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What is most of the time unknown is that in Italy there are many different sorts of cheese which are tasty and spicy such as taleggio, stracchino, gorgonzola. So milk, cream, butter, cheese … are generally the most important things to eat in Milan and in the whole Lombardy.It sounds strange, but it is true. The greater part of the dishes consist of milk and cream, butter and mascarpone, cheese and ricotta, even the names of the towns, such as Crema and Cremona remind you cheese. However do not think everything is the same and tastes the same: there is a big variety and the cuisine of Milan is very rich. Rice tends to be more popular than pasta, in fact rice absorb more cheese butter and broth, and sometimes vegetables or meat are mixed in. Pasta is however important such as "tortelli di zucca", ravioli stuffed with pumpkin, otherwise "pinzoccheri" buckwheat noodles cooked with potatoes cabbage and cheese. Don't forget the soups: "zuppa pavese" broth with bread and eggs, and "zuppa di porri e bietole" with leeks and chard. Another typical meal is "polenta", topped with mushrooms or meat, that's what you need in winter. Finally, what about meat? Here you are "bresaola" dried beef; "carpaccio" thinly sliced raw beef; "arrosto" roast meat such as beef pork or veal and sausages. These meals are served with side dishes such as beans, mushrooms, or salad.

Recipes: some Typical Dishes of Milan

Büseca – a stew of tripe, butter, tomatoes, and beans.
Cassöla – a stew of meat and vegetables
Cotoletta – breaded fried veal chop
Ossobuco – braised veal shanks
Piccata Milanese – slices of fried chicken
Panettone – panettone (cake)
Risotto alla milanese – prepared with saffron onions and white wine

You can find recipes and other typical dishes on the website:

http://www.melegnano.net/gastronom000.htm

LA BUSECA – The Milan Tripe

The term "buseca" refers to the cattle's intestine (tripe). Rinse the tripe under cool running water, and bring it to a boil. Brown some butter, onions, sage and bay–leaves in a frying pan. Add the tripe with a half cup of white wine to the frying pan. Then pour some hot broth with a little of tomatoe sauce in the frying pan. Salt and pepper to taste and cook for two hours. In a pot cook 200gr of garbanzo beans and bring to a boil. Add garbanzo beans to the tripe 10 minutes before it is ready. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve.

LA CASSOEULA–A stew of meat and vegetables

Finely slice carrots, celery stalk and a small onion and put them into a pot. Make them fry in a few oil. Add pork ribs and cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, then add some red wine and wait until it evaporates. Add tomato sauce, cover and let it cook for 15 minutes more. In the meantime, wash the cabbage, break it with your hans (without using knipe) and put a little bit with ribs. Cover and make it cook. Do the same until the cabbage will not be finished. Simmer for three hours, occasionally mixing up. If you wish your cassoeula more liquid, add one or two glasses of water.

LA COTOLETTA – The typical secondo

Flatten the veal cutlets out with the palm of your hands, put them in the flour and then in the beaten eggs. Then dredge the cutlets in bread crumbs, meanwhile heat olive-oil in a frying pan until hot. Add the cutlets to the frying pan and cook quickly turning once, so both sides brown. Serve hot garnished with parsley and a segment of lemon.

L'OSSOBUCO – The milanese speciality with "gremolata"

Dust each piece of veal shanks with seasoned flour. Heat olive–oil, butter, garlic, onion and celery, in a heavy–bottomed frying pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until soft not browned. Add the shanks to the pan and cook for 12–5 minutes, until well browned all over. Pour a half cup of white wine in the pan (if necessary add a cup of water) cover it and cook for one hour, or until the meat is tender. To make the "gremolata" mix together lemon zest, parsley and garlic. Before serving the shanks, cover them with the gremolata sauce.

LA PICCATA MILANESE – Fried slices of chicken with sauce

Pound slices of chicken with a mallet if necessary to tenderize. Sprinkle with a little salt, dust with flour, then dip into beaten eggs and Parmesan cheese. Heat olive oil and sauté chicken until golden brown on both sides. Then remove from pan. To the same pan add mushrooms and ham and sauté until are soft. Remove the ham and mushrooms and discard all the liquid from the pan. Put the cutlets back into the pan and add the ham mushrooms a little broth and 1 tablespoon of butter. Simmer and shake occasionalliy the pan until the sauce is smooth. Remove cutlets from the pan and pour the sauce over. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

IL RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE – The famous milanese first course "primo"

Il "risotto alla milanese" is a saffron risotto, and the traditional accompaniment to "ossobuco". RECIPE: In a large saucepan melt butter and cook the onions until are traslucent. Pour a cup of white wine and continue cooking until is nearly evaporated. Add the rice and cook for two minutes. Add one cup of the boilig broth season with salt and stir. Continue adding broth as it evaporates, until rice is between "al dente" and tender stirring constantly. A few minutes before rice is done add the diluted saffron and stir. Cover and leave the risotto for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

IL PANETTONE – The milanese cake

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Traditional cake in Milan and known all over the world. People usually snap up boxes of this traditional cake at Christmas time. It is quite dry and studded with fruit and candied peel. According to history it was invented by the noble Ughetto Atellani ("ughett" in milanese dialect means raisin) in the 15 century. But according to others, it was invented by a simply boy of a bakery whose name was Toni ("Pan de Toni" that's why "panettone"). By the ‘50s the panettone is become famous thanks to the sweet industries which produce this cake. In this way the panettone could be apprecieted not only in milanese pastry–shops, but everywhere.