The Calzagatti, Grandma’s Modenese recipe, is an ancient recipe from Modena and its surroundings, a perfect snack for the fall-winter period that wonderfully combines two dishes of peasant tradition.
In fact, polenta, for years, defeated the hunger of the poor, and beans that replaced meat, thus giving life to a single dish, calzagatti, whose origins are lost in the mists of time, and the legends surrounding it are many.
But one thing is certain, the Calzagatti, Grandma’s Modenese recipe, are delicious, rectangles of fried polenta and beans, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, to try at least once in a lifetime.
If you like polenta as much as we do, below are more ideas to prepare it in a different and tasty way, and then let’s go, as always, right after the photo to discover how to prepare the Calzagatti, Grandma’s recipe!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter
Ingredients for Calzagatti, Grandma’s Modenese Recipe
- 10.5 oz dried borlotti beans (if fresh 5.3 oz)
- 12.3 oz peeled tomatoes (or tomato sauce)
- 2.5 oz bacon
- 1 onion
- 1 pinch salt
- 3.5 cups cornmeal
- 8.5 cups water
- 3.5 oz butter
Preparation of Calzagatti, Grandma’s Modenese Recipe
To prepare the Calzagatti, Grandma’s Modenese recipe, if you use dried beans, soak them the night before.
Then, the next morning, drain them and cook them in 8.5 cups of already boiling water WITHOUT salt.
Once the beans are cooked, drain them and save the cooking water that you will need to cook the polenta.
Chop the onion along with the bacon and sauté it in the melted butter in a saucepan that can also contain the beans.
Once the bacon is browned, add the peeled tomatoes and crush them with the back of a wooden spoon, cook for 15 minutes.
Add the previously cooked beans, lightly salt (the bacon is quite salty on its own), mix well, and let the sauce cook for 20 minutes on low heat.
Meanwhile, as the sauce with the beans cooks, bring the beans’ cooking water to a boil again.
Add more water if needed, remember that for 3.5 cups of cornmeal, you need at least 8.5 cups of water.
Once boiling, sprinkle in the cornmeal and cook the polenta, stirring with a wooden spoon to prevent sticking.
When the polenta starts to thicken (it takes at least 30 minutes), add the cooked sauce with the beans.
Mix everything, check the saltiness, and add more if needed.
Once the polenta is cooked and thick, pour it into a baking tray, forming a rectangle just over 0.5 inches thick.
Cover with plastic wrap and let cool.
Once everything is cold, cut the Calzagatti, Grandma’s Modenese recipe, into rectangles of 2.75 x 0.75 inches.
Heat plenty of oil for frying (lard was traditionally used), dust the calzagatti with a little cornmeal, and fry them a few at a time, turning them with a skimmer once they are golden on one side.
Brown them on the other side, then drain them on absorbent paper to remove excess oil.
Serve them immediately while hot.
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How to store Calzagatti, Grandma’s Modenese Recipe
You can store them in the refrigerator for 2 days, well sealed in an airtight container, then heat them well spread out on a baking sheet.
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