Go to Montagnana, one of the most beautiful villages in Italy immersed in the countryside of Padua, Orange Flag for its historical beauties and for the enhancement of typical products, recognized in 2018 among the Spighe Verdi localities, which proudly bears the Lion of San Marco in the city coat of arms, testimony of almost four hundred years of belonging to the Republic of Venice, set in the walls, considered one of the most famous and best preserved examples of medieval military architecture in Europe, is a unique experience. The city is appreciated for its urban fabric, made up of streets and buildings built in the Renaissance period and for its artistic riches, from the Cathedral (1431-1502), which houses the Transfiguration of Paolo Veronese, three plates of Giovanni Buonconsiglio known as Marescalco (1571th century), a large votive canvas of considerable documentary value that reproduces the battle of Lepanto (1525) as well as apse frescoes by Buonconsiglio, and Judith and David, recently attributed to Giorgione. Not to mention the jewel of Villa Pisani, just outside the town, one of Palladio's masterpieces, which houses statues by Alessandro Vittoria (1608-XNUMX).
Having completed the visit of the extraordinary artistic and architectural testimonies, you can grant yourself a well-deserved rest by venturing among the ancient walls to entertain yourself at the Aldo Moro restaurant – nothing to do with the statesman who tragically appeared, much to do, as a surname, with the Moors who have accompanied and enriched the history of the Venetian Republic – where a young Chef, Silvia Moro, will surprise you with her cuisine, making you discover fascinating culinary territories between tradition, evolution (she is careful not to use the term innovation) and a pinch of healthy madness.
Last generation of a family of restaurateurs who in 1940 they took over an old inn in the heart of the historic center, later transforming it into a hotel as well, Silvia Moro, despite breathing the kitchen air from morning to night, thought it well to graduate in Business Economics at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Padua. But then she quickly deduced that the economy was not her lot, and she immediately set her sights on it Alma, the great International School of Italian Cuisine of the Reggia di Colorno which had the great Gualtiero Marchesi as Rector.
From the big school, where he also attended a pastry course with Gregoire Berger, he left for a series of internship under the three stars of the Alajmos at Le Calandre di Rubano and then by Enrico Crippa of Piazza Duomo in Alba, another high priest of Italian three-starred cuisine.
Back at home she realizes that the glorious family restaurant, even if it is a real institution, has to turn the page. No revolution for heaven's sake, what father Sergio and mother Marisa have done up to now to keep up the level of the historic restaurant is perfectly fine. But it needs to be given a boost to establish itself with a new clientele and adapt to the times. Meanwhile, the restaurant sign is enriched with a French accent "La cuisine" which immediately lets you understand where you're aiming. A path of updating traditional cuisine, but with a lot of research and many international contaminations behind it. Sure dad Sergio, a guy with very decisive ways and mom Marisa at first they are a bit perplexed, to say the least, but theirs is a united family, they discuss, confront each other, clash, but they also understand the reasons of each other.
The young Silvia has polite manners but a lot of determination and her brothers are with her, so a generational compromise is reached: one part of the menu will be aimed at loyal customers, the other part will stand out instead in search of new refined flavours. In its menu you can feel the great school that it has acquired working alongside the great chefs, but you can also feel a strong personal imprinting that allows it to affirm an innovative cuisine that uses experimentation only to deepen the treatment of the raw material without ever betraying its its historical and cultural significance, which has attracted the attention of the great guides and which suggests new convincing goals. The hat of the L'Espresso restaurant guide is evident that it is only a first step.
For the readers of Mondo Food, Silvia Moro offers a refined sandy cake with creme anglaise, pomegranate, persimmon, black grapes and Veronese raisin, a dessert that fully interprets the precious and healthy resources of the countryside at the moment and above all interprets the influences of its cuisine . The dish takes its inspiration from a classic of Italian cuisine by master Gualtiero Marchesi. The famous dripping concept inspired by the color dripping technique of the great American artist James Pollock, protagonist of abstract expressionism, who Gualtiero Marchesi declined in different combinations, in this case it is applied to a dessert. Everything aims to reflect the seasonality of the products and take up a classic dessert of the Venetian tradition which is here exalted in modern and intriguing forms. Only when you start to taste the dessert-painting, destroying its composition, is the suggestion of a Pollock painting fully recreated
aldo moro la cuisine restaurant
The recipe: Sandy cake with English cream, pomegranate, kaki and Veronese raisin wine
Ingredients for 7 people:
For the cake:
240 g butter
240 g powdered sugar
240 g potato starch
3 eggs
To taste untreated lemon zest
30 g Yeast
For the cream:
500 g milk
To taste Lemon and vanilla
120 g yolk
110 g caster sugar
For the purees:
#1 Khaki
N.2 pomegranate
To taste blueberries and raspberries
Passito Veronese to taste
Procedure:
For the cake:
In a planetary mixer, whip the butter and icing sugar until you obtain a soft mixture. Incorporate the egg yolks, baking powder, lemon zest and starch, distributing everything evenly. Separately, whip the egg white until stiff and slowly incorporate it into the previous mixture. Bake everything in a buttered and floured cake tin at 170°C for 40 minutes.
For the cream:
Mix the egg yolks with the sugar and add the milk previously brought to the boil. Cook everything in a bain-marie until a smooth and homogeneous sauce is obtained.
Sift the persimmons and the pomegranate to obtain the two purees.
Spread the cream like a mirror and drip over the two purees. Arrange cake squares randomly and top with blueberries and raspberries. Finally, add the Veronese passito.
Aldo Moro Hotel Restaurant
Via G. Marconi 27 35044 Montagnana PD
Tel. 0429 81351
