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Valle d'Aosta, northwestern Italy Techniques

5 techniques from Valle d'Aosta, northwestern Italy cuisine

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Valle d'Aosta, northwestern Italy

Camoscio in Salmì con Polenta Concia Valdostana

Valle d'Aosta, northwestern Italy

Chamois (camoscio) from the Gran Paradiso massif hung for four to five days, butchered, then marinated for 48 hours in Valle d'Aosta red wine (Donnas or Torrette), juniper berries, bay, rosemary, thyme, black pepper and sliced vegetables. The marinated pieces are drained, dried, then browned in lard in a heavy casserole. The strained marinade is reduced by half and added back to the pan with the browned meat; the salmì braises covered for two to three hours over very low heat. The cooking juices are enriched with bitter chocolate (a classical alpine technique) and adjusted with salt. Served over polenta concia — polenta enriched with Fontina and butter — absorbing the dark, complex braising sauce.

Valle d'Aosta — Meat & Poultry →

Costoletta di Vitello alla Valdostana con Fontina DOP

Valle d'Aosta, northwestern Italy

The defining second course of Valle d'Aosta bourgeois cooking: a thick (3 cm) veal chop butterflied to create a pocket, filled with a slice of Fontina DOP and optionally a slice of raw Valle d'Aosta ham (lardo or Jambon de Bosses). The pocket is pressed firmly shut and secured with toothpicks. The chop is dusted in flour, dipped in beaten egg, and pressed into fine breadcrumbs to create a thorough coating. It is then pan-fried in a generous quantity of clarified butter over medium-high heat — approximately four minutes per side — until deeply golden and the interior Fontina has melted. Served immediately with sautéed Valle d'Aosta mushrooms and braised seasonal vegetables.

Valle d'Aosta — Meat & Poultry →

Fonduta Valdostana con Pane di Segale Abbrustolito

Valle d'Aosta, northwestern Italy

The elemental Valle d'Aosta cheese preparation: Fontina DOP — the only cheese used, no substitutes — cubed and soaked in whole milk for two hours to soften and pre-hydrate. The cheese is then melted in a double boiler (bagnomaria) with butter, the soaking milk and egg yolks added progressively off direct heat. The technique demands patience: high heat causes the proteins to seize and the fat to separate. The resulting fonduta is poured over toasted rye bread (pane di segale) and sometimes finished with shaved white truffle from Alba when in season. Served as a primo piatto or as a sauce for gnocchi or polenta.

Valle d'Aosta — Eggs & Cheese →

Polenta Grassa Valdostana con Fontina e Burro di Montagna

Valle d'Aosta, northwestern Italy

The canonical polenta preparation of Valle d'Aosta, known locally as polenta grassa (fat polenta) or polenta concia. Stoneground yellow polenta — coarser than standard commercial maize flour — is cooked in salted water over a fire or induction plate, stirred continuously with a wooden paddle for 50–60 minutes until it comes away from the sides of the copper pot in a single mass. In the final ten minutes, generous quantities of diced Fontina DOP and cold unsalted mountain butter are added in stages, stirred in vigorously until fully incorporated and the polenta is shiny, very rich and pulls in long strings. Served immediately from the pot onto wooden boards or pre-warmed plates. Nothing else needed.

Valle d'Aosta — Rice & Grains →

Tegole Valdostane con Nocciole e Mandorle

Valle d'Aosta, northwestern Italy

Named for the curved roof tiles (tegole) they resemble, these wafer-thin biscuits are a signature of Valle d'Aosta confectionery. The batter is made from very finely ground toasted hazelnuts and almonds combined with icing sugar, egg whites and a trace of vanilla; no flour, no butter and no leavening. A thin layer is spread onto a silicone mat or well-buttered baking sheet using a small offset spatula, each disc about 8 cm in diameter. Baked at 180°C for 6–8 minutes until pale gold, they are removed immediately from the oven and draped over a rolling pin or curved mould while still pliable, setting into their characteristic curved shape within seconds.

Valle d'Aosta — Pastry & Baked →