Originally from South America, the pepper plant (its scientific name is Caspicum annum) crossed the ocean in 1500 to reach Spain thanks to Christopher Columbus who discovered it on one of his voyages and from there it quickly spread throughout Europe.
To tell the truth, the vegetable that is now the star of summer and autumn tables all over the world did not immediately make its entrance into the kitchen. Upon its arrival in the old continent, it was used, by virtue of its dazzling colours and the variety of its shapes, as an ornamental plant in gardens. Leonardo da Vinci even used it as a base for his colours, after having dried and crushed it.
We have to wait until the 600th century to hear about the entry of peppers into the kitchens of the nobility. Carlo Nascia, from Palermo, chief chef to Vannuccio Farnese, Duke of Parma, Piacenza, Castro, author of a famous manuscript, from 1680 “The four banquets destined for the four seasons of the year” proposes peppers cooked together with turkey. Also in 1600 Antonio Latini, superintendent at only 28 years of age of the kitchens of Cardinal Antonio Barberini in Rome, then moved to Naples, under the authority of the regent of the kingdom Esteban Carillo Salsedo in the famous treatise “The modern steward, or the art of well-arranging banquets”, praises the properties of peppers and recommends their use to flavor sauces.
Over time it has been discovered that this plant has valuable qualities for the body as it is rich in antioxidants from manganese and selenium, vitamin A (important for healthy skin, mucous membranes and eyesight), vitamin E, vitamin C (valuable for immune defenses but also in the synthesis of collagen and therefore able to promote good health of skin, blood vessels, bones and other organs and tissues. In addition, the B vitamins contained in abundance in peppers promote good metabolism. Last but not least, the potassium it is rich in helps protect cardiovascular health.
We have talked about the many varieties of peppers, well even the color has its importance because each color hides specific characteristics: green is purifying, red is satiating, excellent for diets, yellow is antioxidant
The differences do not only concern the color but also the organoleptic qualities and here in Italy we are spoiled for choice between the Peperone di Carmagnola, the Quadrato di Asti, the Pappacella napoletana, the Pontecorvo Dop, in the province of Frosinone, the Pipiddu in Polizzi Generosa, in Sicily, just to celebrate the most famous but there are many, many others.
Among the many recipes that feature peppers throughout the country, this week we have chosen the recipe for Paccheri, pepper crème brûlée by chef Lorenzo Cantoni. Born in 87 in Umbertide (Perugia), Cantoni is steeped in “Umbritudine” to the core: the land that gave him birth and its flavors have always been a source of inspiration for him for a refined cuisine that has become more and more elaborate over time. To train, he has had interesting experiences in Italy and abroad, especially in France, Belgium and Holland, but when he returned to Umbria he began a personalized journey that led him to build a cuisine in his image, to enhance the Umbrian producers of excellence. All through careful research, and a predisposition for innovation capable of enhancing tradition.
Today Cantoni is at the top of the kitchens of the Vocabolo Moscatelli Boutique Restaurant in Calzolaro in Umbertide. One could say that the refined hotel, only twelve rooms, in a perfect balance of ancient and modern that aims to enhance the unique identity of this historic corner of Umbria, embeds its engaging cuisine.
A context well outlined by the Michelin Guide which states: "It is not just the name that distinguishes the Vocabolo Moscatelli Boutique Hotel & Restaurant as a genuinely Italian establishment: nowhere else in the world, in fact, do the hoteliers so freely mix elements such as the ancient stone walls of a 12th-century Umbrian monastery with ultra-modern, luxury design furnishings. The rooms are divided between the original building and a more recent extension, but all are expertly crafted, evocative and more than luxurious. The hotel bar specializes in cocktails and local wines, while the restaurant serves creative, high-end Umbrian cuisine with global influences, in a charming room with an adjoining terrace".
In the dishes you can see the curiosity to explore new opportunities, building relationships with companies, winemakers, Umbrian farmers, highlighting fresh and local products, the meat of the Breeder, the bread of great ancients signed by Cristiano Baldoncini, the oil of Pietraie - chosen after careful research and numerous tastings. The recipe for his paccheri does not seek dramatic solutions, it does not embark on flights of fancy on other gastronomic galaxies, it remains steeped in the land of Umbria and transmits all the warmth of this land.
The recipe for Paccheri, pepper crème brûlée
Ingredients for 4 people:
20 packages
200 g of red peppers
250 g of liquid cream
70 g of egg yolk
5 g of fine salt
Herbs
Procedure:
Wash the peppers and roast them in the oven at 200°C for 20 minutes. Once cooked, place them in a vacuum bag and let them rest for two days.
After 48 hours, remove the peppers from the vacuum bag, collect the liquid and transfer it to a chinoise, or a conical strainer with a long handle, placed over a soup plate so as to collect as much vegetable water as possible. Filter and combine the resulting liquid with the previous one; set aside.
Place the pasta in a large bowl and cover the pasta with the liquid obtained from the peppers, and let it rehydrate for about an hour (depends on the type of pasta).
Blend the remaining pulp with an immersion blender and add to the cream. Add salt and bring the mixture to the heat, reduce for about 10 minutes. Cool and add the egg yolks and pepper.
Transfer the mixture with the help of a piping bag inside the paccheri, bake at 84°C with steam for 20 minutes.
Once cooked, before bringing them to the table, sprinkle with brown sugar and use a blowtorch to caramelize the surface.
Garnish with aromatic herbs.
Vocabulary Moscatelli Boutique Hotel Restaurant
Via del Refari 2
Shoemaker, Umbertide
+39 075 5455815
Info@vocabolomoscatelli.com
