In 1950, when two young Americans, not just any two, but Michael Graham, ace in the Air Force, and Patsy Dazsel, an American jet setter, found themselves passing by the promontory of Porto Ercole, a corner of paradise on the Tuscan coast, at the absolutely wild era, they were struck by it and decided to put down roots here. They bought from Alessandro "Tinti" Borghese a vast plot of land not far from the town. The villa had to be given a name and since their love had blossomed at Pelican Point in California they decided to call it "Il Pellicano". Then, having great international relations, they also decided to make it a business and transform it into a luxury hotel
Cottages were built around the Pellicano which were soon taken over by big stars, successful entrepreneurs, famous artists, writers. The Grahams' little paradise began to host characters of the caliber of Henry Fonda and Gianni Agnelli, Charlie Chaplin and only a year after the assassination of her husband, also Jaqueline Kennedy, Greta Garbo who is said to have bathed naked in Santa Liberata. And on this wave Anita Ekberg, Ava Gardner, Sofia Loren, Gregory Peck, Marcello Mastroianni, Walter Chiari, Frank Sinatra took turns. It was just the beginning. In the meantime, the Argentario and Porto Ercole in particular became destinations for international luxury tourism. Here had their villas, the Queen of Holland, Susanna Agnelli, the Corsini and Borghese princes, and the great papal nobility, the Odescalchis, the Colonnas, the Borgias, the Aldobrandis and the Orsinis.
When the Grahams decided to change hands, an open-minded entrepreneur, Roberto Sciò, former owner of “La Posta vecchia” in Palo Laziale, the former residence of US billionaire Paul Getty, transformed into a prohibitive extra-luxury resort, and which for some time had eyes on the Pelican he promptly stepped forward. And with him the property that had already expanded in 1979 to include many neighboring villas, such as that of Marta Marzotto and Charlie Chaplin, was further relaunched.
The flagship element of the aristocratic Tuscan hotel is its restaurant which must satisfy the illustrious and very demanding palates of the jet set.
Leading its kitchens is Michele Gioia, 47, a Michelin star chef and three Forks from Gambero Rosso. He arrived there after a prestigious journey that has touched important stages such as Perbellini, Mauro Uliassi, the Arnolfo reign of Gaetano Trovato two Michelin stars, the Eden Hotel in Rome and the Dorchester in London, together with the titanic Alain Ducasse. His is a cuisine that draws on the memory and Italian gastronomic traditions but widens the boundaries by transforming the recipes of Mediterranean cuisine into contemporary creations thanks to innovative techniques whereby in his dishes the flavors of the raw materials always remain intelligible in their essence united by lightness and a perfect combination of scents and colors whose goal is to offer the palate the original emotion, that is, the genuine flavour.
The Michelin guide also authoritatively attests to this, describing Gioia's culinary philosophy as follows: “few ingredients, but capable of enhancing the taste making it the unique and undisputed star of the table; triumphs of textures often at the antipodes and decisive flavors, embraces between land and sea, whimsical interpretations of tradition. With its terrace overlooking the sea and the scent of rosemary in the air, this restaurant is one of the most romantic addresses in Italy”.
Its gastronomic pillars have their roots in the territory, in the exaltation of raw materials from small local producers in compliance with seasonality. And finally, in the innovation that is never taken for granted and does not follow fashions, but always has a keen eye on what goes around the world according to the international public that sits at his tables. A curiosity that animates him driven above all by his sunny character (it is no coincidence that he comes from Campania), by an always very humble and attentive approach to gastronomic issues but also by his conception of cooking conceived as a laboratory of ideas in which all his components.
For the readers of Mondo Food, Michelino Gioia offers his signature dish to which he is very fond: Dark artichoke, Parrina ricotta and watercress cream. The dish is a sort of debt of gratitude that Michelino Gioia reserves to the Lazio region "which hosted me for a long time during my professional career" inspired by the Roman artichoke in which the starred chef encapsulates his culinary philosophy based on and tradition.
The recipe for dark artichoke, ricotta della Parrina and watercress cream
Ingredients 4 pax
For the artichoke
4 Cimaroli artichokes
1 garlic clove
Lemon
Sale
Thyme sprig
White wine
Extra virgin olive oil
For the watercress cream
250 g. Watercress
100 g. Chicken broth
Olive oil
Sale
For the cottage cheese
160 g. Sheep ricotta
Spearmint leaves
Sarawak pepper
Salt to taste
For the artichoke chips
1 whole artichokes
400 g Seed oil
4 sun-dried tomato petals
Method
For the artichokes
Prepare a container with water and lemon juice, then clean the artichokes, removing the external part and the internal beard, using a digger and place them in the container of acidulated water, to prevent them from turning black.
After that, season the artichokes with lemon juice, a sprig of thyme, white wine, salt and a clove of garlic, mix everything, place in a vacuum bag, close with the appropriate machine and steam cook for approx. 25 mins. The time depends a lot on the size of the artichokes.
PS we use this system to prevent the artichokes from oxidizing as little as possible.
For the watercress cream
Peel the watercress, wash it in cold water about three times, then pour it into a pot of boiling salted water, as soon as it boils again, drain everything and leave to cool in water and ice.
Once cold, squeeze it and blend it with a mini blender, then pass it through a fine sieve, and emulsify the extracted part with chicken broth, olive oil and salt
It should be like a cream.
For the creamed ricotta
Pour the ricotta into a container, add the salt, pepper and minced mint, stir with a spoon until it becomes a homogeneous mixture.
For the artichoke chips
While in a clock we heat the seed oil and bring it to about 140°, clean the artichoke aside, eliminating the external part and the internal beard, cut the artichoke in half, and then slice it with the slicer with a thickness about 3mm.
When the oil has reached the right temperature, fry the artichokes and place them on a tray lined with paper to dry them.
Composition of the dish
Open the vacuum bag of artichokes while still hot, remove the cooking liquid, stuff them with the creamed ricotta, arrange them in a deep dish with a thin layer of watercress cream underneath.
Garnish with artichoke chips and dried tomato julienne.
HOTEL THE PELICAN
Location Sbarcatello - 58019 Porto Ercole (GR)
Tel: (+39) 0564 858 111; Fax: (+39) 0564 833 418
