Vermentino AND EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Wine, especially the famous Vermentino and EVO oil are typical products of Liguria
The farm Il Monticello – with more than 12 hectares of vineyards of Vermentino, Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, Pollera Nera and Massaretta dedicated to the production of white, red and rosé wines, passito and grappa, cultivated by natural methods, and with centuries-old olive groves for about 2 hectares for the production of a soft, elegant and very fresh oil – invites you to take advantage of your stay to have a tasting.
Our Oil is Extra Virgin and our wine production is awarded by the DOP and IGT “Colli di Luni”.
For more details about our production visit the site dedicated to our wines, passito and oil. Il Monticello
FROM THE SEA
Mussels (we call them “Muscoli”): typical in our first courses otherwise stuffed or marinara style in main dishes.
Fried, stuffed anchovies or with lemon (especially anchovies from Monterosso).
FROM THE GROUND
The cultivation of basil, wine and table grapes, lemons …
Extra virgin olive oil made with some typical varieties of local olive trees (Razzola, Castelnovina, Frantoio),
Taggiasca olives in brine or in oil with an intense and slightly bitter aroma (ideal for meat dishes).
Pesto made with extra virgin olive oil, basil, pine nuts, garlic, pecorino cheese is generally used as a dressing for pasta dishes.
“Salsa di Noci” made with extra virgin olive oil, walnuts, breadcrumbs soaked in milk and marjoram.
Cold cuts and sausages such as Lardo of Colonnata, Pignone sausages, our own mortadella and “Prosciutta” (typical of Castenuovo Magra).
IN THE KITCHEN
- Mesciüa (chickpea and bean soup), Testaroli, Pansoti (variant of Ravioli), Tagliolini, Trofie al Pesto, Lasagna Genovesi, served with “tocco” (sauce with large pieces of meat), potato gnocchi.
- Main dishes: Rabbit with olives, “Cima ripiena”: a typical genoese recipe made with a “pocket” of veal stuffed with a mixture of greens, eggs and meat, chicken “alla cacciatora”, chicken cooked in a terracotta dish called “testo”, stuffed lettuce or cabbage in broth or stew, octopus with potatoes, stuffed cuttlefish and “Cappon Magro”: fish stew with vegetables, shrimp and a typical sauce.
- “Sgabei”, made from a leavened dough, fried and salted, generally stuffed with cured meats and soft cheeses, are typical of Sarzana and, to nowadays widely spread in the area.
- “Focaccia”, with the intense aroma of our oils, fragrant and crunchy, also in the version stuffed with tomatoes, onions, olives or stuffed with cheese like the “focaccia di Recco”.
- “Farinata”, a traditional Ligurian speciality, is a mixture of chickpea flour, water and oil, baked in a wood-fired oven at a specific temperature that gives it a soft and slightly crunchy texture.
- Sarzana rice cake better known as “Torta Scema” is a salted rice cake garnished with soft and tasty breadcrumbs.
- Stockfish and codfish are typical recipes of the area.
- “Testaroli” (also known as Tastaroli or Testaie), are a local specialty that changes a bit from area to area. In Sarzana and in the lower side of the Val di Magra they are thin, crêpes-like, cooked on iron dishes called “testi” and later boiled. They are generally seasoned with pesto, walnut sauce, mushroom sauce, or oil and cheese.
- “Panigacci”, originally from Podenzana but popular in the area, similar to “tigelle”, are baked in terracotta dishes called “testi” and eaten with cold cuts and soft cheeses.
- “Panizza”, “polenta”(a dish of boiled cornmeal) made of chickpea flour, cut into strips and fried in hot oil. It is also excellent as an aperitif.
- Local vegetable pies such as “Scarpazza” and “Scherpada”, all-vegetable pies made with chard and borage, “Barbotta” made with onion, “Pasqualina” made with chard, eggs and ricotta, and the ever-present “Torta D’Erbi selvatici” and “Erbazzone” made with wild herbs.
- Traditional Sarzana desserts include sweet focaccia, “Buccellato”, sweet rice cake and “Spungata”, a tart with dried fruit and jam.