Newly installed in his role as governor ofRotary District 2080, Luciano Di Martino, made a request to the club rather than commit moneyto the usual welcome dinner or for a possiblerecall on the occasion of official visits by thegovernor, give away a recipe of traditional localcuisine . The response of full and enthusiasticsupport has allowed us to collect a rich amountof information for each culinary region of Lazioand Sardinia.

So it was designed this book - very specialprecious pearl in the treasure chest of Italiancuisine - you see the light at the end of theRotary year, and then, on the eve of the returnof the vertices district. In addition to a nicetestimony of the spirit of friendly cooperationbetween the clubs, the volume will helpinstitutional action: the entire proceeds from itsdistribution is, in fact, intended for humanitariansolidarity programs that are the reason and thepurpose of Rotary International.

ROTARY INTERNATIONALDistretto 2080 - ItaliaRoma Lazio Sardegna

WHAT IS ROTARY?

The Rotary is an international, non-political and non-sectarian formed by professional managers andexecutives who work in volunteer projects andhumanitarian initiatives, promoting good will andpeace among peoples. Founded in 1905, currentlycomprises approximately 1,250,000 people of everyrace, culture around the world.

Professor Luciano Di Martino was born in Cagliari,where he graduated in medicine and surgery withthe highest honors and specialized in generalsurgery and urology. Lecturer in pathology andsurgical special introductory clinic, was chiefsurgeon at the oncology hospital Businco ofCagliari, adjunct professor in the graduate schoolof general surgery of the University of Cagliari,director of special school national association ofsurgeons breast surgery Italian Hospital, Presidentof the Italian society of surgical oncology, VicePresident of the Italian Society of surgery, memberof the European Board of surgery, as well asholding positions specialist advice and abroad. Hecurrently directs the unit of breast nursing homeSt. Anthony of Cagliari. Is the author of over 250scientific publications. For over 30 years dealingwith the treatment of breast cancer, both attherapeutic that plastic reconstructive, and hasperformed more than 5,000 surgical procedures forthis disease. And 'Gold Medal of Merit of the publichealth. Since 1985 he is a member of the RotaryClub Cagliari east, of which he is past president.Within the District 2080 Rotary has held numerouspositions, and among other things he was chairmanof the Committee on Youth Exchange, a sector thathas organized numerous conferences andprograms, including international. in this Rotaryyear he is the district governor.

2009-2010 ROTARY YEAR

ROTARY INTERNATIONALDISTRICT 2080

ITALYRoma Lazio Sardinia

since the proceeds from every copy will help to increase the resources we devote to our charitable

activities.

I can only thank you all for this extraordinary achievement. As well as the cooks (Rotarian

cooks, destined to remain anonymous even though they were the main players in this initiative),

I would like to thank those – in various roles – who participated in the making of this book, starting

with Daniel Borgia (governor’s assistant – Rome club) who offered the expertise of his printing

house in Rome free of charge and Giorgio Orlando (president of the district commission for the

enhancement and preservation of artistic heritage – Subiaco club) who oversaw the essential

contacts and the editorial appearance of the book, interacting with the illustrators, who are also

from the Rotarian sphere and can testify to the interconnection between the culture of the palate

and the arts: painters Rosy Bianco of Aprilia Cisterna and Massimo Pennacchini of the Velletri club;

the designers for the Sardinian part involved in the Bartoli-Felter art foundation (Cagliari club);

Lorenza Priano (Nuoro club); Francesco Miscioscia’s graphic and photographic studio in Rome

(Rome Centennial club). Lastly, allow me to thank the tireless editor that my wife, Gemma, turned

out to be, to whom we owe the painstaking work of collecting, cataloguing, sorting, adjusting,

syntax checking and editing to ensure the clarity of the recipes described in these pages.

My compliments and thanks to all of you.

Luciano Di Martino

District 2080 Governor

For the Rotary year 2009-2010

Loved the world over for its rich cuisine, Italy is a repository of recipes which have been sought

out, studied, described and popularized both in theory and in practice. From Pellegrino Artusi’s “The

Art of Eating Well” to the prestigious Academy of Italian Cuisine, this particular culture of ours

which has been nurtured thanks to family traditions and dozens of books, encyclopaedias, essays,

reviews, series and publications originating from the various local customs from Brennero to Etna.

This book, however, is special, because it is in a category of its own. It may be a gallery of

recipes, but it has nothing in common with a scientific research programme, a selection of

proposals or even catalogue of a rational nature. It was created by a small army of people who

are not after fame, nor are they part of a specialised élite, but are simply tied to familiar customs

and tastes, united by a love for cooking and by the ideal of the great Rotary family.

This book comes from within the clubs, from within the rotary houses. It is the result of

voluntary adherence to an appeal that I launched almost a year ago, as soon as I was presented

with the Governor’s collar of our District, under a slogan closely bound to our moral service: «Less

to eat at dinner, dinners for more people». The intention was to encourage clubs to be more

parsimonious on official occasions and display particular sobriety during visits by the governor,

which are usually celebrated with a sumptuous (and therefore costly) dinner. Avoiding a reception’s

pomposity and being content to offer a simple array of frugal dishes (perhaps even a buffet)

means spending wisely, without sacrificing our merry conviviality. I felt it was an initiative which

was in line with our spirit of solidarity and the indications of our international president, John

Kenny, according to whom it is difficult “to speak of hunger in the world while you are gorging

yourself”… I asked the clubs to devolve the savings made from modest dinners to PolioPlus and

other priority projects of The Rotary Foundation or any of our institutional activities.

At the same time, I proposed that a local recipe suggested by a good Rotarian cook should be

offered to the governor as a souvenir of the evening. With a recipe from each club it would be

possible to have an interesting collection of special culinary recommendations, which could even

be the subject of a publication also aimed at raising funds for charity.

The response was far greater than I could have hoped for. With obvious enthusiasm, each club

offered more than one recipe, accompanied by indications on ingredients, quantities and cooking

and serving instructions. Almost a competition of taste and joyful participation, the results of

which can be found in the pages of this beautiful and interesting book, created through the efforts

of everyone, valuable testimony to Italian gastronomic creativity, symbolized by two of the most

characteristic regions in this field, Lazio and Sardinia. From a Cassino dish to a typically Roman one,

from a Bonorva dish to a Campidanese one, these pages offer a mosaic of representative culinary

languages and tastes.

This book, which many ladies of our club contributed to, will go on sale for charitable purposes,

Presentation

32

GENERAL INDEX

ROME

PAGE

Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Pasta, rice and soup . . . . . . . .17

Meat main dishes . . . . . . . . . .32

Fish main dishe . . . . . . . . . . .43

Side dishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Desserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

LAZIO

PAGE

Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70

Pasta, rice and soup . . . . . . . .77

Meat main dishes . . . . . . . . . .85

Fish main dishe . . . . . . . . . . .93

Side dishes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Desserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

SARDINIA

PAGE

Starters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115

Pasta, rice and soup . . . . . . .121

Meat main dishes . . . . . . . . .130

Fish main dishe . . . . . . . . . .140

Desserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .149

FRIED PUMPKIN FLOWERSYou will need 3 or 4 very fresh pumpkin flowers with the pistil removed.Open them carefully and fill them with a small piece of anchovy and a small cubeof mozzarella. Prepare a fairly dense batter using flour, water and salt, dip thestuffed flowers in the batter and stir fry them.

ROMAN STYLE PIZZA WITH CHICORYIngredients for the dough:350g of type 00 flour20g of brewer’s yeast200 ml of water100g of olive oilsalt to taste

For the filling:1 ½ kg of chicory300g of mortadella2 cloves of garlic

MethodPut the flour in a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the middle of it using warm waterand begin kneading it, adding salt, oil and more water if required. You need thedough to be soft and it has to leaven for around 30/40 minutes, so in the meantime,boil the chicory in salted water, drain, squeeze and cut it.Use a pan to sauté 2 cloves of garlic and a little chili pepper with some olive oil. Oncethe garlic is browned, remove it and put in the chicory for 5 minutes on a high heatso that it absorbs some of the flavour.Cut the mortadella into small pieces. Take an approx. 30 cm baking tray which hasbeen greased and dusted with flour and roll out half of the raised dough (the doughmust be of medium thickness, not high) and distribute half the mortadella in layers,then the chicory, followed by the remaining half of mortadella. Cover the rest ofthe dough and baste using egg yolk. Cooking time is 25 minutes at approximately150° C.

BRUSCHETTAIngredients:1 Loaf of homemade bread (400g loaf) – 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil –2 cloves of garlic – 2 pinches of salt

MethodCut the bread into slices and toast it, on hot charcoals or under a very hot oven grill,on both sides for 2 minutes. Blend 5 tablespoons of oil with 2 pinches of salt. Rubthe toasted slices with the garlic, pour on the oil and serve hot.

PANZANELLAA simple, yet tasty bread salad recipe.Lightly moisten a slice of homemade bread, break a very mature red tomato in halfand rub the bread with it until all the juice is absorbed, then season with oil, salt,a few drops of vinegar and basil leaves.

SUPPLÌFor 12 rice balls: 200g of rice and ragù sauce prepared as indicated below.Ragù sauce: Take a good quality piece of meat, usually beef, season it with salt andpepper and start cooking it with fried lard mirepoix made up of ½ an onion, 1 carrot,1 stalk of celery and some parsley, all finely chopped. Once the meat is nicelybrowned, add ½ glass of red wine and let it evaporate. At this point you can add thetomatoes in the same quantity as the meat. Simmer slowly until the meat is cookedand the sauce has thickened.Boil the rice and then blend in the ragù sauce, add a beaten egg and plenty ofparmesan cheese. Then prepare the rice balls using the palm of the hand to shapethem into the size of a large egg, placing a piece of mozzarella and a filling of yourchoice, made using minced meat or, better still, some bits of mushroom or chickenliver, inside it. Roll the rice balls in flour, the beaten egg and, lastly, bread crumbsand fry them in lots of oil.

12 13

Rome - Starters

CHICKEN LIVER CROSTINIThis is a popular, delicious, mouth-watering starter though you will find slightvariations throughout the Sabina region.

MethodPour a little olive oil into a pan, some coarsely chopped homemade ham, a clove ofgarlic, a few leaves of sage and the chicken liver. Salt lightly, pepper and cook well,turning continuously to stop the ingredients from sticking. Once done, arrange themon a cutting board, add some parsley, a few capers, some pickled vegetables andchop finely with a two-handled chopping knife. Pour the mixture into a bowl, adda knob of butter, some of the caper vinegar, salt to taste if needed, add pepper andblend it all together. Spread the mixture onto toasted slices of homemade bread.A variation on this recipe involves using onion in the mixture instead of garlic,chopping it all without pickles or capers and adding a few drops of lemon to themixture.(recipes taken from the book “Cousin Sabina” by Maria Giuseppina Truini Palomba, FrancoMuzzio Editore, 1991)

FRIED BORAGE ROLLSIngredients:flourmineral waterborage leaves mozzarella anchoviesoil for frying

MethodPrepare a batter that isn’t too liquid using flour, cold mineral water and a pinch ofsalt. Leave it to stand for a few minutes. In the meantime, prepare the borage leavesas follows: place the leaves on an anchovy fillet together with a slice of mozzarella,wrap the leaf in on itself and secure it using a toothpick. Dip these rolls in the batterand fry them in piping hot oil. Put them on an absorbent paper towel and serve.

PUMPKIN FLOWER PANCAKESIngredients:24 pumpkin flowers150g flour1 mozzarellaanchovy filletsmineral water, oil, salt

MethodPrepare a batter using the flour, cold sparkling mineral water and a pinch of salt. Letit stand for ten minutes or so. Rinse and dry the pumpkin flowers while trying, ifpossible, to remove the yellow pistil without breaking the flower. Put a piece ofanchovy fillet and a small cube of mozzarella in the flower. Submerge the flowersin the batter and put them in boiling oil. Drain them when they are a nice goldencolour. Dry them using absorbent paper towels and serve very hot.

CROSTONI WITH MOZZARELLA AND EGGIngredients:1 slice of bread per person1 egg per person mozzarellaoil and salt

MethodArrange the slices of bread (homemade and unsalted Terni bread is ideal) on abaking tray greased using oil, lay the slices of bread with a 1 cm high slice ofmozzarella on the tray and carefully break an egg on top. Sprinkle with salt andpepper, adding a drizzle of olive oil if you like.Bake at a moderate heat for about 10 minutes.

Lazio - Starters

7170

CAPPUNADA ALLA TABARKINAIngredients:Carloforte Gallette, tomatoes, onion, garlic, basil, tuna preserved in oil, cucumber (orCarloforte facusse - sweet cucumber), oil, vinegar and salt.

MethodBreak up the gallette and sprinkle them with water. Put chopped tomatoes on topof the biscuits together with slices of onion, chopped garlic and lots of choppedbasil. Dress with salt, oil and vinegar as needed. Slice up one or two facusse (sweetcucumbers). Drain the oil from the tuna, then add the tuna to the biscuits and mixeverything together well.

FRISCIOLI LONGHI FRITTERSIngredients:1 kg durum wheat flour1½ litres of lukewarm water1 small cube of brewer’s yeast1 glass of grappaoil for frying, a pinch of salt

MethodPut some flour and a pinch of salt into a bowl, preferably earthenware, add theyeast dissolved in some of the water and, slowly, almost all the remaining water andthe grappa. Work the mixture, which should not be too thick, but quite liquid. Youwill have to adjust the quantity of the ingredients to get the right consistencybecause the amount of water that is absorbed depends on the quality of the flour.Once the mixture is well worked, cover it with a cloth and put a blanket on top ofthat because it needs warmth to leaven well. It is ready after about ¼ of an hourwhen some bubbles appear on the surface of the mixture. Fry the fritters in very hotoil, using either a spoon to scoop up the mixture, a funnel for cakes or a pastry bagwith a nozzle to make the concentric circles, which give these fritters their name inGallura and make them so popular in the Tempiese carnival).Sprinkle with sugar and apples to taste.

MAMMA DINA’s PICKLED AUBERGINESIngredients:1 kg of small, round purple aubergines water and vinegar according to your tastegarlic according to your tastetwo bay leaves per jarcold pressed olive oil as needed salt

MethodPeel the aubergines, cut them in half and arrange them on the table, sprinkle themwith salt to remove the bitter taste, let them stand for half an hour and then sliceeach aubergine finely. In the meantime, prepare a pot of water with salt and vinegarand when the water boils, tip in the aubergine slices, cook them for 10 minutes, thendrain them and let them stand for a day in the fridge.Sterilize the jars in an oven at 250° C and, once they have cooled, fill them with theaubergine slices, chopped garlic and bay leaves, top up with oil, shut the jar andsterilize them, wrapped in a cloth, for 40 minutes in a hot water bath in a pot. Useas a starter, at an informal dinner with friends and as a sauce for main meat and fishdishes.

RIGOTTU FRISCU INSAORIDU – FLAVOURED FRESH RICOTTAIngredients:200g of sheep’s milk ricotta cheesea little parsleyrocketpeppersalt

MethodChop the parsley and the rocket finely, mix it carefully with the ricotta cheese anda pinch of salt and pepper. Serve with carasau bread.

Sardinia - Starters

116115