In Italy, we don’t exactly have a designated menu for Day of the Dead (the Italian Halloween) or All Saints’ Day, but we do have a few traditional dishes that are customary to serve for the holiday – all of which come from the peasant cuisine of a by-gone era featuring seasonal ingredients and produce. Meaning that chestnuts, pumpkin, spice and fava beans abound! So – get your kitchen ready and let’s make some special dishes to celebrate the holiday with the family!
Chickpea soup (with pumpkin)
For Day of the Dead in Italy, chickpea soup (sometimes boiled with fava beans) was already a common recipe during the Middle Ages. Back then, it was a dish distributed to the poor during this season. Nowadays, however, there are quite a few different recipes – varying from region to region as recipes so often do here on the peninsula. One of our favorite versions features the addition of pumpkin. To make it, just add diced pumpkin to the same pan as the chickpeas (after boiling the chickpeas) with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and chopped onion. Brown all the ingredients for a few minutes and then cover with hot vegetable stock and continue cooking until the pumpkin softens. Blend half of the soup and leave the rest as is. Mix and serve.
Zuppa alla canavesana (Canavesana soup)
This is a very old recipe from Piedmont. It’s a cabbage soup cooked in a pot with bacon and lard then covered with broth. Serve it hot with toasted bread crostini and baked au gratin in the oven with a layer of cheese on top until golden-brown.
Bagna cauda
Another very famous dish of Piedmontese origins. Make it by melting anchovies in hot butter sautéed with a few cloves of garlic. Serve hot with steamed vegetables.
Chestnut risotto
This risotto recipe is perfect for this season and it’s made in different versions throughout Italy. Just peel fresh chestnuts and crumble them into the risotto while it’s cooking with the broth. Or you can do the same using already-boiled chestnuts. Add plenty of freshly chopped rosemary for flavor.
Carne salada
Carne salada is a specialty from Trentino. It’s made with a select cut of salted beef from the region (that’s cured with herbs and spices) and white wine. Served as a kind of carpaccio, carne salada is best served with thinly sliced cabbage and diced green apple.
Savoy cabbage with nuts
Savoy cabbage is one of the most popular vegetables during this season and it’s one of the side dishes par excellence on Day of the Dead. Cut the cabbage into thin strips and sauté in a pan with butter and chopped onion. Then blend it with vegetable broth. Let the broth cook and reduce until the vegetables are quite creamy. Complete with freshly chopped walnuts. Now, for the desserts – the most important part of Day of the Dead or All Saints’ Day! Here are some of Italy’s most famous recipes.
Ossa dei morti (Bones of the dead)
These cookies are typical of All Saints' Day. Make them by chopping 250 g toasted almonds with 150 g sugar. Then mix in 1 whipped egg white and 150 g flour. Add spices like cinnamon and clove. Shape the cookies into “bones” and bake in the oven. Serve with vin santo.
@Wikipedia
Pan de mei
This is an ancient Milanese recipe. Traditionally, pan de mei was made to celebrate St. George on the 23rd of April (the patron saint of milkmen), since it was traditionally soaked in milk. Make it by mixing equal parts cornflour with all purpose flour. Then knead the flour with butter, warm milk, brewer's yeast, lemon peel and elderflower. Form loaves, let them rise and bake!
Castagnaccio (Sweet Tuscan chestnut focaccia)
This recipe is a traditional Tuscan dessert made with chestnut flour. The dough is made with flour and water, then baked in a pan after decorating it with pine nuts, raisins and rosemary.