Borgomaro, propose two dates… because we know how to cook so well that we didn’t want you to miss anything! Would you like to know what the specialities are?

I can see you scratching your tummies with your mouths watering!

First of all, these are dinners en plein air: long wooden benches, large tables, farmer’s wine (as Elena likes to call it) and off to crowd the carruggi. Very good, very spartan, but that’s how we like it!

The ticket office opens at 19:00/19:30 and the plan is based on a single rule: grab the first seats! Don’t delay, scramble through the crowd as if that plate of kebabs was the last one left on the face of the earth. Once you’ve got your tickets at the till, if you are lucky enough to have a partner by your side, send him or her straight to the queue for the evening’s main course, or that steaming juicy portion of fresh pasta will alas remain just a memory.

In the meantime it’s time to take care of the liquids: look for the BAR till and stock up on what you need, then it’s time to find a vacant spot where you can settle in to wait for the glorious return of your partner holding the tray of delicacies.

All right, all right, you want to know what we eat and especially when we eat. Here are the dates, I’ll see you there and whoever doesn’t come is a belinone!

Last weekend in May: her majesty the reina paella (remember what I told you about scoffing like it was the last dish in the world? Here, keep that in mind)

Early or mid-July weekend: take note, you will have the opportunity to taste President Mino’s inimitable Saracen mussels, which for years now have been making people flock to our square from all over. A word of advice? Pick up some bread and don’t forget to make the very Italian scarpetta in the cooking sauce!

And for those who don’t like any of these three dishes? Fear not: rabbit Ligurian style, the famous minestrone, ratatuia, condiglione, gorgonzola and quintals of grilled meat await you!