Tag: gourmet

High altitude taste: the best gourmet refuges in the Alps – Italian Cuisine

The pleasure of eating well on the slopes: there is no longer just tradition, based on cheeses, soups and lots of polenta. But here and there are creativity and some whims, even fish. Here are the places worthy of a stop, from the Valle d'Aosta to Alto Adige

Never been a problem eat well in the Alps, we would say very well in some areas. Apart from Friuli and Piedmont – which do not have high altitude gastronomic peaks – in Val d'Aosta as in Lombardy, not to mention Trentino and Alto Adige, there are many great restaurants, mostly hosted by famous hotels, but also from modern boutique hotels. The province of Bolzano is a paradise in this sense, with a concentration of stars that only the coast of Campania and Lake Garda can boast: the supreme St. Hubertus by Norbert Niederkofler in San Cassiano, historic places such as the Stua di Michil by Nicola Laera in Corvara or recent 'macarons' such as the Apostelstube by Mathias Bachaman in Bressanone.

An ancient history

But the most delicious experience, for those who love peaks and good food, remains that of gourmet refuges: the altitude is obviously different, but the spirit is identical to that of the tables pieds dans l´eau, highly sought after in the summer. The pleasure of enjoying a good dish, looking at the snow-covered mountain (artificially, as it happens more and more often), improves the mood even more if you have arrived after a good skiing – while at dinner it is a classic to use snowcats – and there is a beautiful fireplace, a good cup to cheer you up. In Italy i first shelters were born towards the end of the nineteenth century with the beginning of mountaineering and hiking tourism: refreshment and hospitality points, where the travelers around the mountains could stop the night and enjoy a dinner, and a simple and hearty breakfast, suitable therefore to fight the cold and fatigue. With the growth of tourism, the shelters have multiplied, the proposal has diversified and some of them, especially those on the ski slopes, have turned into real hotel-restaurants.

Skiing with taste

Romance aside (almost everyone has their good site with info and booking system), there are shelters where the culinary and wine experience touches the starry one. So much so that the Alta Badia, Saturday 14 December, the official beginning of the winter culinary season is celebrated with the now classic ‘Gourmet Skisafarthe'. This is a delicious ski tour at an altitude of 2000 meters in the heart of the Dolomites where great chefs present their dishes (designed for the occasion) in nine shelters that are partners of the area, following the theme of the 2019-2020 edition, namely the products regional excellence. This is the official opening of ‘Skiing with Taste ', event that brings together a series of events also related to wine, but above all signed by a kitchen dream team: the aforementioned Niederkofler and Laera, Matteo Metullo, Giancarlo Morelli, Nino di Costanzo, Riccardo Camanini, the Slovenian Tomaz Kavcic, Alberto Faccani, Claudio Melis. But here is our selection, for regions and destinations

Alta Badia, a paradise

There is an embarrassment of choice. We like them Malga Goster at the Alpe di Siusi where herbs and flowers are used to prepare dishes such as hay soup served in a dish dug in the bread or the Schlutzkrapfen with carob flour, stuffed with mountain cheese and dressed with arolla pine pesto. Also worthy of note Daniel hut in Val Gardena and the Jora refuge in Alta Pusteria where the talented Markus Holzer created a mountain dining resort, with a creative menu based on organic products from the area. Then there is the ‘gruppone’ of Alta Badia from which we extract – but the others are also worthy of a stop – the Bamby and the Moritzino. The first is famous for meat-based dishes, from the Luch de Tlara farm, but also for homemade desserts. The second has passed the half century of activity and dominates the Alta Badia from the 2100 meters of the Piz La Ila. If in the evening, the restaurant allows you to also taste sea fish such as Nebraska meat, during the day the triumph of the local cuisine is celebrated, starting from a very famous strudel in the district.

Ampezzo tradition

The fan is rich in one of the holiday capitals. We choose Averau, totally rebuilt ten years ago and at 2,400 meters above sea level, at the Forcella di Nuvolau. Inserted by the Sunday Times among the ten best places in the Alps, it is especially appreciated for its culinary offer: first courses of pasta made in the refuge, game, cold cuts and cheeses, ice cream with hot raspberries. It is also very good at Scoiattoli Refuge, in the locality of 5 Torri, where the Ampezzo tradition is revisited with imagination: an example is the Violette with forest flavors, homemade tagliatelle flavored with blueberries. On reservation the Speck in crust is not to be missed, among the desserts try the Chocolate Salami and the Meringata Scoiattoli. As the With Druscie a certainty remains. The kitchen of the is also very appreciated Viel del Pan, in the district of Arabba.

The kingdom of polenta taragna

Here, too, we focus on two reliable shelters. One is the Never late – beautiful name, really – at 1900 meters, in the heart of Val Chiavenna. The owners have long traced a route on the bio and zero km: local Chianina meat, vegetables from the family's garden, house cheeses accompanied by honey. The other is Rifugio Motta, breathtaking view of the Valmalenco and fantastic terrace. Super-calorie menu, great enjoyment: chestnut and walnut dumplings, polenta ‘taragna’ and shin, excellent desserts with wild fruit strudel in pole position.

‘Merenda sinoira’

A small cult is Meira Garneri, in Val Varaita: in addition to preparing the delicious ravioles, is the realm of snack sinoira that is the small meal that the peasants consumed around 5 pm, after having finished the work in the fields. Sina in Piedmontese dialect it means dinner: it is a menu of five to six frugal but very good courses, completely re-proposed in local (few by now) that are always worth the effort to reach them. Other than apericena …

It feels good in ‘Valley’

Always loved the Société Anonyme de Consommation: former hut with the original sign, at Pila, 2230 meters above sea level. Rustic-chic ambience where the tavern with traditional Valdostan dishes can be found, the bistro that works from breakfast to snack and is famous for piadine and focaccia with local products, a creative cuisine restaurant. In Val Veny dominate the Dzeleluna court with excellent typical proposals and the Maison Vieille, which beyond a spectacular terrace overlooking the Mont Blanc conquers for the meat cooked on the losa, a stone heated directly on the fire. Above La Thuile, la Maison Carrel and the Riondet. In Courmayeur, where they are listed La Chaumière is Alpetta from Chopper, the story is made by Bertone refuge: hikers and skiers come here from all over the world, while the products are strictly local and arrive on the back of a mule. The polenta is prepared with four flours and cooked in a wood: among the recipes to try there are the one with milk and the “alla valdostana” with the fontina cheese that the Cossons prepare and ripen in their own refuge. Curiously, always in Courmayeur – exactly in Plan Checrouit – one of the most famous Italian chefs, the starred Andrea Berton, made it the protagonist of the new menu for the mountain club Super G, luxury and modern version of the "refuge concept". The dish that will surely become a cult: Polenta with Grana Padano fondue and Alba white truffle. Certainly refined, but polenta is.

Cervinia, where you can ski and relax (with a gourmet break) – Italian Cuisine

It is the undisputed homeland of skiing with 250 km of slopes. But it is also the place to relax between walks, luxurious spas and gourmand snacks

An international destination since the early 1900s, Cervinia stretches to the bottom of the Valtournenche, the last inhabited center before the paths that go up towards the Matterhorn and close the Valley. Always chosen among the other localities of Valle d'Aosta for the length of the ski season (which lasts over six months in winter), Cervinia is connected with Valtournenche and Switzerland thanks to fast and modern systems, which allow for skiing for over 250 km without ever taking your skis off your feet. For those who do not like snow, the wellness area and the Spa of exclusive hotels offer guests beauty treatments and moments of absolute Relax, as well as greedy pampering, prepared to satisfy the appetite of those who want an authentic cuisine but in step with the times.

Where to sleep in Cervinia

Among the best resorts, theHotel Hermitage Relais, a place to regenerate with its elegant and well-kept rooms, a garden at the foot of the Matterhorn, the relaxation area with heated swimming pool and breakfast with homemade jams and cakes. In the evening then the restaurant kitchen proposes a menu based on game and polenta concia, the specialties of the valley.

Another place of enchantment, theExcelsior Planet Hotel, with well-kept and cozy rooms with Matterhorn view to leave you breathless, suite from theromantic atmosphere with fireplace and lots of warm wood to frame. To satisfy the most demanding palates, chef Fabrizio Reffo offers a refined and creative dinner at the restaurant, for a sensorial journey through authentic flavors at over 2000 meters high.

If you are sensitive to eco-sustainable projects, you cannot miss a stay at theHotel Au Pied du Roi, a Eco Hotel, which comes from a project of bio architecture and sustainable development. Inserted in an environment that preserves its natural features intact, it is based on the highest principles of eco-sustainability. The Suites are designed to engage the senses and awaken emotions. They are real dream rooms: elegant and eco-friendly environments, where furnishings and accessories are positioned with aspecial attention to the rules of Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese art that studies how the energy of Heaven and Earth flows and interacts with man to live the spaces finding again well-being, balance and harmony. For those looking for a moment of relaxation, SPA Who will think about the well-being of mind: the health path will make you perceive a new sensory balance and will allow you to rediscover the most authentic emotions that derive from the perfect harmony of psyche and body.

Where to eat and what to do in Cervinia

Wood Restaurant
For those who want an all-round experience, outside the box, Amanda and Cristian are the right answer. Italian he, Swedish she, they have created a warm restaurant in the atmosphere and the dishes, which mix in a surprising and amazing way the local, Asian and Swedish cuisine. The result? A high-altitude fusion journey. In addition to the card, two tasting menus at 65 or 95 euros, wines not included.

La Luge restaurant
Two kilometers from the center of Cervinia, this welcoming restaurant managed by Paolo and Manuela awaits you to delight you with its dishes and hospitality (there are 5 rooms available to customers). In a rustic and intimate mountain chalet atmosphere, Paolo, a true master of cordiality and sympathy, will welcome you to make you live an experience of taste and relaxation. The menu varies from the typical Aosta Valley specialties to the freshest fish, all wisely proposed and elaborated with elegance and attention to detail, passing from a very varied choice of appetizers to the first ones of excellent workmanship and the second courses of meat or fish of the highest quality. Wide selection of local and national wines.

Le Bistrot de L’Abbé
Beside the church, right in the center of Cervinia, Le Bistrot de L’Abbé is housed in a welcoming environment, with an evocative stone and wood fireplace that is absolutely unique. There Winery boasts over 200 wine labels from all over the world. Each wine accompanies the cutting boards with selected cheeses, patés, salmon, typical cold cuts, homemade pasta and home-inspired second courses. Among the dishes that deserve a taste, the carpaccio of salted meat, the pappardelle with venison, the ravioli with duck in the port and black truffle, the cut of bison with a flower of salt and extra virgin olive oil, the shin with Pinot Noir stand out. Open all the year.

Sweet Side of Matterhorn
For sweet lovers, a few steps from the pedestrian area of Breuil-Cervinia, the Sweet Side was born, a completely renovated restaurant that offers artisan pastry and ice cream parlor, a tea room with refined mixtures, pralines, chocolate shops and bars. Inside, wrapped in wood, you can taste delicacies for all tastes and at all hours.

Sleddog Tours
One of the most particular attractions to try in Cervinia is the sleddog, that is the ride on sleighs pulled by beautiful huskies, dogs with a proud look and unmistakable blue eyes. A journey that recalls Alaska, Canada, but that also lives in Cervinia, an experience in close contact with nature, immersed in the silence of snowy paths where the only sounds are those produced by the race of these beautiful animals and by sled shoes. The location is Avouil, just below the Grandes Murailles and easily reached on foot from the town in ten minutes.

Night descent
What comes to mind more exciting than a ski descent in the middle of the night, in the light of the moon alone? All that remains is to plan your vacation taking into account the lunar calendar, then the shelters on the slopes will welcome you. Climb to Plateau Rosà with the last cable car, have dinner in a shelter and then down the Ventina slope, in the moonlight. An experience that will leave you breathless!

To know more:
Guide del Cervino mountain hut Tel. 0166-948369
Teodulo Refuge Tel. 0166-949400
Bontadini Restaurant Tel. 335 250 312
Ristorante Grand Sometta Tel. 339 545 7257

Ice skating
Do you love skating? In Cervinia the track is right next to the ski slopes, at the foot of the Matterhorn. The “Lino’s” natural ice rink is open every day until midnight and, upon reservation, it is possible to request to play curling or organize hockey matches. Opening period: November-March, according to weather conditions. Skate rental is provided directly on site.

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The charge of Italian gourmet gins – Italian Cuisine

From the tomato one to the basil one, from the coffee to the chocolate: the gastro-gin are by now a trend of our local distillation that aims at the perfect pairing between cocktails and cuisine

The occasion to taste them was the Roma Bar Show, the event that brought bartenders and labels from all over the world to the capital. But it is in a particular place that it was possible to breathe the air of an all-Italian trend: in the Gin House, dedicated to Italian gin. Everything started in recent years, when the phenomenon of juniper distillate literally exploded. The Gin Tonic has become one of the most drunk drinks in the world and the distilleries that have chosen to enter the market, including our local ones, are increasing day by day. Only in Italy they have already exceeded a hundred percent, but what has emerged in recent times is that Italian gins have chosen their very personal vein: making gourmet gins. With tomato, chocolate, salt, coffee and so on. As confirmed by us Marco Bertoncini, guru of the specialized portal ilGin.it, gastro-gin is already a trend. On the other hand, already the same juniper, which is an essential botany to define its own distillate a gin, is a very present ingredient in Italian gastronomy. Proceeding on the same wavelength, it is sufficient to add other ingredients present in the local kitchen to obtain gins that work very well both alone and in food pairing, or in combination with food.

The eight gins of 400 Rabbits

The bet of the producers of the gin of the 400Conigli line is to make distillates all mono-botanical, in addition to the inevitable juniper that acts as a base and that in this gin comes from Trentino. For now they have reached an altitude of 8: basil, lemon verbena, dogi pepper, lavender, peach, cardamom, rosemary, coffee. Who more or less, all these botanicals are used in the kitchen and these gins are proposed to be drunk both in purity, on the rocks, or with ice, both in mixing. Some of the botanical choices, such as basil, rosemary and coffee, are particularly characteristic of the Italian gastronomic tradition. Last but not least, a nod to the name: the Aztecs believed that there were 400 rabbits to watch over the crops, an incarnation of as many divinities to whom these Venetian distillers obviously voted.

With Tomato: Pomo Gin and Moletto Gin

Two gin and tomato presented in the event. On the one hand, the Sardinian distillery, Pure Sardinia, which had already become known with its Solo Wild Gin, based exclusively on excellent Sardinian juniper. At the Roma Bar Show, this Sardinian distillery has launched its latest tomato product, Pomo Juicy Gin which, thanks to the presence of tomato berries, has a very strong hint of fresh sauce. On the other, the Moletto, a Venetian from its origins, which also has tomato as its characteristic botanical. Both, with an exalting aroma, lend themselves particularly well to mixing, for cocktails that recall the Bloody Mary.

From Salerno the PhD is a gin with cocoa beans

A gin created by a woman, a researcher at the Salerno Medical School. Her name is Rossella Liberti and she started making cookies, to then get to gin. It will look like two worlds apart, but it is chocolate, or better cocoa beans, that unite them very well. At the Roma Bar Show we were able to taste gin and accompany it with small pieces of chocolate cookies and fleur de sel, a revelation. This gin compound, in which there are precisely the Criollo cocoa beans from Domori in distillation, is in fact more suitable to be drunk in purity than in mixing. On the other hand the idea was born precisely from the intention to create a distillate that could be combined with the aforementioned biscuits, overcoming the classic combination of rum & chocolate.

O’ndina and the Ligurian basil

Liguria, basil, the first thought that comes is the pesto. And probably among other things this gin was designed to combine very well with food pairing with pesto-based Ligurian dishes. Certainly there is that this super-premium gin is from Gruppo Campari and it goes without saying that it was designed to withstand the complexity of a Negroni. O’ndina is an elegant gin, which already from the packaging wants to recall the sweet life glamor from the Ligurian Riviera in the Sixties. There is not only the basil of the Grande Verde variety of Genoa among the botanicals, which are 19, but it is the prevailing scent, which gives a magnificent balsamic note.

From Liguria Taggiasco ExtravirGin with olives

First they made olives, then they started distilling, finally they decided to combine the two. In summary this gin was born with the original Taggiasca olives. Heart in the middle between Liguria and Piedmont, Taggiasco is divided between the two valleys that give the scents to the recipe: the Valle Argentina and the Val Susa. In the first the Taggiasca olive is born, which characterizes this gin, in the second the juniper is gathered from the high, fragrant and precious. A bet the distillation of the olives, with the need not to turn out the oily gin, but the result is excellent.

Malfy Gin with Amalfi lemon

This is nothing new, in fact we can say that among the gins listed is perhaps the one that has taken the most foot and that has a more international depth. He marries the version of the story according to which the juniper distillates are not of English origin, but were produced even earlier by the Italian monks, who infused juniper berries in alcohol to take advantage of its beneficial effects. Add to this the Amalfi lemon, one of the most precious products of the Amalfi Coast. A luxurious bottle with silk-screened lemons, an Italian cork and an essential paper label do the rest. Recently, some variants have also been added: orange and "rose" with grapefruit.

First in the Salt of Cervia

Ever thought of a gin with salt? Here comes Gin Primo, from the Romagna soul, which wins with its iodine note to the salt of Cervia. First, in the mythology that his inventors have created around him, he is the classic Romagna lifeguard, likeable and piacione. Lately, however, the "morosa" has been made, which is called Bianchina and is tonic water (it is no coincidence that there is China in its name). And their children will be beautiful gin and tonics.