Italian Terracotta Cookware And Cooking

[Gala Placidia]

Talking about terracotta cookware, a fabulous Italian recipe is "Pollo al mattone". It is a very old recipe that goes back to Etruscan times and leaves the chicken juicy and crispy.
The ideal is to have a "mattone", not the ordinary brick but a special terracotta pan with a heavy lid, but you can improvise one by using a font skillet and just a brick to put on top of the chicken while you cook it. No need to wrap the brick in alfoil as you could see in some recipes. If you have a clean brick and you only use it for this particular purpose, it is fine.
I could give you my basic recipe, which is just a whole chicken, butterfly open, salt, pepper, lemon juice and herbs, put it on the hot "mattone" or skillet, cover with the lid or brick, allow it to cook for some 10 minutes, carefully turn it, put again the lid or brick on and cook for a further 10 minutes; however, this web page is useful as you could see the real "mattone".
If you are interested in this cooking method do a google search under "Pollo al mattone" and you also get videos showing the technique using an average skillet or two, as you can replace the "mattone" lid by another skillet which fits into the base one and a heavy weight on top.
Anyway, have a look at this and if you have any questions, just ask....

pollo al mattone - chicken cooked between terra cotta | CUCINONE

[Gala Placidia]

Some other dishes which cook very well in an terracotta pot are any kind of "soffritto" and "ragú". We had an excellent discussion in the past about "duck ragú" so it is better for me to give you the reference:
http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/foo...ck-ragu-2.html
A crockpot is also excellent for this type of dishes as the secret is to cook them slowly.

[Gala Placidia]

Another good use for terracotta pots and mainly the slow cookers also known as crockpots is preserving. The best example is quince paste, which is widely known and commercialised in Spain and Latin America as "membrillo", but there is also an Italian version called "cotognata". The same recipe can also be used to prepare "persicata" (or yellow peach paste). This paste is also known in Brazil, using goavas and there is a French version, a very old traditional sweet going back to Renaissance times called "Cotignac d'Orléans".
Here is the recipe using a crockpot:
You will need

5-6 whole quinces, depending on size, unpeeled and rubbed with a cloth or kitchen towel to remove down
1/2 cup of water
white sugar (amount will vary)

Put the quinces into earthenware container of the slow cooker, add the wate, cover and cook on low for 12 hours or overnight. You will notice the change of colour and they would become soft.
Drain and allow to cool until you can handle them. Slice them leaving the peel on but discard cores and any hard pieces.
Purée the fruit using a food processor.
Weigh the pulp and mix it with exactly the same amount of sugar.
Using a heavy pan, boil the mixture, stirring all the time. Wear some protection and a long-handled wooden spoon as it tends to splatter, and it burns!!!!. When the paste begins to candy and it comes away from the bottom as well as the sides of the pan, it is ready and you can turn of the heat, but continue stirring until it stops boiling.
Using a shallow rectangular earthenware dish (or a tin or aluminium dish) pour the paste and allow to cool completely (overnight is best).
Next day, you can dry the paste out completely by leaving it in the sun or in a very low oven for some 2-3 hours.
After the paste cools, you can remove it from the tin and wrap in greaseproof paper or foil. If you are going to store it, do it in a dry place. It keeps very well.
Serve cut into thin slices with cheese.
You can also cut into squares or oblongs and roll them into balls. Toss in castor sugar and serve as a sweet.
You can also prepare the fruit in a terracotta pot, over the stove, but be very careful to immerse the pot for 15 minutes in hot water before putting the quinces in.
If you have a look at the "Recipes" group, there is a conventional recipe published by Pilchard. But I think that using terracotta pots and dishes gives better results. Don't ask me why.
You can also use sweet potatoes instead of quinces, but I would add some vanilla to the preparation. It tastes better.
In my opinion, quinces do not need any flavouring to taste great.

[Gala Placidia]

And this is the last one, as obviously very few use terracotta cookware or slow cookers with ceramic inserts, but I had to include possibly one of the oldest known dishes, the originator of the omelette, which is a Roman dish called Ova Mellita.
You simply beat 4 eggs with 1/4 cup of milk, 4 tablespoons of honey and a bit of oil, salt and pepper. Cook it in a flat earhenware dish as you would do with an omelette.
Enjoy!

[Sally Donaldson]

When would you serve this Gala??? I remember my mother's Polish cousin making a sweet pasta dish many years ago which was gnummy but alas cannot recall the ingredients.

[Gala Placidia]

Nowadays, I would serve it as a dessert, perhaps with a bit of mascarpone on the side. At the time of the Romans, tastes were different and they would have eaten it as part of their savouries.

[myabruzzohome]

lead was a traditional glaze on european pottery particulary terracotta as it results in that lovely honey coloured finish.

Its use was banned in europe at least 3o years ago so potters have found alternative glaze recipies.

[krisbhatti]

Hello, I recently picked up a nice Italian terra cotta pan but I don't know how it is meant to be used. I hope you can help me identify it and suggest some recipes to use. Looking forward to reading this forum!
Kris

[IRITALIA]

Hi Kris and welcome,
Could it be a frittata (omelette) pan?
I'm sure some of the other members have one stuck at the back of a cupboard and can tell you exactly what it's for.
Enjoy using it and if we do discover what it is it might be just the thing missing from my Italian kitchen as well.

[Carole B]

I had a similar pan, but in metal, many years ago. It was like this . (this is not my photo...).

Mine was for omelettes and crepes and it was wonderful - no mess when trying to 'flip' the omelette! I think it got lost during one of my many 'moves'!

Can I ask where you purchased yours?