It can be said that a strong and genuine love for the territory has crossed the history of the Borgo dei Cipressi farmhouse in Todi over the years.
It all started several years ago when an entrepreneur, Mr. Succi, bought a 14-hectare property and donated it to his wife Aurora, who had insisted on having a holiday home in the relaxing countryside of Todi so she could dedicate herself to gardening. The farmhouse boasted ancient and noble pasts, it had belonged to the Chigi family as evidenced by the coat of arms on the facade and the watchtower. Obviously the name of the villa was easy to choose: L'Aurora. That villa, where there are still cypress trees and many varieties of ornamental plants planted personally by Mrs. Aurora Succi, with the passing of generations today is the kingdom of Federica Pasetto and Davide Barone, a couple in life and work who have been able to continue a family history. Yes, because after the lockdown the property became a farmhouse whose sign "Borgo dei cipressi" is a clear tribute by Federica Pasetto to her grandmother Aurora and her passion for gardening. And Aurora became the name of the restaurant opened a few years ago.
Aurora is a window into her grandmother's dream, explains Federica who, together with Davide, inherited from her grandmother the passion for this magical land and its flavors. The restaurant, with 35 seats inside and about 25 outside, is open from Wednesday to Sunday with a large outdoor space. Around it is the olive grove that has at least 200 olive trees in addition to the other 150 recently planted from which they produce olive oil. From the orchard, instead, peach, plum, apricot and fig jams arrive on the table. The vegetable garden then serves as a natural base for the cuisine and which Federica and Davide take care of personally from the sowing of the ancient seeds (free from diseases and therefore no chemical treatments are necessary). Maximum attention is then paid to the use of natural products such as macerates (of nettle, tomato, etc.) to take care of the vegetable garden on which the entire menu revolves. Finally, the small farm of farmyard animals. Being sustainable – declares Davide the chef, with a prestigious experience behind him at Heinz Beck's Pergola, translates into full respect in the most authentic way of tradition, in the choice of raw materials with a constant eye on safeguarding the environment and protecting the territory.
The menu is naturally seasonal, paying homage to Umbrian flavours but at the same time offering creative interpretations “even if sometimes I change some dishes even every week” says Davide, every ingredient is home-grown or from local producers (within a maximum radius of 20 km). The appetizers start with onion under the fire with parmesan and breadcrumbs with herbs or Umbrian crostini with liver mousse, figs, salted lemon and almonds. The two focaccias (meat and vegetarian) are unmissable: with wild boar pulled pork and truffle mayonnaise or courgettes, cherry tomatoes, pecorino and parsley mayonnaise. The first courses are all about fresh homemade pasta: pumpkin tortelli, mushroom and lemon broth; einkorn wheat fettuccine Genovese wild boar style; roe deer agnolotti with sour turnips and pecorino; water and flour alla gricia with red onions from Cannara. The second courses are a triumph of meats from farmyard animals and not: devilled chicken with rosemary potato soft; rabbit stuffed with cacciatore and garden vegetables; lamb skewer, aubergines and nduja mayonnaise. This is where Federica comes in, bringing baked goods to the table. The bread basket is a bouquet of walnut, raisin and rye bread; with spelt flour and olives; with paprika and onions: "some of the flours are self-produced with our grains - specifies Federica who also personally takes care of the desserts that range from mascarpone mousse with almond crumble, chocolate and coffee served hot in an elegant consommé cup with pear cooked in babà syrup, to the chocolate cream and hazelnut crumble to the hazelnut brittle and salted caramel.
The wine list stands out for its selection dedicated to local wines with a natural and organic imprint. It is a tribute to the winemaking tradition of Umbria, with a particular focus on the Todi area. Among the selected labels, those of the Agri Segretum Winery stand out, renowned for being the only one to produce Grechetto bubbles, a wine that celebrates the unique characteristics of the terroir. Another important protagonist is the Annesanti Winery, considered one of the pioneers of natural wines in central Italy, whose commitment to quality and sustainability has helped redefine the wine panorama of the region, also worth mentioning is the Fongoli Winery, known for its ancestral wines, which reflect the tradition and authenticity of the territory. The recipe that the chef proposes this week to the readers of Mondo Food is certainly a tribute to the Umbrian tradition, but at the same time it is also evidence of a cuisine that feels the need to introduce ethical and environmentalist principles into the menu.
The Recipe for Semi-wholemeal Bread, Chicken Liver Mousse, Figs, Salted Lemon and Almonds.
This – explains the chef – is a reinterpretation of the typical Umbrian crostino. It is a dish that is a bit like foie gras, a product of excellence, which I learned to work with in my starred experiences. But which today is no longer in my strings as it is a product with poor sustainability, both from an ethical and environmental point of view. In this case we find the livers worked as a classic foie gras mousse. The sweet and sour element, which in the classic French recipe comes from a reduction of port and Madeira wine, is given by Sagrantino passito from the Agri Segretum winery. In essence I tried to recreate the taste of foie gras, but using elements of great sustainability, territoriality and seasonality.
Ingredients
Liver mousse:
1kg chicken/rabbit livers and hearts
200ml cream
1 glass of Sagrantino passito wine
Half a glass of Marsala
6g fish glue
Garlic and herbs
Procedure:
Roast the livers in a saucepan over a high flame, with a clove of garlic in its skin and the herbs you prefer. Blend with the wines, let the alcohol evaporate and cook over a medium flame for about 20 minutes.
Add the cream, and transfer everything into a blender, add the gelatine previously soaked in cold water and blend until you get a smooth mixture. If necessary add a ladle of water.
Season with salt and pepper and cool the mousse in the fridge already inside a piping bag.
Salted lemon:
Cut the lemons into 4 wedges, season them with 4% salt on the total weight. Leave them to macerate for half a day at room temperature then put them in a jar squeezing the juice so that when squeezing them they are completely submerged by their own juice.
Before closing the jar, put a taste-saving press. Leave to mature for at least a month in a cool, dry place.
For the crostini, remove the inside of the lemon and leave the peel and most of the cotton. Cut into julienne strips.
Mtoasted andorle:
Toast the almonds in the oven at 160 degrees for 10 minutes, then cut in half lengthwise.
Restaurant L'Aurora
San Damiano Quinzano Road, 17A – 06059 Todi (PG)
Tel. 339 4545287
www.borgodeicipressi.it
borgodeicipressi@gmail.com
Open from Wednesday to Sunday
