Marches

MARCHES CUISINE

Marches. The name of the region derives from the plural name of marca, originally referring to the medieval March of Ancona and nearby marches of Camerino and Fermo. The region is located in the Central area of the country, bordered by Emilia-Romagna and the Republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany to the north-west, Umbria to the west, Abruzzo and Lazio to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east.
 

 TYPICAL PRODUCE

The Marches are a meeting point of culinary specialties from the north and south of Italy. The Apennine areas of the Marches and Umbria have a cuisine that favors strong, bold flavors and lots of meat, especially the highly flavored roast pork that is prepared following ancient traditions. On the coast, you will find a large number of fish dishes, with the signature dish being brodetto di mare, a fish stew that each town has customized to suit its own tastes.
 
There are lots of shellfish and seafood and also oily fish, flavored with herbs and olive oil. Another typical product of the Marches is the large, juicy olives used to make one of the region’s most famous foods: olives all'ascolana. The giant olives from this area have been famous for hundreds of years, a unique delicacy, breaded and stuffed with meat before being fried.

RECOMMENDED RECIPE – ZITI CON LE SARDE  (ZITI WITH SARDINES )

Ingredients:400 g ziti  pasta ; 5 salted sardines, 500 g of chopped tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil ,  2 cloves garlic, crushesd , a choppend green pepper  , Salt.

Preparation:
Heat half the oil in a saucepan, and add the garlic,sardines and pepper  until the garlic is lightly browned  brown.
Add the tomatoes and cook for about 20 miunutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until “al dente”. Drain, and add to the saucepan. Add the remaining olive oil and serve with a crisp white wine as Cortese