Bresaola candies by Fratelli Lebano, north and south meet in a dish for the summer

A very quick but very tasty and fresh dish for the summer: it is the proposal of the Lebano brothers, Chefs of the Terrace of the prestigious Hotel Gallia in Milan. At the base a very delicate Bresaola produced without nitrites and nitrates, aged for six months with a secret and patented process.

Brothers separated in growth and united in success, this play on words can be summed up in the parable of Vincenzo and Antonio Lebano, very young but already at the head of the kitchens of one of the most prestigious and historic hotels in Milan, the Hotel Gallia where for decades the fate of the Italian football championship has been decided. Originally from Campania, Vincenzo and Antonio, before landing in the shadow of the Madonnina, got to know the flavors of Neapolitan cuisine at school from their mother and grandmothers who cleaned the vegetables from the garden and the countryside in the evening, explaining the differences to them, such as recognize them, how they were cooked and cooked, how they were accompanied.

Tales of old stories and traditions that really struck the imagination of the two boys to the point of being passionate about the idea of seeing their future in the kitchen, in the kitchen, putting into practice all the advice they had received as children. And it was precisely the knowledge and ability to make the most of the qualities of raw materials that paved the way for a brilliant career.

Vincenzo Lebano, born in 1987, immediately after the hotel management school, receives his baptism, and what a baptism, of haute cuisine, going to work at La Torre del Saracino by Gennaro Esposito, 2 Michelin stars in Vico Equense, then passes through the San Pietro in Positano (SA), 1 Michelin star, for the Chalet d'Adrien in Verbier in Switzerland, 1 Michelin star, for Il Piastrino di Pennabilli (RN), 1 Michelin star and from the three-star Da Vittorio in Brusaporto of the Cerea brothers.

Even the curriculum of Antonio, the youngest - he was born in 1991 - is no different. The path that will then lead him to reunite with his brother in Milan starts from the hotel management school and winds through the restaurant La Parolina in Acquapendente, 1 Michelin star, Villa Crespi with Antonino Cannavacciuolo, 2 Michelin stars in Orta San Giulio (NO) and Da Vittorio, 3 Michelin stars in Brusaporto.

And convict was the experience of the Cerea brothers who four years ago were called by the new international owners of the Gallia who carried out a millionaire and extra-luxury renovation of the hotel, all glass, mirrors, thirty Murano mega-lamps, modern works of art, prestigious furniture brands by Vico Magistretti, Achille Castiglioni, Giò Ponti, Luigi Caccia Dominioni and Franco Albini, for advice on the kitchens on the spectacular terrace overlooking piazzale Duca d'Aosta and the restaurant on the ground floor.

The Cereas did not hesitate, and indicated the two Lebano brothers who they had to appreciate for their incredible qualities in their kitchens and who will be able to express a line of cuisine at the level required for the renovated Hotel Gallia.

And this is how the journeys of the two brothers, with all the burden of gastronomic baggage purchased separately, come together in a unitary experience, made up of comparison and stimulus, sharing and support in a kitchen that expresses innovation and technique, open to the new in the strong memory of their Neapolitan origins. But above all in the almost obsessive search for the highest quality raw materials.

As evidenced by the recipe of these Bresaola and burrata candies, not just any Bresaola but the one born in 2016 from a project, signed by Gio Porro, based on a new (patented) production method of the precious Valtellina bresaola, called Zero Method which combines the artisan quality of the past and the avant-garde of Industry 4.0. A unique product where 0 stands for total absence of nitrites, nitrates, glucose, lactose, preservatives and additives, also thanks to robotisation. A project that starts from afar to obtain an extraordinary flavor of processed meat which is based on a few cornerstones: beef from the best breeds in the world is used, because it is leaner and healthier. Furthermore, the absence of nitrites and nitrates is not compensated with fake vegetable substitutes, but with a real scientifically validated process innovation.

The Zero Method formula is secret: it is only known that it is based on time and on the use of cold. “According to the traditional industry – explains Andrea Porro – bresaola is ready after 28 days of refinement. We, on the other hand, take up to 6 months for the seasoning. With sealed chambers and digital production control. It took me five years to test. We built the plant and put it into operation in a year and a half”.

The result is a meat so precious that it is wrapped in a film developed by an aerospace engineer in the sales packages.

It is clear at this point that a raw material treated in this way lends itself to diversified uses and consumption. The great public success recorded by Bresaola della Valtellina over a decade has involved several chefs who have studied its gourmet use in elaborate gastronomic preparations and no longer limited to the use of classic sliced meat.

For the readers of First&Food we offer an original and quick, almost instantaneous preparation elaborated by the Lebano brothers who blend burrata and lemon in the dish, a reminder of their southern origins with Bresaola della Valtellina which belongs to the most classic culture of their land of adoption. The result is a fresh, innovative dish for the summer.