Delicious Corsican recipes to try at home
Corsica's culinary traditions are inextricably linked to ingredients that have been produced and sourced on the island for centuries: cheeses, cured meats, and staples such as chestnut flour are found in most recipes, alongside wonderfully flavourful vegetables and meats, including wild boar, pork and lamb. Down on the coast, seafood is in plentiful supply and there are numerous classically Corsican ways of cooking up the day's catch.
Here below are a few recipes to try.
Brocciu cheese and mint omelette
Ingredients (serves 2/3)6 eggs40g brocciu cheese (you could also use ricotta)10 mint leavesSalt and pepperExtra virgin olive oil
Method
Beat the eggs, season with salt and pepper, and heat some olive oil in a large frying pan. When the oil is hot, add the eggs. As the eggs cook, keep replacing the cooked edges with uncooked egg. When there is very little liquid left on the top, add the cheese and the mint, cover the pan with a plate that’s of greater diameter than the pan and quickly turn so that the omelette is transferred to the plate. Slide the omelette back into the pan, uncooked side down, and heat for another 30 seconds or so. Then slide the omelette onto your serving plate. The underside should be light and just cooked. Enjoy with crusty white bread and butter.
Corsican minestra
For a vegetarian version of this soup, simply leave out the ham hock
Ingredients (serves 4 people or 6 if served as part of a larger meal)
1 Large onion, chopped6 cloves garlic, chopped2 large carrots, diced1 stick celery, diced1 tin borlotti beans (or dried beans that have been soaked overnight)1 leak, cleaned and sliced into rounds4 medium-sized potatoes, dicedHalf a small cabbage, chopped into small pieces1 courgette, diced1 ham hock (about 1kg), cleaned of excess fat and washed1 small tin chopped tomato100g small pasta or broken spaghettiA sprinkling of dried oreganoA small handful of parsley, choppedExtra virgin olive oilSalt and pepper
Method
Peel and chop the onion and the garlic and fry gently in a large pan. Peel and dice the carrots, the celery, the courgette and the potatoes. Try to get a similar size of about 2cm. Add to the onions and garlic and stir. Slice the leak into rounds and add to the pan. Leave to sweat gently for 5 minutes and add the beans, the tomatoes and the ham hock. Mix well and add enough boiling water to cover the ham hock. Season with salt and pepper, and add the oregano (the parsley can be added near the end). Bring to a simmer, cover and leave to cook (uncovered) on a low flame for about 1 hour, skimming occasionally.
When the hour is up, check the seasoning and add the cabbage and the pasta and cook. Add a drop of boiling water too if necessary, though you’re looking for quite a thick soup. Cook for another 15 minutes, then take out the ham hock and place on a chopping board. Flake away the flesh from the bone - it should be very tender and have a consistency similar to pulled pork - and discard the bone, the skin and any excess fat. Return the meat to the pot, along with the parsley and leave to cook for another 5 minutes
Corsican lasagne
Ingredients (serves 4-6)400g Swiss chard400g brocciu cheese (or ricotta cheese if brocciu is unavailable)300g dried lasagne sheets1 onion, chopped4 cloves garlic, chopped1 400g tin chopped tomatoes1 good squirt tomato concentrate1 small bunch mint, choppedA grating nutmegA pinch dried oreganoGrated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheeseOlive oilSalt and pepper
Method
Wash the chard and separate the stems from the leaves. Chop up the stems and braise in a small amount of lightly salted water for about 5 minutes. Roughly chop the chard leaves, add to the stems and cook for another 5 minutes (until the stems are soft). Drain and leave to dry out.
In the meantime, make your tomato sauce: finely chop the onion and the garlic and sweat in a little olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the tin of tomatoes, half fill the empty tin with boiling water and pour into the sauce. Squirt in some tomato concentrate, add a pinch of dried oregano, and season with salt and pepper. Stir and leave on a gentle simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
While your tomato sauce is cooking, finely chop the mint and the chard and place in a bowl with the brocciu cheese. Add a grating of nutmeg, some black pepper and mix vigorously with a fork. Taste, and season with salt if necessary.
It’s now time to build the lasagne: lightly oil a baking tray with high sides and layer as follows: tomato sauce; lasagne sheets; brocciu cheese mix; lasagne sheets. Repeat until all the lasagne sheets have all been used up. The top layer should be tomato sauce. Sprinkle some grated Parmesan cheese on top and bake for about 35-40 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 200°C (180°C fan). Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Learn more about Corsican food
Rougets à la Bonifacienne
(Red mullet, Boniface-style)
Ingredients (serves 4)8 red mullet fillets (about 75g-100g each)8 anchovies (from a jar/tin)4 cloves garlic, chopped1 tin chopped tomatoes1 small bunch parsley, chopped100g breadcrumbsExtra virgin olive oilSalt and pepper
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C (180°C fan) First, make a tomato sauce. Add a little olive oil to a saucepan and quickly fry the garlic and the roughly chopped anchovy fillets. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, half fill the empty tin with boiling water and add to the pot. Stir and season to taste with salt and pepper. Leave to cook down for about 10 minutes and then stir in the chopped parsley.
Lightly oil and oven dish and pour in the tomato sauce. Place the red mullet fillets on top, skin-side up. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper, and dribble with a little olive oil. Then place in the oven and bake for 5 minutes. When the time is up, switch the oven to grill mode for a final 2 minutes (to toast the breadcrumbs and crisp up the skin).
Civet de sanglier
(Wild boar casserole - for many this is Corsica's "national" dish)
Ingredients (serves 4-6)600g wild boar, in chunks (approx. 5cm x 5cm x 5cm)Half a bottle red wine1 glass French brandy4 juniper berries, crushed4 cloves garlic, chopped1 onion, chopped2 carrots in chunks1 leek, sliced1 leg of celery, chopped1 bouquet garniTomato concentrateOlive oilFlourSalt and pepper
Method
Marinate the wild boar overnight in the wine, the brandy, the juniper berries and the garlic.
When it's time to cook, drain the wild boar (preserving the marinade for later) and fry it in olive oil in a large casserole dish. Once the meat has been sealed, take out and replace with the chopped onion, the carrots, the leek and the celery. Sweat for a few minutes until the onion is soft and add the wild boar back in.
Sprinkle in a little flour and stir until it has combined. Then pour in the marinade, stir vigorously so as to deglaze the bottom of the casserole dish, and then leave for a couple of minutes on a high heat to burn off the alcohol. Add the tomato concentrate, the bouquet garni and a splash of boiling water. Cover and cook on a low flame for at least two hours, stirring occasionally and checking for seasoning as you go. It is ready when the wild boar is deliciously tender and falling apart.
Serve with buttered tagliatelle, mashed potatoes or rice.
Gâteau à la farine de châtaigne
(A gluten-free cake made with chestnut flour - a staple of Corsican cuisine)
Ingredients250g chestnut flour80g sugar100ml milk100ml olive oil3 eggs1 pinch salt1 sachet yeastA handful of roasted chestnuts roughly choppedHoney
Method
Sift the chestnut flour into a mixing bowl and add the sugar and the yeast. Mix and then create a well. Pour the milk and the oil into the well and add the egg yolks (previously separated from the whites). Mix to create a smooth batter.
Beat the egg whites until they are stiff and gently fold into the batter. Add a pinch of salt and a small handful of roughly chopped chestnuts and mix one last time.
Pour the mix into a rectangular cake tin lined with grease-proof paper and bake for 30 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 200°C. When cooled, drizzle honey and scatter some chopped chestnuts on top.
