With his family or by a great cook. Better in the mountains of Abruzzo. For Gianluca Ginoble of the Il Volo musical group these are the unforgettable dishes
Even if I had kept a diary, as was once used, I would be able to list everything I have eaten since, at the age of fourteen, I started traveling around the world with Piero and Ignazio, my companions of all time and everything: the stage, the jokes, the serious things. I've really eaten everything from Japan to Vietnam. However, I believe that I would not have a palate as eager for adventure if I had not grown up with my cuisine, that of Abruzzo, born from a rough land that makes a virtue of necessity and teaches the strong flavors of sheep, entrails, mountain herbs. And temper the character and taste. Also thanks to my grandfather Ernesto, who was the alto horn of the Montepagano band, the oldest inhabited center in the municipality of Roseto degli Abruzzi, and took me with him on trips for events and patronal feasts in the surrounding villages. So for someone like me, who leads a wild life, memorable lunches are not those in famous clubs but those with the closest people at the table with whom you laugh, toast, joke. And remember.
All together, it wasn't easy
Being able to have mum Leonora, dad Ercole, grandfather, brother, cousin at the table is always a kind of bet. But a few weeks ago I won it. The idea was to ignore the convenience of the fish restaurants that abound in Roseto degli Abruzzi where I live and head towards the interior where true Abruzzo cuisine is still made. Everyone agrees in booking at Rosy, in San Gabriele dell’Addolorata, the name of the restaurant and of the cook, who has been in the kitchen for almost fifty years. An hour and a half of driving and here we are seated. You know those sixties trattorias where Sunday lunch was celebrated? Friendly, familiar, with the mistress who went over for the encore of the first courses and at four in the afternoon were you still sitting at the table? Here.
Silence falls
We started with bruschetta with ventricina, ham with a knife and the initial toast with Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. Then the gnocchi alla boscaiola, Rosy's specialty, with meat, peas and mushrooms. As happens when things are really good at the table, silence has fallen. I also allowed myself a taste of spaghetti alla chitarra with meatballs and ragù sauce. Without problems. In this period, with the tours moved to 2021, I go to the gym four times a week and eat a protein diet. The mother, who cooks very well, enjoys satisfying my requests for sushi and exotic condiments, as she did with my brother Ernesto in the months in which he immersed himself in the vegan experience. Then Rosy brought the triumphal mix of grilled meat: grilled lamb, mutton kebabs, pork belly, with their side dish of baked potatoes and vegetables. It will be Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, but every time at this point grandfather Ernesto is moved: "I can't believe it: it was the sixties, I was looking at Modugno in Sanremo, and now you are as famous as he is". Then it was the turn of the "sweet pizza", the dessert that makes the party here: layers of sponge cake dipped in alkermes, cream, chocolate.
To close, the amaro
Grand finale with gentian liqueur, the very bitter digestive that everyone makes at home with a secret recipe. On the way back, the guide was slow and cautious and on Sunday, as in the past, it ended in quiet happiness. This is my memorable lunch to date. But perhaps, if you had asked me in a few weeks, I would have told you what I am about to do in Val di Sangro, in Casadonna, by Niko Romito, our flagship chef, with whom we met at Porta a Porta by Bruno Vespa , to celebrate the most famous people of Abruzzo of the year. I already know it will be memorable.
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