If you ask me what my greatest passion is in the culinary field, I cannot tell you a specific product or a single category of food. I answer you without thinking for a second: the products of my land!
Banal? Not at all, considering that I am originally from two lands that represent everything to me: Brazil and Veneto. A strange pairing when it comes to food, but not for me.
Before presenting my personal selection of products, I want you to understand why I am so attached to both these places, their flavors, and their traditions.
Okay, let's get started: once upon a time... Just kidding, don't despair; I'm not writing a novel (that's not me), I'll be quick and concise!
I was born in Dracena, not the plant, but a municipality in Brazil in the State of São Paulo.
For eleven years I lived with my parents in Panorama (I still remember the incredible sunsets of that place), until unfortunately my father left us, and so my mother decided to return to Italy, in Veneto. I say return because both my parents have Italian origins.
For eleven years I breathed the culture of Brazil and fell in love with it, enjoying the typical dishes, which were the dishes of my tradition, and as happens to almost everyone, I became attached to the land where I was born.
At eleven years old, our lives changed, and upon arriving in Verona, I began to better understand the origins of my family, and I also fell in love with this land, and in particular with the flavors of Venetian cuisine.
This love and the strong passion that binds me to artisanal and typical Italian products led me in 2015 right here, to Spaghetti&Mandolino, a reality that I have seen grow and develop.
Now you understand why I am Brazilian and speak Venetian better than my colleagues.
Enough with the small talk, let's get to the point: here is the most important part, where I explain what my favorite dishes are, cooked with typical products of the Veneto region (except for a few, which are too good not to mention).
Let’s proceed in order: for appetizer I suggest you a beautiful cheese and mustard platter, to start the meal off right.
As for the cheeses, allow me to recommend the Bagoss di Bagolino, coming from the Brescian mountains. I wanted to make this exception because to say that it is delicious is an understatement!
What I love most about this cheese is the use of saffron in the paste, which gives the product a typical and unmistakable aroma.
To the Bagoss, I would pair a few slices of Gran Kinara and all I'll say about it is that it is the first hard cheese for grating, aged for a long time, made with vegetable rennet and lactose-free. Additionally, it is made using the Cynara Cardunculus flowers, a wild cardoon.
With these two cheeses, you must absolutely try two mustards: the one from Red Onions and the Vicentina with Candied Fruits.
I think risottos are my greatest passion, and I recommend trying the one with radicchio and Monte Veronese. Also, I go crazy for the risotto with zucchini and the Speck de na 'olta cut into strips.
To finish off, I’ll let you in on a trick to make a risotto all'Amarone without Amarone, a gem that you absolutely must try. How? By using instead of wine, a cheese aged in Amarone, the Ubriaco d'Amore.
As a second course, I propose some real gems: a Blu Bosco Dolomiti, a veined cheese (I like cheeses, got that?) very special. It has streaks of Pennicillium roqueforti, it is aged inside a wrapping made of herbs from the Dolomiti Park and covered with mountain honey. Very flavorful, it has an intense and enveloping taste.
The second suggestion for a fresh and flavorful dish is a pairing of two high-quality products: I’m talking about Bresaola di bufala with a Buffalo Mozzarella which I believe pair wonderfully.
I cannot conclude the article without presenting you with a typical Brazilian dish. I do this by proposing a variant that can also be prepared here in Italy, utilizing its specialties.
The traditional Brazilian recipe is that of Pastel (which is pronounced "pasteu"), which could be compared to a sort of Italian panzerotto.
To make the dough, you need flour, water, oil, salt and a teaspoon of grappa (which in Brazil is called "aguardente").
All these ingredients are combined to prepare the dough that, once ready, must be rolled out with a rolling pin to form a thin layer of dough.
This is where the Italian variant comes into play, the filling. The original recipe calls for beef, and so I present you with theragù di Chianina!
Just place the ragù with a spoon on the layer of dough, keeping the portions spaced, and fold the dough over the filling, then cut it into circles, thus forming sort of large ravioli.
The last step involves frying the pastel in hot oil.
A rather simple recipe that releases sensational flavors, enriched by the ragù of Chianina beef and its intense taste given by tomato, onion, celery, and white wine.
As I always say, "e cosita!" these are the flavors I have fallen in love with and that day by day captivate me more and more!
Obrigado e até à próxima (thank you and see you next time)!
Dino Luigi Tomelleri
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