Return to the three owls

Malanghera, September 30—

 

 WE STAY tonight  near Venaria Reale, there to visit ‭the magnificent palace and see a fine Brueghel show — and to return to a restaurant I particularly liked a year ago, when we dined there with friends.

 

This time it seemed not quite so marvelous, partly because of rather detached service. The food was delicious. It was again one of those Slow Food-recommended osterie: no menu, simply a recited list of the nights antipasti, primi, and secondi.

 

But first, the amuse-Bouche.  This was an elegant shot glass with three melon balls, spiked with a toothpick carrying a tiny morsel of very good prosciutto, the whole bathed in Prosecco. A fine start!

 

We went on to our antipasto, choosing local salumi, as you see — four of them, all pork sausages of various cuts and assemblages, some piquant, others sweeter, and cut what you want but take all you cut, said the attached tag. And with them, pepperoni tonnato, sweet peppers filled with the tuna mayonnaise you normally find floating atop sliced roast veal.

My primo was risotto al ragu, perfectly cooked and simply but nicely presented. Secondo: braised cinghiale, wild pig, with the hint of cloves you expect, deep and solid in a rich gravy.

 

I still had room for dessert, and took panna cotta, of course, served in a glass, floated with semi-sweet white wine, dotted with crushed hazelnuts, in form recalling the amuse-bouche, and I was happy.

Favorita, Donna Costanza, Malabaila di Canale (Langhe), 2015; Nebbiolo in bicchiere.

La Taverna dei Tre Gufi, Via Devietti Goggia 71, Malanghero (TO); ‭+39 011 9247047‬