Paolo Alberelli, Chef of the "DOC" restaurant in Borgio Verezzi, a precious concentration of characteristic houses on the Riviera delle Palme, between Finale and Pietra Ligure, set between the sea, rocks and Mediterranean scents and inserted in the circuit of the Pearls of Liguria and in that of More villages than Italy, he is a great lover of traditional cuisine which in these parts includes unique specialties in Italy.
But he is also a man of great imagination, as demonstrated by his Torta Pasqualina, an iconic dish of the Ligurian Riviera which dates its birth back over the centuries. However, the imagination in bringing something innovative does not distract him from respect and fidelity to the gastronomic traditions of his land. The DOC restaurant he founded forty years ago together with his wife, Cinzia Mattioli, a brilliant sommelier and amiable landlady, is a safe haven, a certainty, for lovers of quality Ligurian cuisine.
In his kitchen you can feel the great experience gained abroad by the chef, a toga put away at a young age when he decided that a speech in court would not give him the same satisfaction as a creation in the kitchen.
Paolo Alberolli
Thus it was that, having abandoned the legal profession, he found himself taking up the kitchen without hesitation which led him around the world to gain experience in Europe and then in Hong-Kong, Singapore, New York, San Francisco, Miami, Hollywood , San Diego and the Hawaiian Islands, in Rio de Janeiro, in Dubai.
All this has allowed him to refine his tools for dealing with matter, to expand his culture of food processing, to study combinations, but his heart has always remained in the Ligurian gastronomic heritage.
And his DOC set in a welcoming old villa, with a beautiful garden and classic furnishings with a pleasant atmosphere, is the jealous guardian of that heritage. His menus change according to the seasons but always with a precise reference: to what the market offers, obviously the local one
“The thing that pleases me the most – he declared in a recent interview – is being able to keep dishes created years ago on the menu, dishes that our customers, but we prefer to consider them friends, continue to ask, from crispy baked seafood lasagna with anchovies in mint bread with star anise purée and machetto, or even the fantasy of steamed shellfish with citrus sauce or, for desserts, the chocolate flan”. In short, Ligurian air blows over the Duc and it's not a meteorological fact, it's really a choice of love.
And this is how in his Torta Pasqualina, the dish that traditionally cannot be missing on Ligurian tables these days, the canonical chard leaves and artichokes enter. We are in the full exaltation of the territory. Because Borgio Verezzi is only 16 kilometers from Albenga and saying Albenga is equivalent to talking about its famous spiny artichoke, a variety of Cynara scolymus, also known by the name of Albenga violet, or articiocche in the Ligurian language.
There are historical testimonies of this crop, one of which is not a little authoritative that of Count Gilbert Chabrol de Volvic in charge of the French government, who sent reports to Napoleon Bonaparte in which he spoke of the crops in the Savona area, also citing the artichoke among the main productions.
And the properties of the Albenga artichoke will subsequently be highlighted by Count Stefano Jacini, president of the commission of inquiry into the conditions of agriculture in Italy, and future Minister of the Kingdom of Italy who at the end of the XNUMXth century wrote: «…the artichokes and early flowering cabbages are exported, but not in considerable quantities. Among the favorites are the artichokes of San Remo, Ripa Ligure, Albenga, Savona, Varazze, Pietra Ligure, Chiavarese, Spotorno, Arenzano, Prà, from where whole wagons are exported”.
The difference from the traditional Torta Pasqualina is only in the introduction of the artichoke, but this gives a new flavor to the delicious Ligurian specialty, a savory but delicate flavor as is typical of spiny artichokes, typical of the Ligurian hinterland, which have a sweetness and delicacy which clearly differentiate them from all other artichoke qualities. Sweetness and delicacy that make them highly appreciated in the kitchen even if the best way to enhance their quality is to eat them raw, seasoned with a drizzle of Ligurian oil, of course.
Another product that Paolo Alberelli uses is Prescinsoa, a cheese halfway between yogurt and ricotta, with a sour taste, also in this case strongly rooted in the Ligurian territory,
“My Torta Pasqualina – says the Chef is a tribute to the typical products of the gastronomic culture of this beautiful area – which are essentially four, the spiny artichoke, the trombetta courgettes, the violet asparagus and the ox heart tomato. By resorting to the prickly artichoke instead of the more humble vegetables, I wanted to ennoble this dish”.
The recipe for Pasqualina cake by Paolo Alberelli
Ingredients for people 4
For the mad dough:
400 g of flour 00
200 g of water
sale
For the stuffing
5 artichokes from Albenga,
300 gr of soft ricotta or better than Prescinsoa
60 g of grated parmesan,
8 eggs
100 ml of extra virgin olive oil (Chef's suggestion: Olio Sommariva)
marjoram
little onion
salt and pepper.
Preparation:
First, place the flour in a bowl together with the oil, water and salt. Knead until obtaining a certain consistency and let it rest for about an hour.
Then proceed to the filling: once cleaned, the artichokes are cut into thin slices and cooked in a sautéed onion sprinkled with half a glass of water until softened. After they have cooled, mix them in a bowl together with the ricotta, the prescinsoa, 3 eggs, salt, pepper, marjoram and the grated parmigiano.
At this point divide the dough into 6 parts (the original recipe, inspired by the years of Christ, since we are in the Easter era, provides 33 parts for as many sheets, but the Chef's proposal is to considerably reduce the sheets to make it more feasible homemade) and make 6 very thin sheets with the help of the back of the hand.
Line a cake tin with the first sheet, grease it, then proceed, overlapping the second and third, then pour in the filling.
Then create 4 dimples in the filling where the shelled eggs will fit. Cover everything with the 3 remaining sheets, being careful to grease them. Close well and brush the surface with egg yolk and extra virgin olive oil.
Bake in the oven at 180°C for about 45 minutes. Serve the Easter cake with artichokes warm or better at room temperature.
