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July/August 2023 XII MAGAZINE Cavalier Cocco Pasta factory We are in Fara San Martino at the foot of the Majella massif. The River Verde flows with its fresh waters towards the sea, which is just over thirty kilometres away. Water has always been the driving force and quality ingredient for the production of pasta, a tradition rooted in Fara for almost two centuries. Domenico Cocco entered a pastificio at the age of 14 back in 1916. He had the patience to learn a trade that is an art and pass on all his savoir faire to his son Giuseppe. The future lies in respecting the past. This is why the Coccos use traditional machinery from the early 20th century for modern pasta. Milling means stone milling. They still use a millstone mill with its lying, fixed wheel and its running wheel to mill the spelt and Senatore Cappelli durum wheat of the Pietra Bio family pastas. The water from the River Verde is added cold to the dough. The bronze dies are circular and single-hole and give the pasta the necessary roughness. The wire drawing is double for long pasta so speed and pressure guarantee a uniform product. Drying is slow, at room temperature, in static dryers, and enjoys the benefits of a dry and ventilated climate. Pure wheat is used. Blends do not suit Cavalier Cocco. However, the origin of the grains is not a constraint but their quality: Abruzzi, organic, Italian and foreign grains are processed, including Extra Durum from Arizona known for its protein content, the tenacity of its gluten, and the colour of its semolina, Senatore Cappelli is the chosen variety, and dicoccum spelt. The packaging is manual, made up of close workmanship and precise details. Rustic puff pastry, saffron puff pastry, egg pasta, organic stone-milled wholemeal pasta, semolina flower pasta made from the noblest part of the grain, semolina pasta, 1930s pasta that tastes of rough puff pastry, chopped pastry and the pasta of yesteryear: it goes from a simple and straightforward durum wheat and water dough to the use of bran and middlings and eggs from free-range hens in the most rustic processes. Long pasta, skein pasta, short pasta and pasta noodles: there are more than 100 shapes and of these the skein spaghetti are unique because unique is the skeining machine that has been working tirelessly since 1930. And if we want to preserve the Abruzzese tradition, we choose the format we like best and cook it with lamb or sheep ragout, with vegetables grown near the mountain huts or with fish from the Adriatic Sea from a coastline that is still little travelled. Do we want to exaggerate? Then let’s use cacio, pancetta and eggs and season with ‘ntruppic’ according to a recipe rooted in the past of a land with a strong and well-defined culinary identity. __________________________________ The future lies in respecting the past __________________________________ AT PAGE 44 ON THE ROAD Tuscany, the heart of Italian food and wine AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY TO DISCOVER TUSCAN EXCELLENCE IN THE COMPANY OF MULTI-STARRED CHEF VALERIA PICCINI by Alessandro Vergallo About six hundred kilometres from Lucania, the last stop on Qualitaly’s food and wine tour, heading north, we find what was once the Grand Duchy of Tuscany ruled by the Medici family from the 15th to the 18th century. Inhabited even earlier by the Etruscans or Tusci from Asia Minor (present-day Turkey), a very important population of Italy who, before the advent of the Roman Empire in the 8th century B.C., took root in the area between the rivers Arno and Tiber, giving it first the name Etruria and then Tuscany. Noble, unassuming and straightforward, its every corner amazes and bewitches the visitor who, drawn by the scents and breath- taking views, finds it hard to leave. Land of wine, truffles, saffron, olive oil and Florentine steak: the list could go on and on. After Piedmont, Tuscany is the Italian region with the most agri-food products bearing European PGI and PDO labels: exactly 31. 67 per cent of the territory is hilly, 25 per cent mountainous and only 8 per cent flat: morphology that influences climate, raw materials and production. Tracing Tuscan gastronomy is not easy because it is an area rich and varied in products, which is why, in order to tell it properly, we wanted an excellence of native and Italian cuisine that has travelled all over the world, Valeria Piccini , 2 Michelin Stars, of the Caino restaurant in Montemerano (Gr). A STROLL THROUGH EXCELLENCE When one arrives in former Etruria, the welcome greeting is usually given by the absolute and undisputed king of this land, the wine that, together with that of Piedmont and some areas of France, represents the top of world production. The hills, climate, exposure and soil composition are all factors that make this place the ideal place to cultivate vines: from Chianti to Montalcino, from Bolgheri to Montepulciano. Chianti Classico , consisting mainly of Sangiovese grapes, is produced in the hills between the provinces north of Florence and south of Siena. Highlights include Marchesi Antinori’s IGT Tignanello , the first Sangiovese