Tag: Marche

Grilled cheese and pepper: chef Errico Recanati’s recipe – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

La Cucina Italiana


Never tried it grilled cheese and pepper? Cacio e pepe is a classic of Italian cuisine, and its difficulty lies in perfectly mixing the cheese with the pasta at the end of cooking. Not in the kitchen Andreinathe 1 Michelin star restaurant of Errico Recanatito Loretto. In MarcheIn fact, in the shadow of the dome of the famous sanctuary, the cacio e pepe is (literally) cooked on live embers. And the result is like a haute cuisine manual.

The ingredients are the usual ones, pasta, cheese, pepper, plus the chef’s favorite: smoke. The Cacio e 7 pepi of the Andreina restaurant – as it is called on the menu – is in fact the perfect synthesis between great Italian tradition, archaic techniques, gastronomic research and exotic ingredients. If the cheese is Fossa cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano, the pasta is a very local Benedetto Cavalieri made from Senatore Cappelli wheat, the peppers are only the result of a meticulous selection between China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam. It would be a great cacio e pepe, with the grill it becomes unique.

If the smoky taste and the tendency to “return to the fire” crosses international cuisine far and wide, here it has been in the DNA for more than 60 years, since Andreina roasted piglet in the same fireplace that her nephew now uses. The smoking does not come from the sauce, from the use of bacon or bacon, from spectacular smoking under a cloche at the time of service or from some creative trick. Here they cook everything on the grill. Pasta too.

Grilled cheese and pepper: cooking in 4 phases

Cooking takes place in four phases: classic, in salted water, on the grill and in a pan. «The pasta is a Benedetto Cavalieri spaghettone that cooks for 18 minutes, the only pasta that cooks this well, he tells me. «It boils for 4 minutes in water, then is immersed for 6 minutes in water at 60°: if we used cold water it would lose all the starch. Afterwards we chill it again to definitively stop the cooking. Then we dry it on tea towels. You need 200 or 210 grams per portion to serve 150 or 120 at the end of the process.” When triple-cooked, many spaghetti break or are over-grilled and are therefore set aside.

«If you are wondering how it is possible to create a grilled pastaknow that Errico Recanati uses small grills of various thicknesses to be placed over the classic grill, on which it is also possible to cook wild herbs: given the dense mesh of the grid everything cooks evenly without ever falling, which would impossible by cooking directly on the classic grill”, writes Allan Bay in the preface of the book Cook on the grill by Errico Recanati (Italian Gourmet editions).

The hat that conveys the fumes

The pasta is cooked for 9 minutes on live coals, under a hat: a special tool invented by Errico Recanati and self-built with cooking trays and lid handles. The hat retains the sweet smoke of its special charcoal composed of seven aromatic but non-invasive woods from the Apennines. At that moment, stirred on the stove with cooking water, cheese, butter and seven peppers. «A single pepper would block the flavor of the embers, but these peppers are aromatic, they extend the flavor of the embers without covering it. And the result is exactly that. A pasta that is still perfectly calloused, al dente, crunchy in some places, which smells of smoke and has the flavor of smoke, not burnt, which lasts in the mouth thanks to the aromatic and non-spicy action of the pepper. «We ate overcooked pasta for months, he tells me, and since 2017 it has never left the menu.

authentic taste of the Marche in a single dish – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

authentic taste of the Marche in a single dish



The grass peasknown scientifically as “Lathyrus sativus”, are legumes belonging to the Fabaceae family, characterized by a high protein content and a balanced nutritional profile. Their history dates back to ancient times, when they were a fundamental food in the diets of Mediterranean populations. In the Marche, these legumes have deep roots in traditional cuisine, having been cultivated and appreciated for centuries. The stewed octopusthe protein protagonist of this dish, is a highly appreciated choice in the region for its tender consistency and the flavor of the sea that it gives to the preparation.

Slow and controlled stewing allows you to preserve its succulence and blend the flavors harmoniously. There regional recipe of grass peas and stewed octopus involves the use of tomato, which adds a vibrant character and a touch of acidity to the dish, as well as inserting freshness and taste. The White winea distinctive element in the cuisine of the Marche, is used wisely in the preparation, harmoniously balancing all the elements present in this Marche dish. The ideal time to bring it to the table varies depending on personal preferences and the season. However, the autumn and winter period, when the days are cool and comfort is sought at the table, is particularly suitable. The nutritional richness and enveloping consistency of the dish combine perfectly with the feeling of warmth and welcome that characterizes these periods of the year. Travel directly from your home kitchen and bring to the table grass peas and stewed octopus. It will be a success!



Carpegna Ham: let yourself be tempted – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

La Cucina Italiana


It’s P’s turnrosciutto of Carpegna. There is no country in the world with so much richness and variety of productsnatural as the territory gives them or worked by expert hands in simple ways, which are ancient and at the same time the most contemporary. Continues voyage to discover our goodnessfrom the best known to the lesser known ones far from the production area. The historian Carpegna ham it is so delicate that the Count of Urbino wanted it all for himself.

Carpegna ham

Almost unbelievable: theItaly boasts 31 varieties of raw ham of which 11 are protected by trademarks PGI or PDO. Each one different from the other, starting from the story. The tradition of the one in the Marche region of Carpegna dates back to the beginning of the 15th century when – in 1407 – the gluttonous Guidantonio da Montefeltro, Count of Urbino, forbade the sale of “pork and salted meat” elsewhere, fearing he would be deprived of them. At the time, in the farmhouses of the current Sasso Simone and Simoncello Park, there was a north-facing room reserved for meat processing. From that world and at that time – it is documented history – the first ones left butcher artisans who then moved to Tuscany and Umbria And Lazio they also taught others how to make ham. Today they are produced 120 thousand per year with the Dop Carpegna brand, replicating ancient and original gestures such as the “choke” tying of the upper part of the stem and the protection of the surface not covered by the rind with a stucco whose mix of spices is as secret as it is essential to give a delicate and sweet flavour, albeit emphasized with aromatic notes. The “pointing” afterwards has always been the same since ancient times 400 days of processing, when a rigorous test is carried out in five precise points with a horse bone needle, which is very porous so as to retain the aromas. Only the promoted hams begin the journey to conquer the markets.

Identity card of Carpegna Ham

ORIGIN – Guaranteed by DOP brand, it is produced only in the municipality of Carpegna (PU), with pigs coming from Marche, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna.

CHARACTERISTICSSeasoning and salting last no less than 13 months; drying takes place at a temperature slightly higher than average. It weighs no less than 8 kilos, has a rounded shape, soft consistency. The color changes from amber red to salmon pink depending on the maturation. Ideal on its own but, due to its delicate flavor, it is also suitable as an ingredient.

STORAGE – Boneless is kept at 7-10°C; with the bone at 15-20 °C. The slice must be rigorously cut with a knife to a thickness of 1 millimetre, maintaining the right percentage of fat.

PRICE – In large-scale retail trade, the whole ham on the bone costs around 16-17 euros per kilo.

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