Tag: streets

the best restaurant in the streets of the shepherds of Barbagia – Italian Cuisine

Pane frattau, culurgiones, sheep in coat, porceddu and seadas are the dishes of the Barbagia tradition. And Alessandro Borghese went in search of the restaurant that interprets it best

In the last episode of Alessandro Borghese 4 Restaurants, which aired January 9 on Sky Uno, the chef went as far as Barbagia, the vast, mysterious and fascinating mountainous area of the Sardinia central that rises on the flanks of the Gennargentu massif, in search of the best restaurant in the streets of the shepherds.

In the Sardinian hinterland, where the number of sheep exceeds that of people, the main dishes were those based on roasted or boiled meat, cheeses such as pecorino cheese and the ricotta cheese, the herbs of the Mediterranean scrub, from fennel to mint.

Also this time, the four restaurateurs in the competition voted – with a score from 0 to 10 – location, menu, service, bill of the restaurant that has hosted them from time to time, in addition to a fifth category, lo Special, who in this episode was represented by pane frattau, specialty of the area.

The scores added to the votes of Borghese chef which, in this case, confirmed the result. Let's find out the restaurants that participated in the episode in Barbagia and the final ranking.

4 Restaurants: the best restaurant in the streets of the Barbagia shepherds

To win the title of best restaurant in the streets of the shepherds of Barbagia in addition to the prizes to be won was Abbamele Osteria in Mamoiada (Nuoro), one of the major centers of sheep farming, famous for the Mamuthones, the masks of the Sardinian carnival. The restaurant was recently opened by Mauro, 37, a barbaricino doc who traveled the world and then returned to his country with a mission: to innovate the typical cuisine of Barbagia. "I like to experiment," he says. «Mine is a contemporary cuisine that wants to give a new course to tradition. And so, in a place where the style mixes ancient materials such as granite with modern furnishing elements, it offers a tasting menu with the Ovo frattau (its reinterpretation of pane frattau), the ricotta gnocchi with lamb broth, the his interpretation of the Sheep in a Coat and the Memory of a sebadas.

The other restaurants in the race

Second place on Sant’Elene Restaurant in Dorgali. Lino, 64, a shepherd mother and a farmer father, opened the restaurant in the 1980s with his brothers and continues to run it with the whole family. With a priceless view of the Mediterranean scrub that can be enjoyed from the terrace, here you can taste the ancient recipes of the shepherds that Lino has deepened with readings on the history and traditions of Sardinia. "I propose forgotten dishes where you can find the soul of the Sardinian people," he says. Its frattau bread is made with wholemeal bread, fresh tomato, egg and a mixed cow's milk and pecorino cheese. Also on the menu Dorgalese ravioli, Boiled sheep in coat, Shepherd's Soup, Seadas.

Third in the standings, theCanales farmhouse of Dorgali, the restaurant owned by Giovanni (57 years old), known as Nanni. A shepherd like his grandfather and father, one day he asked the family for a piece of land to build his farm where he rigorously proposes the tradition of shepherds. With the raw materials of his farm (where you can visit the original pinnettu – the refuge where the shepherds slept and transformed the milk – of the grandfather), Nanni and his wife prepare Capretto and roast suckling pig, Sheep stewed with aromatic herbs, culurgiones, Casadina and goat's milk ice cream.

Last in the standings (due to a sheep rope not appreciated by other restaurateurs and for not having remedied the mistake)Agriturismo Su Pinnettu 30-year-old Federico, who defines himself as a "modern pastor". Grandson of shepherds, he graduated in Agriculture with the clear intention of leaving Cagliari and returning to Olzai, his country of origin where he opened a farmhouse. The main room of the restaurant is located inside a reconstructed pinnettu: here you can enjoy traditional dishes such as pane frattau prepared with homemade bread, the porceddu, and more contemporary proposals such as kid with beer.

As in the streets of Paris, enjoying a boulangerie delight – Italian Cuisine

We dream of strolling through the streets of Paris, with the melody of the Vie en Rose of Edith Piaf. The atmosphere is romantic and a little melancholy. Let yourself be lulled by that pleasant smell of baguette freshly baked, that fragrance of Croissant that we pleasantly want to bite into. That modern boulangerie in front of us, warm and reassuring, where you can relax for a pleasant breakfast while sipping one Cup of coffee. And here it all began like this.

It was the 1683 is the Ottoman Empire had just been defeated a Vienna. Indeed, it seems that the Ottomans attempted to besiege the Habsburg Empire without, however, ever being able to surpass the defenses. So they tried the underground tunnels to go through during the night. However, they were taken by surprise thanks to the bakers who, working during the night, warned the sentries, saving the city. It is said that it was the pastry chef Vandler, worthy of this heroic act, to have the exclusive right to produce something special to commemorate the event. And this is how the delicious croissants are born, now the turkish logo, par excellence, due to its a Crescent moon.

A specialty that over time has made many revolutions, all derived from the historian Austrian Kipferl, a sweet or savory specialty prepared with simple ingredients available to everyone: flour, butter, eggs, water, sugar and egg yolk to brown the surface.

So why do we call croissants typical French products? All thanks to the artillery officer August Zang who in 1938 founded the first Boulangerie Viennoise (Viennese pastry shop) in Paris, a small shop where the delicious ones were baked viennoiserie: leavened baked desserts made with a technique closer to that of bread than to traditional pâtisserie. From here the success was immediate, so much so that they indulged themselves to create many other mouth-watering alternative versions.

Starting with croissont, the famous triangle of layered leavened dough, which once cooked becomes one crunchy casket with a soft heart. We find a similar mixture in pain du chocolat, which stuffed with drops or pieces of chocolate, is the favorite culinary attraction of many tourists visiting French cities. But instead the kouing amann, Have you ever heard about it? He has reserved a place of honor among the viennoiserie. Originally from Brittany, Northwest region of France, its appearance is similar to that of the cake and its main ingredient is butter. Its flavor may certainly remind us of that of a croissant but unlike it, it is never stuffed. Its fame, which began in Paris, soon sparked all over the world, until 2012 when it was even named specialty Dessert of the Year.

From Paris we travel to Milan, where it awaits us, in Porta Venezia, the boulangerie Egalitè which documents the culture of the sweet and savory bakery in the other side of the Alps, and which in a couple of years has become a point of reference for the inhabitants of the neighborhood, their meeting place of the heart, especially for the Francophone community living in the Lombard capital . Here you can taste a little French tradition, intimate and informal. Savoring the crunchiness of this croissont, it feels like sitting on a comfortable chair a Place du Trocadéro, contemplating the fascinated Eiffel Tower.

Elena Strappa
Photo by Michele Tabozzi

Starry streets: the excitement of a journey by car – Italian Cuisine

We stayed at Villa de Winckels, among the hills of the Val D'illasi, curves and stellar cuisine

This is the era of travel with a click: from the sofa we can go around the world. With very few euros, we can fly hundreds of miles and spend 24 hours stolen from our everyday life in another city.
And yet, the car remains an incredible way to travel: think of tackling an itinerary among vineyards and trees full of cherries, to climb higher and higher on the hills, alternating your gaze with forests in vardi valleys, to then descend, make a last curve and find yourself a surprise villa of the sixteenth century, immersed in jasmine, and in a moment a glass of Soave and a slice of abolished in hand.
Exceptional right?
This, besides being a simple example of what all of us in Italy can enjoy a few minutes away by car, is nothing more than the perfect recipe of the Alfa Romeo “Strade Stellate” format: a team of Giulia and Stelvio in training, a tour of the most beautiful landscapes, discovering the territory and the Italian starred cuisine.

The first stop: Villa De Winckels

The risotto by Roberto Merzari, chef of Villa De Winckels, also won an award during Expo Milano. A cuisine of research, refined, strictly seasonal typical of the Venetian cuisine – about risotto to taste the Vialone Nano of these areas – with a strong passion for the product, both by self producing in large quantities, from cold cuts to fresh pasta up to the pastry shop.
Villa De Winckels has a very ancient history, stones on leaning stones from the 1100s and 1400s, now for several years a place of good food and good drink: a unique welcome.
From here we started, a tour of the excellences that will run throughout Italy.

To take part in the next stages: Strade Stellate