QUALITALY_130

August /September 202 2 XIV MAGAZINE province of Cuneo, in the area of Sanfront, holds the record. The most sought-after for their edibility are the Amanita caesarea or Caesar’s Mushroom, and the porcino ; the latter is available both pale - the best known - and red, through to the highly prized ‘summer’ variety , which is especially common at low altitudes. During the autumn season, and part of the winter season, the most common mushrooms are the honey mushroom and red-capped scaber stalk varieties. Also present are the golden chanterelle with its characteristic jagged cap at the edges, the hen-of-the-woods , with a rim covered in pores, and the Scutiger pes-caprae with its very distinctive cap resembling the shape of a salad leaf. The mushroom ‘search’ period begins in spring and ends in late autumn, towards the end of November, and the harvests are sold in the area’s specific markets, particularly those of Pagno and Sanfront, which have been considered for decades to be a meeting place for gatherers from the neighbouring valleys. ... THE PIEDMONT ‘RACE’ Whichever road one takes, crossing Piedmont, before the traveller’s eyes, all along the way, an incredible spectacle unfolds, where nature is the absolute protagonist and the dense herds of cattle enliven the valleys during the winter and the alpine pastures in the summer. Piedmont meat has specific peculiarities that make it different from meat produced in other parts of the Peninsula. It has a low percentage of cholesterol and fat, making it one of the best meats for dietary characteristics, but it also has a high nutritional quality deriving from the presence of omega 3 and 6 polyunsaturated fatty acids; moreover, it has an extraordinary tenderness that dispels the myth of meat that is only tender if it is fatty. The Piemontese or Fassona or Doppia Coscia is an indigenous breed of cattle of ancient origin that is produced throughout Piedmont, now recognised as P.A.T. The coat of cattle at birth is blond and lightens as the animal grows. In bulls, dark shades can be seen around the neck and limbs. The head is broad and square, the neck short and powerful, the chest broad and the rump and lumbar areas are wide. The thigh muscles are very pronounced with a small bone diameter and subcutaneous fat that allows a good slaughter yield (about 67-68%), which can be as high as 72%. The meat is very tender and lean. It is mainly used in Langhe cuisine dishes such as Carne cruda all’albese , Vitello tonnato , Bollito misto and Brasato al Barolo . ‘Our cuisine is made up of roasts, of long-cooked meat stews, such as the Vena roast, known in other areas as Cappello del prete, a great classic of Piedmont cuisine,’ says the Susa sommelier, ‘it’s a dish based on a particular cut of Piedmont bovine adult cattle, whose meat has a slight vein of connective tissue that makes it tasty and which, as it melts during cooking, makes it tender and soft, and whose sauce is excellent for seasoning agnolotti, another typical Piedmont first course’. In addition to the roast of adult Piedmont beef, Cantine Meana offers other roasts: one among many is veal with seasonal fruit, at this time of year - for example - the chef prepares it with grapes, in autumn and winter with chestnuts, in July with apricots. Other Meana staples are the Piedmont beef tartare cut into slices, with truffle or raw mushrooms cut into julienne strips, the Piedmont rabbit with Barbera, which is like fricandeau, a kind of stew to which red wine is added. Continuing on the subject of meat, a very little-known Piedmont dish of peasant origins from the Monferrato and Alta Val Tanaro areas is rabbit tuna , so called because it is similar to canned tuna in oil: you boil the rabbit and put it in a glass jar with oil and herbs. Highlights of Piedmont cuisine are bagna càuda , bollito misto , tajarin agnolotti and vitello tonnato , although the list could go on. FROM THE STABLE TO THE STARS Fruit and vegetable products include the Piedmont Hazelnut and the IGP Valle di Susa chestnut . In addition to IGP products, there are many other typical products that are difficult to find outside the territorial borders, such as Pecetto cherries , a red fruit from the Turin hills, and the sweet focaccia of Chieri, named after the place where it was created, which is excellent if eaten at the end of a meal, perhaps combined with a good local Freisa wine. Among the Piedmont desserts, considered the home of Italian-made delicacies , the world-famous classic Marrons Glacés certainly stand out. There is no shortage of other desserts, both dry and creamy. First and foremost is the Bonet , an egg-based pudding to which chocolate, amaretto and marsala are added. Its name in dialect, bunet, means hat, because it is served at the end of the meal, just like the hat that is worn before leaving. “We make the desserts ourselves. We make panna cotta in a variety of flavours including wild berries or hazelnuts - which is our own invention - maize tart, ‘meliga’ pastry, made from polenta flour, chocolate ricotta which we offer to coeliacs, pear and chocolate pastry (which has a French influence), and Bonet, which is still our flagship product,’ Alessandra Oliviero explains. In addition to those mentioned, there are many other local desserts: Cri Cri candies, chocolate pralines with a hazelnut heart, coated in mompariglia (coloured sugar), Bicciolani dry biscuits from the Vercelli area, Krumiri from Casale Monferrato, Bignole , pastries filled with custard and coloured with multi-coloured icing, and, finally, baked peaches filled with amaretti and cocoa.