White Gold

This month we visited the Piedmont region of Italy to wander through the autumnal vineyards and get dizzy from local, intoxicating white truffles...

I Double Dairy You

Tortino di verdure con Fonduta al Raschera

We've eaten at Boccondivino the last two times we've been to the Alba-Bra area of Piedmont, Italy.  It is famous for being the origin of the Slow Food movement.  But that status becomes kind of a "fun fact" when compared with the real reason for coming here: the food.  The panna cotta is good enough to warrant a trip to this somewhat sleepy town.  The atmosphere of this osteria is relaxed and unpretentious, and the service is efficient, warm, and hassle-free.

 

 A local, light, slightly fizzy Langhe Freisa red wine, perfect with the Lardo, Salsiccia di Bra e Carne Cruda

The food here is very traditional; you'll see the same items on menus all around the Langhe region.  But the versions at Boccondivino always have a little extra something going on.  Their tartino di verdure, a baked egg and vegetable starter, is enhanced by a dollop of  fonduta al Raschera, a melted-cheese sauce made with Raschera, a cheese unique to this valley.  Their raw meat starter features salsiccia di Bra, a sausage made in the eponymous city that is incredibly delicious raw.  It is so good that I recently became enraged when I read an American tourist's account of ordering the starter, but not being able to bring himself to take a single bite of the raw sausage, let alone the carne cruda (veal tartare) or  lardo (cured pork belly fat).  What a waste of a vacation.

 

Two heroic offerings: Domenico Clerico's "Arte", and Boccondivino's gnocchi with Raschera cream

Again for good measure, Gnocchi di Patate al Raschera

The gnocchi di patate al Raschera is one of those perfect dishes.  The gnocchi on their own have a fluffy, creamy texture that alone in butter or oil would be amazing.  But the addition of the tangy, rich, slightly-sharp Raschera cheese brings this dish to ethereal heights.  Sometimes I feel weird getting gushy about food so often, but this one really deserves it.  I have a friend who works in this region often who asks if they will be serving this dish before reserving a table.  At this particular meal, we drank a bottle of Domenico Clerico's Arte which is one of his non DOC wines.  The richness of the fruit in the wine along with the balanced tannins made it a great match for the strength of the cheese and the overall creaminess of the gnocchi.

This is THE panna cotta, the sweet counterpart to the perfection of the gnocchi that preceded it.  Don't let the "artistic" freedom of the caramel and cocoa fool you.  It has structure, but not too much.  It is creamy, milky, and perfectly unctuous.  There is a certain amount of mystery surrounding this dessert, like the question of what the chef uses to firm the cream; no gelatin is involved, I hear.   A lot has do do with cream selection, which changes depending on the time of year. Chef Giuseppi Barbero says, “It has to taste fresh, to still have a milky flavor. Then you have to feel the creaminess and softness when you eat it. It has to be moist...It can be more or less tasty, depending on the year. The animals eat grass in the summer and hay in the winter, so the cream has more of a perfume in the summer and is more creamy in the winter.”  This chef's personal quest to master panna cotta has deep roots as well.  The dish originated in the Langhe region. 

 

This little place is one of those restaurants that might not shock you with presentation and new, exciting flavor combinations, but it will absolutely blow you away with studied perfection of simple, regional dishes.  If you are in the area, it would be ridiculous not to book a table.  If you are in Turin, make the one hour trip. Screw it, even if you are in Milan, the two hour trip will seem well worth it when your loping, satiated, out the door after your divine meal.  Oh yeah, and they started Slow Food here.

Osteria Del Boccondivino

Via Mendicità Istruita, 14
12042 Bra Cuneo
Italy

t: 0172 425674

ALBA TRUFFLE FAIR

Marilyn Monroe, Alfred Hitchcock, Sophia Loren, Gerard Depardieu, Alain Delon and many more...all loving on the truffle

In preparation for our trip down to Alba, I put together a group of photographs from the 79th Truffle Auction that took place in the Grinzane Cavour Castle last year. The castle is also the headquarters for the Ordine dei Cavalieri del Tartufo e del Vini di Alba, The Order of the Knights of the Truffle and Wines of Alba. Here, master tasters screen all wines of the region and give them an official seal of approval.

The seal of the truffle and wine knights displayed on a bottle of Barbaresco

A chef negotiating outside the auction door & Adrian taking notes on how to be a truffle guard

 

Tartufo Bianco d'Alba

another slice of wild boar salami with truffles ... please

The Wild Bill Hickock of Tartufaios, truffle hunters

The Autumn vines of Cascina Delle Rose

Giovanna and her family , a bottle of their Dolcetto d'Alba

When visiting Piedmont, we always stay at the Cascina Delle Rose. They produce organic wines that are delicious and made with love. Giovanna takes good care of her guests and the small farmhouse inn has 3 rooms and 3 apartments for families or groups of 3 - 5. We have enjoyed tastings in her cellar, shared many stories in the living room and can't wait to return.When staying at the Cascina we feel as if we are sleeping at a friend's house.  Their logo reminds me of why I love their wine. Goodness.

If you ever see this label, buy the bottle