To explain who Pasquale Tarallo is chef of the Paisà of Agnone Cilento, in the province of Salerno, a small jewel nestled between the sea, the high cliffs of the Pistachio ridge, the mouth of the Rio Lapis, in the national park of Cilento and Vallo di Diana, characterized by crystalline waters and fish always rewarded with the Blue flag, no words are needed. Just mention a small wording at the bottom of the menu: 10% discount for those arriving by bicycle or sailing boat.
And here is immediately traced the philosophy of this chef in love with the sea and the countryside of these places to feel an integral part of them and to privilege those who love and respect them and above all guardian of a cuisine of ancient traditions of this extraordinary territory. The fact is that Pasquale Tarallo is not a native of here but he is a Lumbard by birth. How he gave birth to him then with his family, when he was five years old, he emigrated to the South, making the opposite journey compared to the human flood of southern emigrants who have always sought their fortune in the industrial north.
But it is not only atypical for this. Pasquale Tarallo. He wasn't born to life in a professional college for cooks. He first obtains the diploma in a classical high school, the degree in law and the qualification to practice the legal profession.
Fifteen years ago together with the Brothers, Luca, Memy, and his wife decided to reopen the Paisà, an old family restaurant that had been closed for a few years. Luca's brother goes to the kitchen, he takes care of the room and the management. . I was in the dining room and took care of the management.
But in 2014 it happens that his brother Luca goes to Brazil to manage the restaurant that his uncle, Alfonso and Nonna Veturia, the ones who had created the Paisà at the time, had opened in South America, making a fortune.
What to do at this point? Close the Paisà again with all the memories of him? Pasquale does not hold back, he takes a professional diploma in food and wine and hotel hospitality services, follows a master's degree as an expert in the Mediterranean Diet at the Suor Orsola Benincasa Institute and cooks while his wife Saria takes her place in the dining room.
"But the real school - he says today - I did by watching my grandmothers Veturia (Cilentana) and Luigia (Friulana transplanted in Como) cook and living with them".
His classical studies provide him with great support to deepen his knowledge culture of local cuisineor in all its facets, those of history, tradition, originality, the profound meaning of the material, respect andlove for the surroundings. He metabolizes everything and like a good lawyer he goes to the origin of things, he frames them deterministically to then propose them in a complete culinary discourse that seeks effect and conviction where nothing is left out to chance, his dishes are in fact born first in the brain and then they aim to excite your mouth.
And Pasquale quickly convinced the inspectors of the best gastronomic guides, the Osterie d'Italia Slow Food guide, the Gambero Rosso's Italian Restaurants guide, the Touring Club, the Golosario Massobrio. He helps him in this the surrounding nature. At Paisà you see very little meat, but the fish, the fish of those waters, anchovies, prawns, lobsters, mussels, redfish and tuna, reigns supreme with its flavours. Fresh fish which appears in the list only if the sea gave it the day before. And again: goat and sheep cheeses refined by Vincenzo Passaro di Giungano which bring with them the flavor of the national park; the oil is only that of the company of Piero Matarazzo of Perdifumo, Three Green Leaves of the Gambero Rosso, the first prize of the EVOOOOIC, first national place at the seventeenth edition of the Sirena D'Oro of Sorrento; the beans can only be those of Controne Igp, the vegetables and fruit come from Montecorice, the bread and freselle from the ovens of the surrounding countryside, and then there are the Cilento figs by Giuseppe Pastore of "The flavors of the earth" of Casalvelino, a true alchemist and artisan of taste, and the homemade sweets memories of grandmother Veturia and grandmother Luigia.
in short the territory here is sovereign and the kitchen enhances it without the need to propose abstruse solutions. A simple but intense cuisine that leaves you with strong memories of intense pleasures such as groin with tuna and lemon, paccheri with redfish, fried mullet and anchovies, fish croquettes and courgette flowers, pepper roll stuffed with goat ricotta cheese and vegetables, the Cilento salt water with tuna steak and to finish the Agnone lemon marmalade mousse with DOP Salella extra virgin olive oil.
For FoodFirstOnline readers Pasquale Tarallo proposes a dish that is a visiting card of the flavors of Cilento: the Mediterranean black chickpea soup with Agnone cuttlefish, a lean dish ideal for the Lenten period easy to perform
The recipe: Mediterranean black chickpea soup with cuttlefish from Agnone,
Ingredients for 4ps
320gr of black chickpeas
1kg of cuttlefish
10 winter yellow cherry tomatoes from Cilento.
Mediterranean scents (laurel, thyme, marjoram, myrtle)
2 organic garlic cloves
Extra virgin olive oil DOP Cilento Ramarà by Piero Matarazzo qs
Trapani integral salt to taste
Preparation
Soak the black chickpeas for at least 24 hours as the wrinkled skin is very resistant. Change the water at least 4/5 times.
Once the soaking is finished, put the cold chickpeas in a saucepan with double the amount of water. Add the salt and 5 tomatoes. Seasonings and garlic can be added and placed in an infuser for convenience.
Cooking black chickpeas takes quite a long time. More or less 1 hour and a half. In the meantime, clean the cuttlefish and cut them into strips 1cm wide. The heads divided into 3 parts. A few minutes before the chickpeas are finished cooking, sauté the garlic, the 5 halved cherry tomatoes, the cuttlefish starting with the heads and the rest after 2 minutes in a very hot non-stick frying pan with extra virgin olive oil. Jump and cover. Cook over high heat for about 2 minutes.
Add the chickpeas to the cuttlefish and serve.
