Not only roasted kebabs and frying parcels to be tasted in the village festivals or on the Adriatic promenade. Street food in Abruzzo sauce is conquering emerging chefs which, starting from raw materials typical of the region, offer intriguing and innovative walking delicacies.

From the Gran Sasso of Teramo to the Alto Sangro of L'Aquila

Part of the excellence of the territory and the evolution of tradition, Manuel Di Stefano, 28, important experiences in Venice and abroad, which he opened with his brother Alexander the restaurant at zero kilometer The drop near the Isola del Gran Sasso. "In Abruzzo, street food has always existed because it was born with the transhumance of the shepherds. Inspired by the teachings of my grandmother Letterina who gave me the passion for the herbs of the field, I created a sandwich stuffed with sheep in the callara, "explains Manuel Di Stefano, who grows Solina wheat not far from his local. "It is a kind of rosette, but more compact, made from a mixture of Solina type 3 flour, salt, fresh yeast and water. I leave to macerate the leg of sheep, meat usually not very tender, one night in wine with fresh herbs, mince and fry the smells in which I brown the morsels and cook for a few hours before adding the tomato into pieces and reduce the sauce .

In the charming village of Pescocostanzo, which can be reached through the Valico della Forchetta, the chef Concezio Gizzi of the restaurant La Corniola for its street food, it's all about high quality cheese: pecorino di Pescocostanzo. "I choose a sweet pecorino from small local producers, aged about six months. The cut into wedges the thickness of a centimeter that I immerse in the tempura made with flour and water left to rest in the fridge. Finally fry in plenty of hot oil, let it drain and place the cheese in a paper cone with a thread of cooked must , says Gizzi that warms the heart and the palate of tourists after a day on the ski slopes.

Sea lures in winter

In coastal resorts, the bag of cod and fried squid, typical beach street food, has been joined by refined recipes inspired by fusion. But always with typical regional ingredients. Born from a desire for conviviality and sharing the recipe of the Bowl of anchovies in tempura with sweet and sour sauce of red onions signed by Fabrizio Sacco, an engineer in the kitchen, formerly a pupil of the Niko Romito Academy and today the soul of LOASI of Silvi Marina, a suggestive location on the dunes designed by the talented designer Sabina De Deo. "I like to capture the customer's attention, even from the visual point of view," explains Sacco. "I then approached a poor fish like anchovies to the color note of the red onion, with a sweetish taste. Once the anchovies are clean, prepare the tempura by combining the egg, the cold water and the sifted flour. For the sauce, mix onions, water, white vinegar and sugar. I cook for about an hour on medium heat and work the mixture with the mixer adding the cooking water .

From the Teramo coast to the beach of Pescara center: here the whimsical self-taught chef Mauro Del Pizzo, of the restaurant EMME at the Salus hotel, he experiments with a sort of "fish roast" that he has baptized Tuna with a stick coated in cooked must. «A recipe that brings together three flavors: the Adriatic red tuna, the Torano cheek, sweet and aged, and our classic cooked must which, in reality, I had bought to make a dessert and then I used it on fish, explains Del Pizzo, in whose dishes the "kitchen of memory" transmitted by the mother is strongly rooted. «I get the tuna cubes one and a half centimeter each side, I shape the slices of bacon and I compose the stick alternating them. Separately, I prepare the sauce with egg, oil, desalted capers, anchovies in oil, parsley and celery leaves. For the lacquering, reduce the must to a high heat until obtaining a glaze equal to 10 percent of the initial weight. Lacco the stick of tuna, caramel all grilled and served in a paper bag. This is my way of carrying the sea in my hands ".

Text by Antonia Matarrese