Mugello 
Have you ever walked through a Marroneto? In Mugello, there are special .... go for a walk even without collecting the chestnuts is an experience, you find yourself among these ancient trees, steep terrain, with a view that is breathtaking. It is impossible not to mention the smells of the forest. It is impossible to describe, you smell and hear them inside the nostrils.
I still remember walking for so many years ago with old friends ... When
I did not know how much work there .. to hold and get a nice crop of brown. The cleaning of the land is carried out from mid August to late November in order to then allow the collection of brown, the soil must be "well-swept."
The work is done with brush cutters, chain saws, plucked .... hard work that occupies so many people, who owns the land and their willing friends and relatives.
Keep it clean and manage the forest Marroneto is a big job ... but made with love by those who own those lands, the lands of their parents or grandparents.
Praise son or grandson who carries on the tradition and makes a hard and difficult to maintain them.
The collection of fruits is a moment of joy, of do with friends, also involving the little ones. Then there is the sorting and distribution of fruits ... (divide the good from those buggy). Among
a break and the other a coffee or a glass of red wine, which warms the wet and cold days.
I do not know if it will honor this wonderful fruit, but I did this little risotto.
Ingredients for 6 persons: 500 gr
Rice Vialone Nano
2 onions of Certaldo
500 g semi-skimmed milk 200 gr
Prosciutto Toscano DOP in a single slice
6 slices of Prosciutto Toscano DOP
500 gr Brown Mugello IGP
Pepe Black Penja
50 g Pecorino di Moliterno Canestrato IGP
50 g Lard IGP
3 tablespoons Tuscan Olive Oil DOP Chianti
1 tablespoon mixed herbs (marjoram, thyme, parsley, chives)
This recipe was inspired by a recipe of my husband's family. In his home, is done for many years even if you completely forgotten where it came from (some regional recipe or a good book, who knows ...). Originally involved the use of Sardinian sausage, particularly with spicy pepper and fennel seeds, and a little cream to whip.
It also provided for cooking rice with vegetable broth.
During the contest
the blog "The edible food" in collaboration with the Society's Corkscrew
have changed some ingredients, preferring where possible the product PGI / PDO and replacing the sausage with Prosciutto Toscano PDO. The search for the replacement of the sausage was pretty simple, but needed a strong taste that prevailed on others too, I was torn between the Speck Alto Adige or the Tuscan ham, then also for neighborhood, we chose the latter. We also decided to give up the cream to be lighter on a plate already full-bodied flavors. First
be boiled chestnuts. The recipe contained the usual chestnuts of inspiration, but in this case, our region offers an excellent product as the Marrone del Mugello, so it was easy to find a worthy successor.
First boil the chestnuts are carved a little on the belly. Once cooked peel and remove the skins. At this stage we retain from those that are left whole because it will be used as the final decoration of the dish. The rest are still hot pass masher, you should do this while still hot otherwise it is an effort to crush the devil.
Cut the onion fine. The choice fell in Certaldo Onion, not being PGI or PDO is a typical product of our parts. Given the time of the year on the market are sold to crush those braids.
In an earthenware pot, add 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, onion, finely chopped and Lard, the diced ham and brown mash. The choice of Lard instead was made "in the race." This was indeed a "rump" of this lard and we were afraid that you have replaced the tasty Sardinian sausage with Tuscan ham and the broth but did not use water only for rice and he did not put the cream, not sufficiently tasty. The choice was just spot on.
It is brown all the preparation and add the milk. Meanwhile in a saucepan bring water to a boil. As mentioned I have not deliberately used vegetable broth, and the reason is simple, because in this recipe wanted that all the flavors and they felt they were not overwhelmed by the broth. Then pour the rice into the pot, but to withdraw and start adding water slowly. Halfway through cooking adjusts with a little salt, and to give a little more flavor has been ground black pepper to Penja (in the house after an ill-advised purchase of a husband who was curious to taste a fabulous pepper aroma, but the price absolutely prohibitive) and almost at the end add 3 thin slices of cheese (in the house was a piece of this tasty basket of Moliterno Basilicata) and add a sprinkling of dried herbs. Finally
become crisp slices of ham in a pan for the final decoration. Serve the rice in the pot, having left whole brown and crunchy slices of ham.
really a delicious dish.
