Santa ricotta! If you've watched the Disney and Pixar film Luca, you likely have Cinque Terre front of mind, so we thought we'd compile some Ligurian recipes to temporarily transport you there. Should you want to channel Italian Rivieria vibes at home and/or get you stoked for your next trip, here are five Ligurian recipes to try.
1. Trenette al Pesto (or any pasta al pesto)
Craving a trenette al pesto of your own after watching Luca and Alberto dig into theirs with their bare hands? There's arguably no dish as emblematic as Liguria as this creamy, earthy, fresh, and slightly sweet pasta preparation, and it's relatively easy to prepare at home. You can find our trenette al pesto recipe here, which calls for making the pesto in the most time-efficient manner: in a blender or food processor. If you want to prepare it with a mortar and pestle, follow the below recipe. Trofie is a short, rolled pasta found in Liguria that's almost always served with pesto.
2. Focaccia
Focaccia features prominently in Luca. Not only is it the bread of choice for those seemingly three-foot-long sandwiches preferred by Ercole, the Vespa-riding bully, it's also the name of his boat. Focaccia bears several regional incarnations in Italy, though the Genoese version tends to be the first to spring to mind when one thinks of the flatbread, and that just so happens to be the type depicted in Luca.
Soft and pillowy, focaccia alla Genoese is always finished with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. There's the plain version of course, but you can also find sandwich-sized “rolls” as well as focaccia with assorted toppings such as rosemary, pesto, cheese, potatoes, onions, and tomatoes with marjoram. Fun fact: For breakfast, Ligurians actually dip the classic version into their cappuccinos. (Yes, you read that correctly.)
3. Stuffed Anchovies
You don't have to witness Massimo and his fellow fishermen haul the day's catch into the harbor to recognize that seafood abounds in the seaside Cinque Terre. One fun fact, though, is that Monterosso is so famous for its anchovies (le acciughe di Monterosso) that the silvery swimmers are nicknamed pan du ma, the local dialect for “bread of the sea” – the water is said to contain a particular salinity that gives them their distinct delicate flavor.
Fishermen set out after sunset to catch the anchovies alla lampara, a method named for the special lamps that lure the fish to the surface. Anchovies are served all around Cinque Terre and beyond, from fried to lemon-cured to picked to stuffed. The recipe for the latter follows – it's an old prepartion born from Italy's cibo povero waste-free philosophy and one that's not found everywhere.
4. Focaccia di Recco
The most “un-focaccia-like” focaccia you'll ever taste, Focaccia di Recco warrants a spot on this list even though it's not in the film – if you've ever tasted it, you'll understand why. This type of focaccia originated in the town of Recco, located in the province of Geona. It comprises two yeast-free paper-thin sheets of dough sandwiching prescinsêua, crescenza, or stracchino cheese, and emerges from the oven crispy, gooey, and salty. Focaccia di Recco is protected by a consortium which states that this style of focaccia can't be called Focaccia di Recco unless it's made in Recco. Outside of Recco, this style goes by focaccia col formaggio (focaccia with cheese).
5. Fried Milk
Gelato abounds in Luca. Sure, you can make it at home, but let's be honest – it's just not the same as savoring a cone while strolling the quaint and colorful narrow lanes of Cinque Terre. So, here's the next best thing, a recipe that also has milk at its core: Genoese latte fritto, or fried milk. The homestyle dolce is rather simple, though it does require 12 hours of refrigeration. If you're going to give it a whirl, plan accordingly. If you're seeking a more adventurous sweet, here's a recipe for Ligurian Sacripantina Cake.