Basilicata Coast to Coast

Welcome back - here we are with the second vegetarian recipe from the Italian regional traditions. This month we talk about Basilicata.

I had never visited Basilicata, traditionally called Lucania, that little known region of southern Italy until a few years ago.

One of the reasons that nourished my curiosity about visiting it, was because  recently I viewed the film "Basilicata coast to coast" which tells the story of a group of musicians who decide to walk the path that goes from ScanzanoJonico to Maratea to participate in a music festival.

The path starts from the Ionian Sea, arriving at the Tyrrhenian Sea: The route winds through small villages and abandoned villages, countryside, plains and hills but also mountain stretches that reach up to 1,000 meters.

This month I chose a very simple,  tasty,  quick and sweet recipe. A soft cake made with ricotta and honey. Throughout southern Italy, ricotta is widely used in the  the preparation of desserts and sweet pastries that are often more elaborate, such as pastiera napoletana and sfogliatelle(click and see my personal recipe), or cassata and cannoli siciliani.

Honey and Ricotta Cake

500 gr sheep ricotta cheese

3 eggs

150 ml of acacia or citrus honey

a pinch of cinnamon

2 tbs of sweet wine 

1 grated lemon peel

50 g of candied fruit

50 g of almonds or walnuts

In a bowl, beat the eggs well with the honey and cinnamon. Add the sifted ricotta, almonds and eventually the candied fruit. Mix well and bake in a round pan for 1 hour at 365F