He called it "The Pantry". It was not a random choice but the desire to condense in an image his philosophy of an entrepreneur in love with his land, who lives for and with his territory, who identifies in the values of tradition the engine of a redemption not only of Cilento but of throughout the day, who has demonstrated, with his personal story, that this is not utopia but can only become reality if the complaints and grievances, atavistic evil of the South, are replaced by determination, desire to do and trust.
The character in question is Peppino Pagano, hotelier, restaurateur, wine entrepreneur, breeder, farmer in Paestum in the industrious Piana del Sele. Successful hotelier yes but because before others he was able to understand in the 70s that the landscape and environmental heritage of this area of the Cilento coast south of Battipaglia, home of buffalo mozzarella dop, somewhat hidden from the attention of selected tourism, had enormous prospects only if an offer adequate to expectations had been developed. How was it. And his hotel today is one of the most luxurious in the area with a capacity for large numbers of events, conferences and weddings. u
Successful restaurateur yes because its refined Ristorante Tre Olivi, has obtained the Dish of quality cuisine from the Michelin Guide for "inviting Cilento specialties in the elegant dining room overlooking the garden of luxuriant sub-tropical vegetation". Successful wine entrepreneur, yes because he intuited, when still few believed in it, the possibility of combining a rigorously biodynamic viticulture with quality production, until you see his wines at the top of the most prestigious national rankings.
A successful farmer yes because his precious cold-processed oil appears on the starred tables of the greatest Italian chefs and wins medals everywhere. Successful breeder, yes because his yogurt made with the milk of its buffaloes, product, after a millionaire investment, in the absence of oxygen, without preservatives or other food industry preparations, manages to keep its qualities unaltered for 35 days and has arrived throughout Italy not only on the counters of Eataly but even in Hong Kong.
The San Salvatore Pantry is today an important showcase open to the excellence of this area south of Battipaglia, a tribute to Cilento, a successful mix between production, catering and point of sale of all products made in San Salvatore 1988, located in the heart of the production area of DOP Campana mozzarella.
The formula was born from another of great intuitions of Peppino Pagano, the exaltation of the work of the Cilento housewives, of their ability to prepare tasty and genuine cuisine to console the men who returned tired from the toil of work in the fields.
All over 60, these ladies are the custodians of the recipes of the Cilento tradition handed down from mother to daughter, the same recipes that are the basis of the precepts of the Mediterranean diet. So having lunch in the Dispensa means immersing yourself in the typical menus of festive days in Cilento, from handmade homemade pasta to vegetable-based dishes and peasant desserts.
To this great offer that has its roots in ancestral knowledge, which have placed this land at the center of the international debate on eating well and the Mediterranean diet, is added a vast production that ranges from buffalo milk-based dairy products to jams and nectars of fruit passing through preserves. All products are made in one plant created in collaboration with the Faculty of Food Science and Technology of the University of Federico II of Naples, the most important reality in Italy with regard to technologies applied to food.
The result of this collaboration has led to the creation of a production laboratory of the highest technological avant-garde, where in conditions of total asepticity and in the absence of oxygen, products are made without any addition of preservatives or preparations from the food industry, with a final result of great value. quality and utmost respect for the organoleptic properties of each individual product, in an ideal union between nature and cutting-edge technology.
But beyond the technical aspect, what is surprising is the flavor of these poor products, yes, but beautiful and good with the flavor of the past, as is the case with the recipe for stuffed artichokes with sauce, the same one prepared by grandmothers and grandmothers of the grandmothers of these with the flavors of the past that Peppino Pagano makes rediscover for the pleasure of enthusiasts and gourmets
RECIPE OF ARTICHOKES FILLED WITH SAUCE
Ingredients for 10 people:
- Artichokes
– 600 g of cacioricotta goat cheese
- 10 eggs
– 100 g of bread soaked in water
– Ease to taste
– Parsley to taste
– Tomato puree
Add the bread to the eggs, add the cheese, parsley, garlic and salt. This compound will serve you
to fill the artichoke hearts, previously enlarged with your hands. Once filled, brown the
artichokes sautéed with garlic, then add the tomato puree that you have previously salted.
Leave to cook over low heat for 30 minutes.
