Italy is a country that provides an incredible range of unique flavours to suit all tastes. Although the country is relatively compact, the popular destination caters for extremely different culinary palates between the Northern and Southern regions.The team at Cucina Rustica spend a huge amount of time perfecting the flavours; combining the correct herbs and ensuring the consistency of their sauces reflect that of their origin.Northern Italians love their creamy rich sauces, stuffed meats and filled pasta dishes. Their butter-base sauces are rich with cream and combine fresh herbs and garlic, which has you hooked from the moment you take your first bite.We spoke to our head chef, Aldo, who told us a little more about our Northern Italian inspired dishes. Here are his top 5 picks.
1. Antipasto Misto
One of the popular favourites amongst our guests is the Antipasto Misto, the perfect appetiser to share with family and friends. A traditional dish originating from the Emilia Romagna region of central northern Italy delivers an assortment of parma ham, salami, mortadella, rocket, artichoke and grissini. Salami and other salted, preserved meats such as prosciutto are also northern Italian delicacies. We highly recommend sharing this platter as an appetiser, or a mid-afternoon snack to share with friends alongside a glass of beautifully crisp white wine.Price: £8.15
2. Fagottini al cinghiale
One of our most popular dishes at Cucina Rustica is the Fagottini al Cinghiale and there’s no surprise why. Northern Italians have always loved to fill their pasta with delicious fillings, and this has been dated back to the 12th Century when the first manuscripts were found describing square and round shaped pasta being filled with a variety of ingredients. To keep up the tradition, we filled our pasta with wild boar and poured over a light porcini sauce to develop a mouth-wateringly good option for you to choose when you dine with us.Price: £11.95
3. Medaglioni
Northern Italy is renowned for loving its land; surrounded by miles of beautiful mountainous terrain the north prides itself on being a cattle region and this is shown within the cuisine. Treat yourself to deliciously pan fried beef fillet medallions accompanied by parma ham and drizzled with green peppercorn and brandy sauce- YUM!Price: £20.50
4. Gnocchi
A debate often arises about the origin of this classic Italian dumpling, but the delicious potato ingredient is actually associated with Northern Italy where the colder climate was initially better for growing potatoes than grain. Our very own Gnocchi is accompanied by walnuts, baby spinach and a delicious gorgonzola sauce. Even for the traditional meat-lover, this dish contains so much flavour; you’ll gain a real love for vegetarian food!Price: £8.95
5. Tagliatelle con anatra
Tagliatelle is a traditional form of pasta originating from the Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy. The versatility of this ingredient means it tastes good with almost any sauce. We would recommend serving tagliatelle with a rich creamy sauce, which is why our combination of mushrooms, truffle oil and cream, topped with beautifully tender duck really ramps up the taste factor of this winter warmer.Price: £10.95We always welcome feedback from our guests, so please let us know what you enjoyed about your meal by tagging us on twitter @CucinaRusticaUK.
For bookings, call our restaurant on 0121 233 2277 or go to our ‘book a table’ page here: http://www.cucinarustica.co.uk/book-your-table/
