Fassone Tartare

Last week I drove to Piemonte which is a region in North West Italy to meet up with my good friend & mentor Barny, it is a region famous for its wine, meat & truffles, I like it more than Toscana. Driving out of the mountains of Switzerland & into the foot hills of Piemonte can almost be a relief, it sometimes feels like the mountains inhibit you. Before meeting up with Barny that evening I had time for lunch in Restaurant Gardenia in Caluso, its chef Mariangela Susigan has a passion for using herbs which she grows in her garden & offal (It was the first time that I had eaten brains in a restaurant) I had: Fassone Beef Tartare, Plin stuffed with Chicken (a pasta dish from this region, Plin means to pinch), Ceps & Chicken Comb (not my favourite part of the chicken!), Mixed Grill of Offal & for pudding a White Chocolate Cream Biscuit with seasonal fruit. It was a great & interesting lunch. That evening Barny & I had an Apéro at Castello Di Verduno in Verduno (Note to self: must stay & eat here one day) & then we had supper at  Albergo dell’Agenzia in Pollenzo which is on the campus of the University of Gastronomic Sciences founded by Carlo Pertrini. The next morning I stopped in Torino to stock up with food & wine from the Eataly before driving back into the security of the mountains of my adopted country Switzerland. (Click on photos to make larger)

Plin stuffed with chicken

Ceps & Chicken Comb

Mariangela's herb garden

Quince

Castello di Verduno