The Calzagatti (Grandma’s Modenese recipe) is a very ancient recipe from Modena and the surrounding area, a perfect autumn-winter snack that wonderfully pairs two dishes of the peasant tradition.
For years polenta defeated the hunger of the poor, while beans replaced meat, giving life to a single thing: the calzagatti. Its origins are lost in the mists of time and many legends surround it.
But one thing is certain: the Calzagatti (Grandma’s Modenese recipe) are delicious, rectangles of polenta and beans fried until crunchy on the outside and soft inside — worth trying at least once in your life.
If you love polenta as much as we do, below I leave you other ideas to prepare it in always different and tasty ways, and then — as always — right after the photo we’ll see how to prepare the Calzagatti, Grandma’s recipe!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Cooking time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients — Calzagatti (Grandma’s Original Modenese Recipe)
- 1 5/8 cups dried borlotti beans (if fresh 150 g (about 5.3 oz / ~3/4 cup))
- 1 1/2 cups canned peeled tomatoes (or tomato purée (350 g — about 12.3 oz))
- 2.5 oz pancetta
- 1 onion
- salt
- 3 1/3 cups cornmeal (for polenta, coarse) (400 g (about 14.1 oz))
- 8 1/2 cups water (2 liters)
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter (50 g (about 1.8 oz))
Preparation — Calzagatti (Grandma’s Modenese Recipe)
To prepare Calzagatti (Grandma’s Modenese recipe), if you are using dried beans soak them the night before.
The next morning, drain them and cook them in 2 liters of already boiling water WITHOUT salt.
Once the beans are cooked, drain them and keep the cooking water; you’ll use it to cook the polenta.
Chop the onion together with the pancetta and sauté them in the melted butter in a pot large enough to hold the beans as well.
Once the pancetta is browned, add the peeled tomatoes and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon; cook for about 15 minutes.
Add the previously cooked beans, season lightly (pancetta is quite salty on its own), mix well and let the sauce cook for 20 minutes over low heat.
While the bean sauce is cooking, bring the bean cooking water back to a boil.
Add more water if needed; remember that for 400 grams of cornmeal you need at least 2 liters of water.
When the water reaches a boil, sprinkle in the cornmeal and cook the polenta, stirring with a wooden spoon so it doesn’t stick.
When the polenta begins to thicken (it takes at least 30 minutes), add the now-cooked bean sauce.
Stir everything together, taste for salt and add more if needed.
Once the polenta is cooked and quite firm, turn it out into a baking pan, forming a rectangle a little over 1 cm thick (just over 3/8 inch).
Cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
Once completely cool, cut the Calzagatti (Grandma’s recipe) into rectangles about 7 x 2 cm (about 2 3/4 x 3/4 inches).
Heat plenty of frying oil (traditionally lard was used), dust the calzagatti lightly with a little cornmeal and fry a few at a time, turning them with a skimmer once they are golden on one side.
Let them brown on the other side, then drain them on kitchen paper to remove excess oil.
Serve immediately, piping hot.
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How to store Calzagatti (Grandma’s Modenese recipe)
You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, well sealed in an airtight container, then reheat them spread out on a baking tray.
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