Chestnut Porridge with Sausage and Mushrooms

Winter time is coming so it's better to take out a copper pot and find a traditional meal that uses seasonal ingredients. The following recipe is typical of the mountain zone behind Bologna and it's prepared with a thousand variations, especially about the kind of mushrooms that usually are the more common ones that could be found in each place.


Ingredients for approximately 6 persons: 14 ozs. of chestnut flour, 14 ozs. of cornflour, 11 ozs. of pork sausage, 11 ozs. of mushrooms, 2 pts. of water, 1 glass of red wine, salt, butter.

Preparation: boil the water in a copper pot adding at the end some salt and a knob of butter. Pour into the chestnut flour and the cornflour continuing to stir so that the flour won't create lumps. Let cook for about 30-40 minutes, continuing to stir, until the porridge on the border of the pot will be dried up. At this point topple the porridge on a chopping board. In the meanwhile cut the sausage in pieces and cook it in a sauce pan in its own fat. When it'll be externally cooked add the wine and the mushrooms and let it cook on a very low heat untile the sausage will be well done. Serve the porridge with the sausage and the mushrooms, with their sauce, on top.

Bologna Sausage Mousse

After having worked hard on different matters (including the website with my portfolio whose link is here on the left column), I should have finally some time to come back again to post a recipe with photos about every week.
To help you forgiving me I'm posting a very typical recipe of my city, Bologna, with the preparation registered in the local Chamber of Commerce (so it's their responsability if you don't like it!).


Ingredients for approximately 6 persons: 11 ozs of Bologna Sausage, 3,5 ozs. of ricotta cheese, 1 spoon of grated parmesan cheese, 1 spoon of cream.

Preparation: mince the bologna, then add the ricotta and the parmesan cheese. Mix all together until you'll have a homogeneous dough. Put it into an electric mixer together with the cream and let it run until you'll create a soft mousse. Serve the mousse upon some warm croûtons or toasted bread, upon whom you could spread some butter before.