Tag: Valle

Valle d'Aosta: from walnut oil to troillet – Italian Cuisine

Troillet: from a waste product to be given as feed to hens to a refined delicacy in the kitchen

The Aosta Valley is the only region of Italy where olive oil is not produced. As you can easily guess, the climatic conditions do not allow it, the Mediterranean is too far away. Yet this has not prevented the people of Valle d'Aosta from striving over time with what they had at their disposal, such as walnuts.

Walnut oil

The only oil used in Aosta Valley kitchens is butter! Think that in the past they even share salads with us. Seriously, over time, around the seventies and eighties, they really started producing oil starting from hot pressing of walnuts. “Here in the valley we are the ones who adapt to nature, not the other way around”, he tells us Denise Marcoz of the Le Grand Baöu farmhouse. The press can be communal, or home, smaller in size; in any case it is a small production, also because to obtain a liter of oil it takes about 3 kg of clean walnut kernels. Fortunately, in 2004 the Bertolin family, which we had already told you about the Lardo di Arnad, has started an experimentation phase for the pressing of the kernels, in order to continue the production of this emblem of the Aosta Valley cuisine. Thus, after various studies and experiments, the production of walnut oil today is an artisanal activity not only well established, but also of the highest quality: after the autumn harvest period, the walnuts are selected one by one with great care and attention. then dried. The pressing begins in January, when the delicacy we will talk about today is produced; and lasts for a few weeks until bottling. Once ready, walnut oil is used only raw, ideal for flavoring other local specialties such as mocetta. But from walnut oil, in particular from the paste of the squeezing of kernels, a rarity is obtained, almost unknown elsewhere: troillet.

What is the troillet

In the Aosta Valley, the production of walnut oil produces a very particular product, which you will rarely taste elsewhere. It is the troillet, or troliet or troilliet depending on the valley, that is the residue of the pressing, the panel of walnut oil. It looks like a hazelnut-colored dough, with a grainy texture, with a non-invasive flavor, which releases all the essence of taste of the walnuts of the past; yet it is still considered by many to be a leftover, a by-product, so much so that it is often given as feed to hens. But this is not the case for everyone: luckily there are those who use and enhance it in the kitchen, for example to dress salads, especially the slightly more bitter chicory or dandelion ones; or to prepare the troillet pesto, with sage, a real delicacy to spread on croutons, given that pasta is not used much in the Aosta Valley. In the past, however, when there were no biscuits, we ate grated in latte for breakfast, even if in reality, they tell us, the children always stole a little more to take to school as a snack. And actually how to blame them: the troillet is very good, hard to stop! One of the few places where you can find it is at Le Grand Baöu, which in patois means large stable, where Denise Marcoz proposes it as appetizer, already present on the table when you sit down, instead of the bread basket. She also explains that the troillet is also used a lot in desserts, in combination with honey, such as in the biscuits made at the Dupont pastry shop with sugar and egg white, or in the semifreddo of which the recipe follows.

The recipe for parfait with troillet

Ingredients for 6 people

4 yolks
4 egg whites
2.4 cl of juniper flavored grappa
300 g of fresh cream
50 g of troillet
1.5 g of chopped wild fennel
100 g of sugar

For the vanilla cream
500 ml of whole milk
150 g of granulated sugar
25 g of flour 00
4 yolks
1 sachet of vanilla
5 g of lemon zest

Method

Beat the egg yolks with sugar and grappa. Finely chop the trolliet and add the wild fennel, then mix with the beaten egg yolks.
Whip the cream and egg whites until stiff, mix everything gently and pour the mixture into a mold.
Finally put it in a freezer for two hours.

For the vanilla cream
Boil the milk with half the sugar, the lemon zest and the vanilla. Separately, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar, add the hot milk, bring it to 90 ° C and let it cool in water and ice.
Serve the semifreddo decorated with the vanilla cream, cream and a red fruit.

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itinerary in Valle Maira between nature and typical cuisine – Italian Cuisine

Proximity tourism is the key to 2020 holidays. An interesting destination could be "the other" Piedmont

Piedmont is a popular destination for many, with unique destinations between mountains, lakes, nature, perched villages and historical monuments. In addition to the undeniable richness of food and wine, known all over the world.

Today we want to tell you about a part of the region a little less traveled: the mountains of the Maira valley, a territory full of charm that faces west, on the border with France.
Defined by many as the Unknown Valley, it is perfect for that type of tourism defined slow.

How to get there, what to do, what to see, what to eat

The Maira Valley it is about 45 km long; easily reachable from Turin and Milan, taking the Provincial Road 422 from Cuneo towards Dronero.
It gives unique emotions and unexpected paths, with different levels of difficulty in mountain excursions and regenerating overnight stays in the refuges.
It is ideal for those who want to think of a real holiday of relaxation, good food and sunbathing in a cool and windy climate.

We start from an interesting excursion to Villar San Costanzo, a few kilometers north of Dronero, between nature reserves and Romanesque architecture.
The stone Ciciu del Vilar (the stone puppets), about 600 meters high. In geomorphology they are called Earth pyramids, 12 thousand years old: columns of very compact earth surmounted by a stone boulder, are located at the entrance of the Maira Valley, in the Villar nature reserve. They closely resemble the chimneys of the Cappadocia fairies.
In the same place, to visit: San Costanzo al Monte and Romanesque-Gothic architecture. Located in a privileged position, in the middle of the woods, on the slopes of Monte San Bernardo.
For info and visits to the Sanctuary of San Costanzo al Monte, tel +39 0171 917080.

TO Droneroamong other things, we go for medieval architecture and its Ponte Vecchio, a fifteenth-century structure, renamed Ponte del Diavolo.
On the old woman Via degli Acciugai, where once men left for the Ligurian coast (between September and May) to buy anchovies: the return by train and the sale by street vendors, on wooden carts, where the kegs full of salted anchovies were loaded.
TO Macra cells, the Mountain Community has set up multimedia stations to remember this tradition and the hard work of the anchovies.

There Maira Valley cuisine it is simple, made of few ingredients, but it is a sincere cuisine, very often contaminated by the Provencal flavors of nearby France. Flavors that were brought back here by women who migrated for the season (from the olive harvest to the mimosa) or for nannies.
Potatoes, chestnuts, mushrooms, legumes. Many soups (pumpkin, vegetables and nettles), gnocchi, prepared with Prazzo potatoes, Ravioles (typical of Occitan cuisine), anchovies and Bagna Cauda with them.

Let Macra and Celle move towards Marmora. For a long regenerating break at the Relais Alpino Brieis, a popular hotel that is located in Borgata Brieis in Marmora.
An inn with every comfort, perfect after long walks, excursions on foot or by MTB. The small spa, with Finnish sauna and a beautiful wooden tub with hydromassage. A restaurant offering typical local dishes, in the kitchen the young chef Francesco Marullo.

Elva
In a lateral valley of the Maira Valley stands Elva, at 1637 meters above sea level. It was a possession of the Marquisate of Saluzzo. Between the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century the Elvese specialized in a curious profession, i pelassier or hair traders, who bought in Northern Italy, and then made wigs that were sold all over the world.

Where to sleep in Elva
Le Colonne Resort, inn with spa and restaurant offering typical cuisine, is located in Borgata Serre, the capital of Elva.

Elva refuge
La Sousto from Col – Colle San Giovanni (Colle delle Cavalline), tel +39 346 782 4680.
Overnight only by reservation. Kitchen service from Thursday to Sunday, better to book.

What to buy in Elva

Honey
Elva honey by Floriano Turco, mountain honey, nomadic organic beekeeping; we are more than 2000 meters above sea level, in Elva Floriano Turco has the honey extraction laboratory in a renovated high mountain hut.
Location San Giovanni. Receives by appointment only, tel +39 338 2030388.

Typical cheese
Toma di Elva, also called Case of Elva or Toumo de Caso (house toma in the Occitan language). It is produced by the Elvese Dairy, Serre Capoluogo township, Elva; La Meira Dairy, Borgata Meira.
Dairy Sarvanot (in Stroppo – Borgata Cucchiales, 20) for Toma di Elva and Berulet, raw sheep's milk cheese. The dairy does not sell directly; it is possible to buy the products on Friday morning in the Valle shops (Ape Maira in Stroppo, La Gabelo in Prazzo)

Mountain huts for overnight stays

Stroppia refuge
To be seen: The Stroppia waterfalls, the highest in Italy (only in spring, because in summer the natural basin from which the waterfalls originate dries up).
Rifugio Gardetta, Plateau Monte Rocca.

Locanda Mistral Borgata Ponte Maira, Acceglio (Cuneo).
Organize an excursion in the mountains, in contact with nature, and overnight in Acceglio at Locanda Mistral. The owner, Renato Botte, is also an expert mountain guide and can accompany you on various excursions.
In the kitchen Manuela, Renato Botte's wife, who will make you taste the cuisine and traditional dishes of the Maira Valley, rigorously made with local products.
They propose an interesting Weekend package (three days and two nights) until October 18th.
It is part of Green Pearls Unique Places, a platform specializing in sustainable tourism.

Puglia, not only sea: Valle d'Itria and «canyon – Italian Cuisine

The other Puglia, to be visited with the amazement in the eyes, the local flavors to cheer the palate, and the priceless pleasure of breathing an air that tastes of history, tradition and unspoiled nature

In Puglia there are real ones canyon, did you know? Except that they are not called canyons, but Ravines.

Here it is. If I started this article by writing that the most characteristic elements of (my) region are neither the crystal clear sea nor the food, probably I be reading all wrong. Yet believe me, I am convinced.

The charm of Puglia

As an Apulian born and proud to be – well before Puglia ended up on everyone's lips – I know that to make this region a special place there are a thousand other reasons. The first, the light: always warm and enveloping, even on days with little sun, it embraces you and never lets you go, whether you are on the beach, on the street or lost in the white alleys of a city of stones and tuffs.

THE colors. From the blue of the sea to the even bluer of the sky, passing from the red earth of the olive fields to the orange of citrus fruits, to the green of meadows and countryside: spaces that would seem infinite if it were not for the irreducible dry stone walls put there to delimit its boundaries.

The views. The famous ones: the cathedral on the sea of Trani, the trulli of Alberobello, the white view of Ostuni, the baroque churches of Lecce. But also the most hidden and secret ones, which I would like to tell you about here. Starting right from Ravines.

Land of the Gravine

There Land of the Gravine it is a protected area that extends over 28 thousand hectares of territory (not quite small, here), and which encompasses 14 municipalities of the Taranto area, nestled between the lower Murgia and the Ionian Sea. These countries stand on real ravines (yes, like those of Matera made spectacular by the filming of Mel Gibson in Christ's passion), which originated for millions of years from the tectonic thrusts of the seabed and with gorges that here and there even reach 50 meters. These are impervious and very scenic landscapes, precious laboratories of biodiversity, but also of archaeological importance: it is among these rocks, in fact, that the so-called develops rock civilization, consisting of caves that were inhabited from the Neolithic until the 50s of the last century, and which had their maximum splendor in the Middle Ages, when many walls were painted and frescoed with Byzantine icons and Christian effigies, some of which are still well preserved.

The most beautiful are located in Mottola, 30 kilometers from Taranto, defined in 2009 by the Italian Touring Club: "The icing on the cake of the Ionian rock habitat". It's at Massafra, 18 kilometers from Taranto (where really the Adriatic highway ends), in whose two main ravines that separate the historic center from the new part of the city you can also admire a Castle from 970 AD it's a sanctuary dedicated to the Madonna della Scala, to reach which you have to go down 125 steps (according to the premises increase in the ascent: try to count them!).

In Mottola, the four most important cave churches have been renamed Wonderful Caves of God from the magazine "Bell’Italia" in the 80s and, to visit them, you can contact the local tourist guide Maria Grottola.

By bike

For a more panoramic exploration of the Gravine, the advice is to go along the bicycle lane which for 15 kilometers connects the municipalities of Castellaneta and Palagianello (Ta) and which, following the route of the old railway tracks of the Bari-Taranto railway, then redeveloped, overlooks the canyon also crossing old scenic viaducts to say the least, from which on clear days you can also observe the sinuous peaks of Basilicata and Calabria. The cycle path – absolutely within everyone's reach – can be covered by bike or on foot, but in summer we recommend you avoid the hottest hours because there is very little shade.

To refresh yourself on arrival, stop at La Strega restaurant di Palagianello, where you can not miss the fish dishes, but also simply a pizza, excellent. To sleep, however, rooms from 65 € at the Masseria La Gravina, old 18th century farmhouse restored. And if you decide to take a trip to the sea anyway (no, it's not forbidden, on the contrary!), The most beautiful and close one is Castellaneta Marina, where the stretches of free beach are also wide. With a little luck, maybe you will come across a bathroom with Vasco Rossi, well-known admirer of the place.

Other itineraries

After exploring the Gravines, a decidedly more classic itinerary, but equally particular, can not stop in the Valle d'Itria, where the Apulian landscape gives its best. By car drive the road from Mottola to Martina Franca (About 26 kilometers): you have to be careful of the curves, but your eyes will repay you with wonders.

TO Martina get lost in the alleys of the historic center, an intricate labyrinth of tuffs, marbles and elegant baroque palaces (the most famous is Ducal Palace, today seat of the Municipality). Here, on summer evenings, there is a great coming and going of people: tourists, yes, but also inhabitants of neighboring countries looking for a bit of coolness (in Martina, a sweater can also be useful in August). Respect the tradition and put yourself in line for a fried panzerotto Superbar Carriero: if everyone does it, sometimes there will be a reason!

From the road that connects Martina Franca to Locorotondo you can enjoy the most spectacular view of the Apulian town perfectly circular, and from whose viewpoint in the villa the view over the Itria Valley is priceless. The tour of the village, delicious, does not last long and you really don't run the risk of getting lost: you always return incredibly to the starting point! Despite the ongoing health emergency, the well-known music festival should also be held this year between July and August Locus, which over the years has led artists such as Lauryn Hill and Ben Harper to perform in the farms in the area: at the link, all the updates on the 2020 event.

In these parts you sleep in comfortable trulli among the olive trees, each decorated with a different style, at theFarmhouse Masseria Aprile, historic residence of 1600 2 kilometers from Locorotondo, devoted to tourism twenty three years ago. «Hotels do it ppe there trris (money, editor's note), we make guests feel at home ", promises volcanic Mrs. Anna on arrival. And don't mind.

In ten minutes by car from Locorotondo you will arrive at Alberobello, the famous village of the trulli (the peasant constructions of drywall, without mortar) which, despite the fame and the inevitable crowd, will still leave you speechless.

To fill it with taste, stop at the restaurant The Plow, to satisfy the palate with imperial appetizers, cavatelli on cream of broad beans (or orecchiette with turnip greens) and excellent quality meat.

To end the tour, after honoring the Ionian, for mar condicio treat yourself to a bath too Adriatic: from Locorotondo drive towards Monopoli (Ba) crossing the Selva di Fasano (from which you can admire another breathtaking view of the Itria Valley) and arrive in the renowned Chapter beach. In the evening, however, stroll on the marina of the beautiful town that bears the name of the famous board game (but don't look for Victory Park here: it has nothing to do) and try the raw fish at the restaurant Il Guazzetto. If you go to Monopoli on August 15th, know that in those days the town celebrates the patronal feast and on the night of the 15th the fireworks are fired directly on the sea. It will be one of the most beautiful – and least discounted – memories of your holiday in Puglia.