Luca Lazzari
Sous Chef
I’m a lucky man: my uncle owns a nice house in Celle Ligure, in the Ligurian Riviera, so I can go to the sea once in a while without spending a fortune. Well, this is not correct: I invest wisely in restaurants what I save from hotels…
Pesto is probably the most known Ligurian recipe worldwide, but there are a lot of other wonderful recipes to be discovered along the Ponente and Levante coastlines.
Here I’ll propose you some sauces, my friends, prepared with mortar and pestle, all based on the heavy use of the beloved garlic (aglio in Italian) and a few other ingredients. Very fast and easy, and so tasty.
Aggiadda
Ingredients (4 serving)
8 cloves peeled garlic, 1 glass white wine vinegar, ½ glass white dry wine, salt, 1 cup of mollica (the soft part of the bread)
Grind the garlic in the mortar until you obtain a paste, then moisten the mollica with vinegar, squeeze it a little, add it to the mortar and grind the mixture. Add salt and wine, then stir the sauce with a wooden spoon to produce a uniform cream. Put the sauce in a small saucepan and cook it for some minute on medium heat to thicken it.
You can serve aggiadda with boiled meat or fish.
Agliata di Vessalico
Ingredients (4 serving)
2 cloves peeled garlic, 1 yolk, 1 glass extravirgin olive oil, salt.
Grind the garlic in the mortar to produce a creamy mixture. Add salt and yolk. Stir it thoroughly with a wooden spoon, then add the oil, very slowly, always stirring. The resulting sauce must be quite firm. Add salt and serve.
Vessalico is a very small village near Albenga, and is famous for the production of an ancient, organic variety of garlic: aglio di Vessalico. You can serve this sauce with boiled vegetables or on top of toasted bread.
Agliata genovese
Ingredients (4 serving)
4 cloves peeled garlic, 2 tablespoons wine vinegar, ½ glass extravirgin olive oil, salt.
Grind the garlic in the mortar to produce a paste, then add vinegar and grind again. When you have a smooth mixture, add oil and salt, stir and serve.
This agliata is usually served with boiled food, like meat, fish, potatoes or vegetables.
Pesto d’aglio di Pentema
Ingredients (4 serving)
4 cloves peeled garlic, 50 g pine nuts, 50 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, 4 tablespoons cream, 1 glass extravirgin olive oil, salt
Grind garlic and pine nuts in the mortar to produce a smooth mixture. Add the cheese, stir well, then add the cream. Stir well again, add salt, then add the oil, very slowly, always stirring.
You can use this sauce to dress ravioli, pasta or boiled vegetables.
Pesto is probably the most known Ligurian recipe worldwide, but there are a lot of other wonderful recipes to be discovered along the Ponente and Levante coastlines.
Here I’ll propose you some sauces, my friends, prepared with mortar and pestle, all based on the heavy use of the beloved garlic (aglio in Italian) and a few other ingredients. Very fast and easy, and so tasty.
Aggiadda
Ingredients (4 serving)
8 cloves peeled garlic, 1 glass white wine vinegar, ½ glass white dry wine, salt, 1 cup of mollica (the soft part of the bread)
Grind the garlic in the mortar until you obtain a paste, then moisten the mollica with vinegar, squeeze it a little, add it to the mortar and grind the mixture. Add salt and wine, then stir the sauce with a wooden spoon to produce a uniform cream. Put the sauce in a small saucepan and cook it for some minute on medium heat to thicken it.
You can serve aggiadda with boiled meat or fish.
Agliata di Vessalico
Ingredients (4 serving)
2 cloves peeled garlic, 1 yolk, 1 glass extravirgin olive oil, salt.
Grind the garlic in the mortar to produce a creamy mixture. Add salt and yolk. Stir it thoroughly with a wooden spoon, then add the oil, very slowly, always stirring. The resulting sauce must be quite firm. Add salt and serve.
Vessalico is a very small village near Albenga, and is famous for the production of an ancient, organic variety of garlic: aglio di Vessalico. You can serve this sauce with boiled vegetables or on top of toasted bread.
Agliata genovese
Ingredients (4 serving)
4 cloves peeled garlic, 2 tablespoons wine vinegar, ½ glass extravirgin olive oil, salt.
Grind the garlic in the mortar to produce a paste, then add vinegar and grind again. When you have a smooth mixture, add oil and salt, stir and serve.
This agliata is usually served with boiled food, like meat, fish, potatoes or vegetables.
Pesto d’aglio di Pentema
Ingredients (4 serving)
4 cloves peeled garlic, 50 g pine nuts, 50 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, 4 tablespoons cream, 1 glass extravirgin olive oil, salt
Grind garlic and pine nuts in the mortar to produce a smooth mixture. Add the cheese, stir well, then add the cream. Stir well again, add salt, then add the oil, very slowly, always stirring.
You can use this sauce to dress ravioli, pasta or boiled vegetables.
