A daring chef, the tranquility of a small mountain village and the choice to use only seasonal ingredients. Three excellent reasons to eat risotto at the Locanda dell'Arco
Can a small village wedged in the mountains of Marsi to become a destination for risotto lovers?
The chef's challenge
The bet was won by Luca Dessì, Piedmontese from Vercelli, born "in the middle of the sea of squares (so called his childhood friend his rice, ed) from a Sardinian father and mother from Abruzzo. A few years ago he ventured into the renovation of two stables in the historic center of Rosciolo, hamlet of Magliano dei Marsi, a few kilometers from the Pescara-Roma motorway exit. For Sunday tourists and hikers, Rosciolo is one of the starting points of the "Cammino dei Briganti", viable in stages, at medium altitudes (between 800 and 1,300 meters) between the Valle del Salto and the slopes of Monte Velino .
But here, the Abruzzo mountains also preserve splendid examples of medieval art such as the church of Santa Maria in Valle Polcraneta, built around the year 1000 and linked to the mysteries of the Knights Templar.
The restaurant and its specialties
Familiar, welcoming, original: this is how Luca Dessì defines his Locanda dell'Arco, lost in the alleys of Rosciolo in a timeless atmosphere. "I worked for Paolo Talarico, Il Paolino, of the homonymous trattoria in Vercelli, and that's where I refined my passion for risottos," says the chef. "The most requested is absolutely the Carnaroli saffron and licorice (the Abruzzese one of Atri, Menozzi De Rosa, firm founded in 1836, ed), followed by the risotto with radicchio, sausage and sweet reduction of Montepulciano. As much as possible, I try to follow the seasonality of the products: in April, for example, I had on paper a risotto with morchelle (type of mushrooms, ed), pecorino and pepper, after which time betrayed me and voila, the morels are over and we have returned to raw materials that are easier to find. I'm not a cook who has porcini on paper all year long. "
In order not to do anyone any harm, Dessì also uses excellent Abruzzo products, such as the vegetables of Fucino, extra virgin olive oil, game, saffron, and Piedmontese, such as Acquerello rice from the Tenuta Colombara of Livorno Ferraris in the province of Vercelli, the Baldo of the rice factory King Charles of Albano Vercellese. "Both keep cooking well: medium roast for the Carnaroli, a little longer for the Baldo, which I leave al dente and which has the characteristic of excellently absorbing the condiments", explains the chef.
The recipe of the heart? "Saffron and liquorice risotto, a perfect synthesis between Abruzzo and Piedmont". The seasonal one? «Risotto with wild asparagus in egg custard, pecorino cheese and pepper. A mix that perhaps puts rice in the background. A sort of mountain carbonara .
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