In 2019, it became part of the most beautiful villages in Italy, but in Cocconato a small town which from its 491 meters above sea level allows you to gaze far into the Monferrato countryside, its woods and its natural beauty , it is nature that reigns supreme with a mild climate that favors numerous tree and floral species, expanses of oaks, poplars, mulberries and lime trees which in season constitute one of the most suitable areas of Piedmont for the search for white and summer black truffles. Which is why these lands are identified as the "Monferrato Riviera". And it is not even a coincidence that in this small village there were over twenty restaurants at the beginning of the 900th century. Its strategic position between Turin which is about forty kilometers away, Monferrato and Asti which can be reached in about thirty, made it an ideal trip to discover the local specialties and the food and wine traditions linked to the village, starting from the celebrated Robiola di Cocconato, a soft cow's milk cheese, without rind, with a creamy heart similar to crescenza, continuing with excellent cured meats that can be enjoyed cooked and raw, but also with the exquisite Cocconato raw ham, which benefits from the country's particular microclimate during maturation and ends up with excellent cellars of Barbera del Monferrato, Barbera d'Asti, Nebbiolo and Dolcetto.
Just outside the town, on Roletto-Rocca road, you come across the Cantina Nicola restaurant. Its birth is recent, dating back to 2014 but it is hard to believe it. The cuisine entrusted to the expert hands of Alessia Rolla, self-taught, with determination and competence, has been able to transform the small restaurant into a refined place over the years by offering a cuisine linked to the territory without however imprisoning herself in the rhetoric of tradition tout court, whose dishes are combined in balanced way with creative preparations of a modern character based on original and stimulating combinations.
We talk more and more often in the restaurant industry about territory, about terroir, but often abusing it. But for Alessia Rolla the territory transforms into a real religious faith.
The Cantina Nicola vegetable garden plays an important role in this project. It is the result of four years of passionate work of research into seeds and plants, study of the peculiarities and adaptability of the species and therefore of their cultivation in the summer vegetable garden as well as in the greenhouse. “Four years ago – he says – I decided to dedicate myself to our vegetable garden, to the selection of essences and to the search for seeds, some of which are rare and complicated to find. We have reached around 150 species and every season we increase the varieties to obtain more and more facets and textures of flavors in our dishes. In our gardens we do not use pesticides and we use natural fertilizers of animal origin - rabbits, cows and chickens - and vegetables, i.e. our composter to have a recirculation of all fruit and vegetable waste in its entirety. Furthermore, we provide watering using cisterns for collecting rainwater and spring wells. All this guarantees an intense flavor to all our products as they absorb the nutrients necessary for the plant in a natural way."
Alessia Rolla – the Gambero Rosso Guide wrote about her – interprets and creates by dedicating herself to the territory as well as to lofty and extensive concepts to satisfy the palate and expectations of diners. The environment has a refined and relaxing tone and the dining room staff directed by Riccardo is prompt and efficient. A whole series of tastings offer the art coming from the kitchen, all that remains is to choose and abandon yourself to the taste. rabbit ravioli, spaghetti macarun, mountain snails, smoked eel with bay leaves, hare and foie gras will be some of the travel companions".
A broth that warms us accompanied by the scents of earth and forest - there is a need for this in this harsh winter - is the proposal for the readers of Mondo Food this week.
The recipe for Porcino, wild garlic and forest broth
Ingredients for people 4
Mushrooms
• 2 porcini mushrooms approximately 8 cm tall
• 1 clove of garlic
• Q.b. oil, butter, sage, thyme, salt
Gently clean the porcini mushrooms with a cloth and cut them in half. In a pan, pour a drizzle of oil, a knob of butter, a clove of poached garlic, sage and thyme. Heat for a few minutes. Also add the porcini mushrooms with the cut side facing downwards. Cook and coat with the seasoning until golden brown. Season with salt and set aside.
Mushroom base
• 2 stalks of celery
• 3 white onions
• 3 carrots
• 100 g mixed mushrooms (chanterelles, honey mushrooms, porcini mushrooms)
• 1 glass of white wine
• 15 Juniper Berries
• Q.b. oil, salt, bay leaves
Clean the vegetables, cut them coarsely and season them with a little oil and salt. Bake them at 200°C for about 20 minutes. Deglaze with a glass of white wine and cook for another 20 minutes. At this point, transfer the ingredients into a pan, add the bay leaves and juniper berries, cover with cold water and ice and simmer for about 5 hours. When the liquid has reduced by a third, filter it through a very fine strainer, pour it into the pan and let it thicken.
Porcini mushroom oil
• 100 g porcini mushrooms
• 100 g grapeseed oil
Heat the oil and, when it has reached a temperature of 90°C, add the previously cleaned and finely chopped porcini mushrooms. Bring everything back to 90°C, blend in a Thermomix at speed 10 for about 2-3 minutes and filter.
Parsley oil
• 100 g parsley leaves
• 100 g grape seed oil
Heat the oil and, when it has reached a temperature of 90°C, add the previously cleaned and finely chopped parsley leaves. Bring everything back to 90°C, blend in a Thermomix at speed 10 for about 2-3 minutes and filter.
Hazelnut sauce
• 300 g toasted hazelnuts
• Q.b. water, salt, butter
Place the hazelnuts, salt and a knob of butter in the Thermomix. Set 80°C and blend for 15 minutes. Add a little water to obtain a smooth and homogeneous consistency.
Pickled wild garlic leaves
• 200 g water
• 2 g salt
• 10 g sugar
• 100g white vinegar
• Q.b. wild garlic leaves
Boil water, salt, sugar, vinegar and then let cool. Pour the liquid into a container, add the wild garlic leaves and marinate for about a week in the refrigerator.
Dehydrated veal heart
• 5/6 slices of veal heart
• 3 cloves
• 5 Juniper Berries
• Q.b. salt, aromatic herbs to taste, white wine, peppercorns
Chop all the herbs and spices in a coffee grinder and add them to the salt. Marinate the slices of veal heart in salt for about 1 day. When ready to use, rinse them and immerse them in white wine for another day. Place the meat slices in the oven, at around 80°C, until they are dehydrated.
Forest broth
• 500 g veal
• 5/6 dehydrated slices of veal heart
• 1 carrot
• 3 shallots
• ½ leek
• 1 stick of celery
• 10 pine sprigs
• 3 green pine cones
• 30 g dehydrated berries
• 15 Juniper Berries
• Q.b. oil, white wine, water, ice
In a pan, pour a drizzle of oil, add the veal cut into coarse pieces, the slices of heart, the vegetables and brown. Deglaze with white wine, cover with cold water and a few ice cubes and simmer for 2 hours. Then, add the pine sprigs, the pine cones cut in half, the dehydrated berries and the juniper. Bring to the boil. Then, let it cool and filter.
Finishing
Once you have obtained all the preparations, place the porcini mushroom in the center of the plate with the browned part facing upwards, pour a spoonful of stock, a few drops of porcini oil and parsley oil and some hazelnut sauce. Complete with a wild garlic leaf. Separately, serve the broth piping hot in a cup.
