QUALITALY 138

Januar y/Februar y 2024 IX MAGAZINE and territory and their exciting encounter. The chef becomes the narrating voice that conveys this richness by interpreting in his own cuisine what Florence and Tuscany have to say. AT PALAGIO YOU OFFER TWO TASTING MENUS: INCONTRO AND GHERARDESCA. THEN YOU ALSO SERVE SOME A LA CARTE DISHES. PL:- In this season, the Incontro is made of smoked butter risotto, lobster, chanterelle agnolotti, Casentino lamb and cinnamon cream sauce. Gherardesca starts with celeriac and combines land and sea with shrimp carpaccio, black grouper, fusilloni with mullet, orzotto with porcini mushrooms, Chianina millefeuille, and ends with polenta with milk - chestnuts - vermouth - black cabbage. YOUR MOST ICONIC DISHES? PL:- The lightly smoked risotto with seasonal cabbage and smoked butter, the Agnolotti di faraona, cream of Parmigiano Reggiano and Porcini mushrooms, a dish that reminds me of my Salsa origins and speaks of home and recipes and the women in my family. The lamb shoulder braised and glazed with wild liquorice, grape mixed salad and lettuce hearts represent Tuscany well. The Stracotto of Sienese suckling pig in olive oil, black cabbage, green banana and chilli pepper, on the other hand, plays on that thin thread that binds Tuscany and Brazil. THE EGGS FROM THE MAIANO FARM AND CASENTINO PORCINI MUSHROOMS WITH LEMON AND CANDIED GARLIC IMPRESSES ME. THE EGG ALWAYS FASCINATES ME WHEN IT IS THE PROTAGONIST OF A DISH: SIMPLE AND COMPLETE, FOR A QUICK LUNCH OR AN IMPORTANT DINNER, POLYHEDRAL BUT OVAL. PL:- And why not end on a high note by breaking with tradition with a variation of green apple and lime, extra virgin olive oil and basil and almond pesto. SO ARE THERE SIGNATURE DISHES THAT YOU CHANGE JUST TO RESPECT THE SEASONALITY OF THE INGREDIENTS? PL:- The agnolotto, the lobster, the lamb, the pigeon: these are dishes that build customer loyalty and that I only change at the end of the season. The smoked risotto with cabbage is a winner even though it’s a simple and poor dish. I’m not sure what its secret is. It must be the crispy cabbage. It must be the Parmesan cream. HOW DOES SUCH A POPULAR DISH COME ABOUT? PL:- Some dishes are born from the stomach. Then maybe rationally I don’t know how to plate them. Others I have in my head, and they never arrive in my mouth as I thought them. It takes stomach, it takes head. SOME DISHES ARE BORN OUT OF INTUITION, OTHERS NEED MORE STUDY? PL:- Yes. In my case, however, I can’t do too much research. I have to manage a brigade of 44 people. I lack material time. If I were too cerebral at the end of the day, I would present a cuisine that would not belong to me at all and which, among other things, would need a customer who likes to think in order to decode the dish. THE WINNING DISH IS THE ONE THE CUSTOMER FEELS. PL:- Technically stunning dishes, if they don’t captivate the audience, they do little. AND A WINNING MENU? PL:- I think it is the result of more conceptually daring dishes and more comfort dishes so that the customer does not feel lost in the choice.