Tag: pleasure

The great pleasure of fish in winter (even more if eaten by the sea) – Italian Cuisine

Against the clichés: soon the time comes when you can taste the best fish products of the year. And it's even more enjoyable to do it in restaurants along the coasts that remain open. In front of a unique sea, silent and for few

Even if the mixed grids and the monumental fried foods evoke the summer tables or the combined oysters-champagne (moreover, wrong on a Chablis or a very Italian Lugana) it reminds of the moonlit dinner, in reality – beyond the biological stops, which vary from region to region – it is in the coldest months of the year that most fish, crustaceans and molluscs reach the top of their form. Especially in our seas and therefore it is the advisable time to taste many species, with the certainty that they are not imported or of inferior quality. The advice to eat is derived from this and not from other reasons seafood and oysters first of all in the months with the «R, then from September to February. Even though the French have created channeling systems to keep the temperature where mussels are born low, natural cold makes the difference anyway.

The best species

The intelligent 'Eataly wheel' – the seasonality calendar, developed by Oscar Farinetti's structure – lists a large group of varieties that give the best from mid-December to March. Here they are: tuna alletato (the one on the maximum 15 kg), soace (the solids), mackerel, whiting (similar to hake), dormouse, bream, sardine, distaff, squid, anchovy, zanchetta, picarel is argentine. The last two best represent the concept of "poor fish" which, when fresh and well treated, offers tasty dishes with a low "food cost". This is why it makes absolutely sense to book a lunch in the best local fish restaurants open in the winter months (such as those in the our selection). Moreover, the seaside resorts in the winter months can be as suggestive as and more than in the holiday season. But there are many – like us, if we are allowed – who love to eat a large plate of fish, in front of a beautiful stained glass window, looking at the view.

Tavern at the Androna – Grado

In summer as in winter, the Tavernetta in the center of the lagoon town enhances the best of the Adriatic fish product. Beyond the great classics like the Padellata, it makes sense to ask for the proposals of the day, where the raw always occupy a prominent place. Large cellar of Friulian wines.

Guido – Miramare of Rimini

A few days of closure between December and the Befana, but then the seemingly simple cuisine of the Raschi family will return to this seaside resort. Fellinian atmosphere, high impact fish dishes such as grilled and marinated Spigola. But even desserts are worth the trip.

La Buca – Cesenatico

The Bartolini – father and son – are one of the great Italian fish families. Among their premises, the best known is this refined starry which is located on the canal port of Cesenatico. It is not a detail: the raw material actually travels a few meters and reaches the brigade. It is the encyclopedia of Adriatic fish cuisine.

Uliassi – Senigallia

From a three-star Michelin pizzeria: finding a table in the den of Mauro and Katia Uliassi is not easy even in the middle of winter. But try it from here to Christmas, preferably for lunch, given the terrific sea view. The kitchen? Spatial, ingenious with dishes like Gambero rosso and mandarino

Al Mare – Fano

Splendid location – it is in front of the Saxon beach – for the modern restaurant where Antonio Scarantino expresses his talent in revisiting the local cuisine, starting from the Fano brodetto. However, the classic style with the sequence of raw meats, grilled fish and Spaghettone with grilled sardines are not missing.

Vecchia Marina – Roseto degli Abruzzi

For guides (and not only) it is the best tavern in Abruzzo on the fish front. The cult are the abundant, very fresh appetizer, with many small masterpieces of taste; "Vecchia Marina" Tagliolini handmade with ancient wheat flour and dressed in white with cuttlefish, clams and scampi; the fried fish of the day. Tel. 085.8931170.

Lampare al Fortino – Trani

Incredible location for this place, overlooking the ancient heart of Trani, open up to the Befana and then from February onwards. For the record, the interior rooms in the former fort are also beautiful. Kitchen of great raw material, with an offer of crudités at the top. But there is no lack of creative dishes of good quality.

Torre del Saracino – Vico Equense

Gennaro Esposito is one of the masters of New Italian Cuisine. Always looking at the Mediterranean with great attention (and personal passion) for fish and shellfish. In the 1300 tower, "open" to the sea, you can taste – up to the Epiphany and from 12 February – masterpieces such as the fried mullet, not fried.

George – Naples

The splendid view of the gulf is likely to distract the senses from the dishes of Domenico Candela, chef of the gourmet restaurant inside the historic Grand Hotel Parker’s. Cuisine, with lots of fish in paper, where the recipes from Campania are revisited with technique and imagination. The local, newly-awarded Michelin star, closes only in January.

Pascucci at the Porticciolo – Fiumicino

Beloved by the Romans, a stone's throw from the international airport, it is the safe and refined landing place of Gianfranco Pascucci, self-taught cook with an immense passion for the sea. And you can see: the kitchen, based solely on "caught" products and recipes that aim to exalt them, either natural or with unusual combinations.

Osteria del Mare – Castiglione della Pescaia

Five years ago it was a 'serious' restaurant and was called Votapentole. Now it is a very lively tavern, managed by the same team and with the same quality of the raw material. But the cuisine is more direct, tasty and often served directly in the pan: raw red prawn parmigiana, mullet gnocchi, sardine caprese and zucchini …

La Pineta – Marina di Bibbona

From the outside it looks like a shack by the sea. Instead it is one of the most renowned fish restaurants, created by the late Luciano Zazzeri on the sand of Marina di Bibbona. Today it is Andrea and Daniele who continue the work of their father, proposing above all the classics: Tuscan, Italian, of the real sea.

Bistrot – Forte dei Marmi

Certainty of Versilia, never so perfect thanks to the touch of the new chef Andrea Mattei. Fish cuisine in all its forms, from raw to steamed, to charcoal, among historical dishes and new proposals that look to the world and to vegetables. Precious cellar with the best champagne.

Polpo Mario – Sestri Levante

An institution of the capital of the Levant, in the alley closed between the "two seas". The octopus is just one of the protagonists, interpreted in several recipes, but the kitchen offers a good Ligurian repertoire and the seafood classics, starting from an excellent mixed fry. Vermentino and Pigato reign in the valid cellar.

Il Vescovado – Noli

The sign is not accidental: it is located inside the former Episcopal Palace of the western town. A ‘bomboniera’ with a view of the sea where chef Giuseppe Ricchebuono proposes a journey through Liguria of food, proposing fish recipes at their best. From December, the place is always open.

We prepare an easy tiramisu easy, in a short time, for an immediate pleasure – Italian Cuisine

One of the most popular desserts to prepare in no time, for an immediate pleasure!

The tiramisu it is one of the most loved desserts in all of Italy. It knows no geographical boundaries, like in the north as well as in the south, to the big ones and the little ones. A soft cream layer covered with bitter cocoa that wraps tender and crumbly biscuits soaked in coffee: impossible to resist. And to think that it is a relatively recent dessert: it seems to have been born in 1970 in the city of Treviso as an evolution of a cream made with whipped egg whites and sugar, which was used to give children for a boost of energy. From that moment it became the dessert with the spoon most desired and is found among the desserts on the cards of all the restaurants. It is easy to prepare, you don't have to use the oven, it is done in less than half an hour.

Savoiardi or Pavesini?

The quarrel is always topical, whether a tiramisu with classic Piedmontese biscuits is better, with a flattened shape and rounded corners, or with biscuits from Novara, lighter and more fragrant. Assuming that everything you like is good, we prefer tiramisu with the classic ladyfingers, which give more consistency in the mouth, and better absorb the mascarpone cream. To you the choice!

And now the tiramisu recipe

Ingredients

500 g mascarpone, 6 eggs, 120 g sugar, 1 tablespoon of Marsala liqueur, 300 g Savoiardi biscuits, 4 cups of coffee, bitter cocoa.

Method

First break the eggs by placing the yolks in a large bowl. Let the whites leave them aside. Mix the sugar with the yolks using a wooden spoon, or, if you prefer, with electric whips. Once the reds are well mounted, they will have incorporated a lot of air until they become frothy, add the Marsala spoon. Before continuing, to avoid contracting some disturbances related to the consumption of raw eggs, heat the mixture of egg yolks, sugar and Marsala in a saucepan in a bain-marie, immersing the saucepan with the cream in another larger one with two fingers of water. internal. In this way the mixture will heat up slowly and gently. Stir until the cream will veil the spoon: at this point it is ready. Add the mascarpone and continue stirring. Meanwhile prepare the coffee, lightly sugar it and then let it cool in a large bowl. Once it has cooled soak the biscuits, one at a time and on both sides. Place the biscuits in a baking pan, one next to the other, until they form a homogeneous layer. Then cover them with the egg and mascarpone cream and repeat the operation. Finish with the layer of cream, cover with a plastic film and leave to cool in the fridge for 2 hours before serving your tiramisu. Once removed from the fridge, remove the film and, using a sieve, cover the surface with a layer of bitter cocoa. Your tiramisu is ready to be tasted!

In the tutorial some suggestions for an irresistible tiramisu

Taormina meets champagne. It is an absolute pleasure – Italian Cuisine

During a dinner at the Otto Geleng restaurant in Taormina we met Alice Tétienne, Krug winemaker, to find out more about the champagne of the famous production company

Sicily has always been an island where the cultures Yes meet and yes crossing. It's a perfect place to hear stories we've never heard before. It may seem strange, but a Taormina we met Champagne, intended first as a region of France and then, of course, as a sparkling wine.

We met him toasting (over and over) with Alice Tétienne, Krug winemaker, original and always passionate about the Champagne-Ardenne region.

The historic champagne production company chose Sicily to tell its story, also through meetings with different gastronomic traditions. On the occasion of a dinner at the exclusive restaurant Otto Geleng of the Belmond Grand Hotel Timeo (only eight tables), we exchanged a few words with Alice, especially intrigued by the story that is hidden in Krug Grande Cuvée.
To make a bottle (every year a new edition) are needed 20 years: the latest edition, the 167, is an assembly of 191 wines from 13 different vintages, ranging from 1995 to the 2011.

Krug is special: how would you tell even the less experienced of champagne?

«It is special because it is the dream of a man, of our founder, Joseph Krug (1800). For him, champagne was absolute pleasure and wanted to make sure that it was always available, regardless of the climate, which influences and varies the quality of vintage in vintage: for this it created the Gran Cuvée, an assembly of several vintages and reserve wines. We have one incredible diversity in our territory and this allows us to produce precisely the champagne we want, regardless of the weather conditions that change over time and in different villages. All this offers one richness of aromas difficult to achieve with wines of a single vintage .

What is your role in Krug?

«In total we are six people in the enology team and everyone has a specialty: mine is being responsible for relations with the vineyards. In Champagne the vineyards are owned by the winemakers and the maisons buy the grapes. The work is carried out like this: there is no recipe, we usually do five months of tasting, let's try so many assemblages, each year in a different way, to recreate the same emotion.

What do you like most about this job?

«I love mine territory and stay in the vineyards. I want my region to shine in time: to make it so, we must Respect the enviroment more and more, readjust vitivinicultural practices to face climate change and always make a quality product. This is why I am always in contact with the winemakers. There is confidence we all know each other in Champagne. "

Speaking of this, Alice refrains from stopping one more day among the beaches of Taormina, despite being her first time in Sicily. He must return to Champagne to meet the wine growers: there he created a collective, to help them obtain a new European certification that guarantees the unique quality of the grapes.

Champagne for the whole meal: how would you drink it?

"Champagne can match all dishes. In the Grande Cuvée, in particular, we can find a world of different emotions, which can be easily combined with all the kitchens. My favorite pairings were with the sushi and with the Thai cuisine.

We tried it in conjunction with the chef's gourmet menu Roberto Toro at the Otto Geleng restaurant.

As it happens, even the Grand Hotel Timeo, which houses the restaurant, was born after meetings details: named after the German painter Otto Geleng, who in 1863 had stayed with Don Francesco La Floresta in Taormina to devote himself to painting.
The spectacular landscapes immortalized in his watercolors caused a sensation in Berlin and Paris, since nobody believed that such beautiful places could exist for real. To show that it was not all his imagination, Geleng returned to Taormina with the skeptical artists who had criticized him. Soon, Floresta turned into an elegant luxury hotel and, during the Grand Tour, became a place of passage for the rich European nobility who came to Taormina to discover its culture.

In gallery below, some samples of our trip to Taormina.

Browse the gallery