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August /September 202 2 XVI MAGAZINE AT PAGE 46 PRODUCTS Valle di Susa chestnut Fresh fruit of local chestnut ecotypes known as Marrone di San Giorgio di Susa, Marrone di Meana di Susa, Marrone di Sant’Antonino di Susa, Marrone di Bruzolo and Marrone di Villar Focchiardo. Harvesting of the chestnuts, either manual or mechanical, begins in the second ten days of September and generally ends in the first ten days of November. They are selected and graded, so that only those with the appropriate size are kept. The size of the Valle di Susa IGP fruit is medium/large with no more than three marrons per husk. The skin is brown/brownish to reddish, with some streaks. The flesh is white and sweet. Valle di Susa chestnuts can be stored in a cool, non-humid environment. They are excellent roasted or boiled, but can also be used in various recipes, from appetisers to desserts. Prosciutto crudo di Cuneo PDO (dry-cured ham from Cuneo) Its goodness and sweetness derive from two ingredients : Piedmont pork from the provinces of Cuneo, Asti and Turin and sweet whole-wheat salt from Cervia . As early as the 17th century, Piedmont farmers, but also the monks near Saluzzo, when slaughtering pigs would choose the best legs to produce the ham. A couple of centuries later, the first charcuterie factories were established and ham processing became a true art. In the 20th century, Cuneo ham became very popular on the tables of the Piedmont bourgeoisie, who began to associate it with local cheeses. In 1998, thanks to a group of entrepreneurs in the Cuneo area , the protection consortium was established. Today, around sixty breeders, one maturing plant and a couple of slaughterhouses are part of the PDO control system. The product is matured for 24 months and the production method has remained unchanged for centuries. The characteristics of the meat that distinguish crudo di Cuneo PDO from others are: pork legs from animals bred according to the highest animal welfare standards and slaughtering that only takes place in the area. The legs are isolated and cured with salt, in some cases enriched with vinegar, black pepper or other spices. After about ten months of maturing, the production process ends with the curing, i.e. the application of pork lard mixed with salt and flour. The product is then left to rest again, applying the quality seal on the surface. For one to be able to speak of Cuneo PDO dry- cured ham, the entire production process must take place exclusively in the province of Cuneo and in certain municipalities of Asti and southern Turin , where the air humidity is around 50% and 70%, also guaranteed by the Ligurian winds that make those places perfect for curing hams. __________________________________ AT PAGE 52 BOOKS #1 Pulp Kitchen BY SILVIA CASINI, RAFFAELLA FENOGLIO, FRANCESCO PASQUA € 14,00 Much, perhaps everything, has already been said about Quentin Tarantino. He is a great manipulator, an excellent director, an enthusiast, a scholar, who mixes many things all together, and who takes inspiration from the greats of film history. One of the most interesting aspects of Tarantino’s cinema is precisely that of food, which he skilfully conveys within his films, with fictitious brands, such as the fast food chain Teriyaki Donuts or dishes that have become iconic, such as the Big Kahuna Burger. Film experts Silvia Casini and Francesco Pasqua then analysed the dishes featured in Tarantino’s films, and food blogger Raffaella Fenoglio created recipes that are as simple as they are tasty. The result is ‘Pulp Kitchen’, a recipe book of the dishes featured in Tarantino’s most famous films published by Trenta editore. BOOKS #2 Inforno (In the Oven) BY STEFANO CAVADA € 25,00 Inforno. 60 sweet and savoury delicacies to bake in the oven is the third recipe book by Stefano Cavada, South Tyrolean chef and food influencer. The recipes in the book are specifically designed to be prepared, as the title suggests, in the oven, the faithful companion of many of his preparations. Gathered in six different chapters - first courses, main courses, bread, cakes, biscuits and small delicacies - the recipes are preceded by a valuable guide with useful tips to put into practice in order to always achieve the perfect bake. The oven is a very valuable tool in the kitchen, allowing you to make anything. With just different temperatures and functions, it allows for a wide variety of recipes. “I would say that along with the kitchen tools, quality ingredients are the most important element for the success of a recipe,” explains the author. “For example, to make a good cake or bread, you need to use good quality flour and the right type”. BOOKS #3 Vino, donne e lead- ership (Wine, Women and Leadership) BY BARBARA SGARZI € 16,90 The world of wine is an ancient one, linked to cultures thousands of years old. And partly entrenched in gender issues. Until a few decades ago, it was unthinkable to see a woman oenologist, for example. In recent years, however, a revolution is underway; slow, but unstoppable. The book ‘Wine, Women and Leadership’ by Barbara Sgarzi, journalist and sommelier, is proof of this. The book gathers together more than 30 previously unpublished interviews with leading female figures, both in Italy and abroad, to investigate female leadership in the world of wine: producers, wine writers and communicators, women at the head of large, well-known companies or those with just a few hectares, with decades of experience or those who have only recently entered this world. Here then are “nine chapters, each one dedicated to an aspect, a value, a pillar that has contributed to shaping the leadership of these great leaders of world wine, narrated through anecdotes and life memories that have been shared with warmth, transparency and generosity,” explains the author in the introduction.