Ligurian:
# A reçetta do porpetton

– Vëgni nan, che te mostro comme se fa o porpetton a-a zeneise ch’o te piaxe coscì tanto.

– Graçie madonnâ, ti dixi che a mamà a me lascià preuvâ à cuxinâlo? No me lascia fâ guæi ninte in cuxiña…

– Ti veddiæ che se ghe ô diggo mi, a te lascia. Oua danni a mente: se piggian e patatte e se fan boggî. Se ti gh’æ ciù tempo ti ê lasci intreghe co-a pelle, che vëgnan ciù gustose. Se ti gh’æ cointa ti fæ ciù fito à peiâle da crue e ti ê taggi a tocchetti, i faxolin ti î netezzi levandoghe e çimmette, ti î lavi co-e træ ægue e ti î boggi quelli ascì, ma à parte. Dapeu quande l’é tutto cheutto ti metti un pö d’euio inte unna poela, pöco eh, sedonca vëgne tutto scotizzo, e ti ghe fæ soffrizze cianin unna çioula taggiâ fiña. Quande a dà profummo bon, ti ghe metti i faxolin à tòcchi e e patatte sciaccæ ò passæ co-o passaverdue. Ti ghe dæ doî remescioin e ti asmòrti o feugo. À parte ti tritòlli de l’aggio co-a persa, ti gratti do parmexan e ti metti tutto inte un grilletto e ti ô mescci co-e patatte e i faxolin.

– Parmexan quante?

– Mi fasso à euggio, ma mettighene, ch’o ghe dà bon. Dapeu ti gh’azzonzi e euve, chì ascì fasso à euggio, ma no ghe ne metto tante, sedonca quande o cheuxe into forno o vëgne tròppo duo e o l’ingoa, e ghe gratto un pittinin de noxe moscâ. Mesccio ben e inandio o tian.

– Quello ô sò za fâlo!

– Brao! Alantô dimme comme ti fæ, e te diggo s’o l’é giusto.

– Scì. Metto l’euio e regio o tian in mòddo da fâlo anâ inte ziñe ascì, dapeu piggio unna brancâ de pangrattou, e ghe ô caccio comme quande infæño a meisia, giusto?

– Giustiscimo, dapeu se mette tutto drento a-o tian, con delicatessa da no spostâ o pangrattou sotta, e se scciaña con un cuggiâ

– E se mette sovia de l’atro pangrattou e se fan e righe co-a forçiña, giusto?

– Giusto! Un fî d’euio in çimma e se mette into forno cado pe unna mez’oetta, quaranteçinque menuti ò quande o vëgne bello colorou.

– Staseia preuvo à fâlo!

– Scì, ma stanni à l’euggio, che ti me paggi ben ben invexendou e se ti te bruxi ascì solo che e ponte de die, teu moæ a no te fa toccâ e pugnatte maiciù.

– Staiò attentiscimo!

English translation:
# The Recipe for Polpettone

“Come here sweetheart, let me show you how to make the Genoese polpettone you like so much.”

“Thanks Grandma, do you think Mum will let me try cooking it? She doesn’t let me do much in the kitchen…”

“You’ll see, if I tell her she’ll let you. Now pay attention: you take the potatoes and boil them. If you have more time you leave them whole with the skin on, they come out tastier. If you’re in a hurry, it’s quicker to peel them and cut them into pieces; the green beans you clean by removing the tips, you wash them in three changes of water and you boil those too, but separately. Then when everything’s cooked you put a little oil in a pan, just a little, otherwise it all comes out fried again, and you gently sauté a finely chopped onion in it. When it smells good, you add the green beans cut into pieces and the potatoes mashed or passed through the food mill. Give it a couple of stirs and turn off the heat. Separately you chop some garlic with marjoram, grate some Parmesan and put it all in a bowl and mix it with the potatoes and the green beans.”

“How much Parmesan?”

“I just eyeball it, but put plenty in, it gives flavour. Then you add the eggs, here too I eyeball it, but I don’t put many in, otherwise when it cooks in the oven it gets too firm and stodgy, and I grate in a little nutmeg. I mix it all and prepare the baking dish.”

“I already know how to do that!”

“Good boy! Then tell me how you do it, and I’ll tell you if it’s right.”

“Yes. I put in the oil and turn the dish around so it goes around the edges too, then I take a handful of breadcrumbs, and toss them in like when I flour the kneading board, right?”

“Exactly right, then you put it all in the dish, gently so as not to disturb the breadcrumbs underneath, and you smooth it out with a spoon”

“And you sprinkle more breadcrumbs on top and make the lines with a fork, right?”

“Right! A drizzle of oil on top and put it in the hot oven for about half an hour, forty-five minutes or until it’s nicely browned.”

“I’m going to try making it tonight!”

“Yes, but be careful, you seem rather worked up and if you burn even the tips of your fingers, your mother won’t let you touch the pots ever again.”

“I’ll be very careful!”