Modernizing the traditional

 

San Pietro Val Lemina, October 1, 2016—

Once again I looked into slow food's Osteria d'Italia app for a nearby restaurant, to find only one, said to feature a "chef che concilia con maestria tradizione e modernità". 

Well, why not reconcile tradition and modernity, I thought, the chef had the right to avoid boredom. But the result here is problematic, in my opinion. 

We began by sharing antipasti: gli stuzzichini caldi: 

 

 II tortino di patate e lardo al rosmarino

 Il savarin di tomo con vellutata al tartufo

 II tortino di cavolo rosso con bagna caoda leggeraI

I then went on to

i fagottini delle erbette al bianco di porri e pomodorino

And 

Il cosciotto di agnello alla cerea

Let me translate and comment:

The three stuzzichini were subtle, delicious, and expertly made — the first the best, I thought: mashed potato with slightly dark lardo, flavored with rosemary.

The cheese savarin, almost a quiche, lay under a saucc flavored with black truffle.

The red-cabbage-and-salt-cod tortino, like the first more of a sformatura, was my favorite of the three because of the solidity of its texture. But the problem with the course was its similarity of textures; there was too little variety to let each of these dishes play off the others.

In fact my "liittle bundles" of vegetable mousse had the same consistency (in both senses). Like the stuzzichini, it was veiled with its own sauce, different from all the others but not really particularly distinguishable. 

 

Then came my secondo, lamb shoulder (I think) with roast potatoes and an ingeniosly sliced, fanned, and stuffed half zucchini. I have no idea what alla cerea means and Dr. Google is not helping; it can't have anything to do with wax. The meat was substantial, dense, well flavored.

Dessert, of course: I can't resist Bavarian cream. This one had a scatter of crushed pine nuts on top, and came with a delicious gelato in a cup of slightly sweet white wine and a couple of slices of very good peach. This was that rare thing, an Italian dinner that got better and better as it went on.

 

Malvasia, Blanc de Lissart, Le Marie (Barge), ?2015

Nebbiolo d'Alba, Ochetti, Renato Ratti, 2014 (in half bottle)

Both wines quite delicious

Il Ciabot, Via Costa 7, Roletto (TO); +39 0121 542132