Two typical Romagna dishes from land and sea. The choice is yours!

The sea recipe: fish risotto
The sea is able to give voice to the many nuances of Cesenatico. The sea is history, culture, surprise. It constitutes the center of lives, exchanges, encounters. And so, once again, the symbol of the town gives us a pearl. No, it's not about oysters; we are talking about a dish that represents the cornerstone of seafood cuisine. The dish that best embodies the essence of an entire reality. Of a context that finds its ideal dimension in fishing and waves: fish risotto.
Here it is, observing us from the height of its fame and prestige. There are many places where you can enjoy a risotto that sends you into ecstasy. Where you can get lost among sublime flavors and play with pairings and combinations. But nothing excludes the possibility of having the same deliciousness at home. How? Simple, Grandma Nadia reveals the secrets to creating a perfect lunch. Main course? Risotto, of course.
Grandma says: here is the traditional recipe:
“Risotto is art. Much more than simple food. Mine is a homemade recipe that, however, has brought people to the table for generations. There is nothing more beautiful than a Sunday spent with family. Even better with a good dish in front of you. But let's not get lost in chatter. What were we saying? Of course, the recipe:
First, you need to prepare the clam sauce: take shallots or onions (finely chopped in both cases) and heat them with a little oil. Then add the tomato paste and mix. At this point, only the clams are missing (which must have been previously shelled. I recommend: do not throw away the water created by the clams! Indeed, it is the ingredient that gives flavor to the whole sauce). But it doesn't end here. We've just begun!
Let's move on to preparing the second sauce, the cuttlefish one. The procedure is similar to that for clams: heat the oil and tomato paste and mix. Then, obviously, add the very small pieces of cuttlefish. I prefer not to add either onion or shallot. No type of odor in general, that's fine.
Now comes the fun part: after preparing the two sauces, comes the part I prefer. It's about the fish broth. Let's start by taking celery, carrots, and onions. Cut the vegetables (even coarsely, it's not a problem) and heat them in oil. Then add a pinch (really, just a pinch) of tomato paste. Mix well to combine all the ingredients. I recommend using goby fish (paganelli) for the fish to cook. Of course, everyone can use what they have at home… but nothing beats goby.
Anyway, after adding the goby, just add water (dosing it according to how much rice you want to prepare) and wait for everything to cook. Finally, strain the broth. It's time to deal with the rice: in a pot, heat the oil combined with a few slices of onion. Add the rice and let it toast for a few minutes along with the other ingredients. Then, gradually, season with the previously prepared sauces and broth (the proportion is this: for every cup of rice, two cups of broth are needed). When cooking is almost finished, sear the shrimp in a pan. But be careful! Do not exceed three minutes!
Shrimp are the element that completes the mixture: mix everything and serve at the table.

The land recipe: the cockerel
When you hear about Cesenatico, you think of the sea and its fruits. Of the infinite combinations that can be created with fish. Zero-kilometer gastronomy, quality restaurants, lunches with views among the waves. Yet there's much more. The city manages to reveal its more "hidden" side. A journey that approaches the land.
Because Romagna is like that. Impossible to name it without evoking the images that characterize it: summer vitality, ballroom music, the "S" that slides on every word pronounced and… gastronomy. It is the capital of well-being and good food. Indeed, of food that becomes an identifying factor on which an entire culture rests. Every place in the Region has its own typical dish and a story to tell.
So Cesenatico also decides to have its say. A place famous for fish and the sea, it is a territory that extends its borders also towards the countryside. And so, in addition to the infinite variety of fish dishes, there is the possibility of savoring tasty land preparations.
What best summarizes the culinary culture of the hinterland is, without a doubt, the cockerel, which is also a symbol of the Romagna land and can be found in the Caveja, a rural tool and symbol placed on the front of plows and carts depicting the rooster at its center, and in the printed Romagna fabrics, an artisanal product of our land.
Today we propose a delicious "land recipe": honeyed cockerel. Made in the Romagna way, of course. Here is a recipe that, for generations, has brought entire families to the table. Graziano Pozzetto, in his book "Le cucine di Romagna, storie e ricette" (The Cuisines of Romagna, Stories and Recipes), illustrates the best way to create a perfect lunch:
Rub the cockerel, inside and out, with salt and abundant ground pepper, then insert chopped aromatic herbs and halved garlic cloves into the abdomen. Place the cockerel in a casserole, season with olive oil and bake. Halfway through cooking, brush completely with honey, put it back in the oven and baste it with its juices from time to time. Such a new cockerel of the year was eaten at the end of threshing, at the time of wheat sowing, and at Christmas.
Graziano Pozzetto, the greatest expert on Romagna food and wine, talks about the cockerel:
"It is one of those elements that characterize tradition. The tradition itself, however, is not limited solely to the recipe. There is a preparation work that goes far beyond this. The cockerel, to be truly good, must be at least six months old and have a weight proportional to its age. Usually around two kilos. It is useless to look for meats developed through the use of antibiotics. It also requires that the animal has been fed naturally and has been able to live in freedom. It is a convivial meal, especially if accompanied by a good glass of Sangiovese, which unites generations. It is a dish that deserves to be told."