Modenese cunza for tigelle, or pesto from Modena. We just made Crescentine or tigelle, and once those were ready we couldn’t miss making the cunza for tigelle or Modenese cunza, a preparation also called Modenese pesto, which is actually a chopped mix of lard, rosemary and garlic. This particular traditional condiment is a humble recipe that releases all its flavors and aromas, especially the rosemary, when spread on hot, fragrant crescentine. The pesto for tigelle is therefore a recipe from the poor Emilian cuisine: easy, quick and economical. To achieve a result faithful to tradition it must be prepared strictly with a knife, or even better, by pounding the ingredients in a mortar: the use of a blender is forbidden as it would turn the pesto into a rather unpleasant salty cream, causing it to lose its characteristic “granular” texture. Let’s go to the kitchen now to discover how to make Modenese cunza, but before we start cooking I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Cooking methods: No-cook
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients for Modenese cunza

7 oz lard
2 sprigs rosemary (needles only)
1 clove garlic
to taste pepper
to taste salt

Tools

Knife
Cutting board

Preparation

To make the cunza start with a good sharp knife and lard that has been brought to room temperature for at least 1 hour. Remove the rind from the lard and cut it first into slices and then into strips. Continue cutting the strips into small squares and chop them with the knife until you obtain very tiny pieces.
Set the lard aside for a moment, then finely chop the rosemary needles that have already been cleaned and dried.
Do the same with the garlic, halved and freed of its green shoot. Once you have a fine chop, combine it with the chopped lard and continue to “pound” or beat with the knife until you obtain a “pesto” as creamy as possible. Season with salt and pepper and our cunza is ready to fill warm tigelle.