The pleasures of the earth. The homemade pasta, the flavors of the meat. The ingredients of good cuisine of Puglia. The one that combines tradition and rusticity to the quality of raw materials, a source of pride and a basis for the creation of dishes marked on the tradition. The real one.
The restaurant ‘La Cuccagna’, originally ‘Giro di Vite’, is a milestone in the history of Crispiano, in the province of Taranto, a few steps from the Valle d’Itria. Starting from the building, one of the first built in the town, back in the nineteenth century. The restaurant was founded in 1969 by the butcher Martino Marsella. It was recognized as “Best restaurant in Southern Italy and Islands” from the Italian Touring Club, 2 forks in the Gambero Rosso guide, that awarded him the ‘Premio Tradizione’. La cuccagna changed face thanks to Martino’s sons, Gianni, sommelier, and her sister Rosa, whose delicious desserts are very well known. They decided to involve in the family passion Gianni’s wife Paola, who produces dishes slightly revisited in a modern key.
Quality is also found in the over five hundred national and international wine labels in the restaurant’s cellar personally supervised by Gianni Marsella who prefers, as he explained to Puglia Mon Amour, the wines of small businesses and bio wines of wineries that rely on tradition.
For example, the ‘Roncaie sui lieviti’, 2013, of Menti winery, a sparkling wine (100 percent Garganega grape blend) which fermentation takes place with natural yeasts. The wine accompanied most worthily some of the starters. Sandwiches, focaccia with potatoes, rosemary and capocollo and a gazpacho soup, tomato, stracciatella, croutons and sweet green chili peppers.
Gianni combines Primitivo rose ‘Sole Rosa’ of Macchiarola winery of a tender carpaccio of scottona with zucchini and eggplant with mayonnaise and pesto peas. The mint gives an unmistakable touch of freshness to the dish.
Surprisingly, the incredibly delicate flavor of the egg cooked at low temperature with potato mousse, mushrooms pastry, peppers and capocollo prepared by Martino Marsella. An intriguing composition for a dish that combines risky strong flavors such as porcini, capocollo and egg but the cream of potato harmonizes the fullness of the ingredients and make the ingredients more elegant, more palatable. A very original appetizer.
At Cuccagna you can not miss the fresh pasta expertly prepared by the hands of Mrs. Livia, gianni’s mother. The flavors of the land and tradition are found in the frisciddi pasta, giant orecchiette, with white lamb ragu and a surprising hint of pecorino cheese flavored with fresh rosemary. The Montepulciano Negroamaro Simpotica by Severino Garofano is the perfect companion to this interesting autumn dish.
Even today meats are the basis of many dishes of La Cuccagna, like tagliata with radicchio and cheese and the crunchy breaded pork capocollo prepared by Mr. Martino, served with friggitielli peppers and pecorino canestrato with potatoes cooked under the ashes.
The Moscato di Trani Villa Schinosa 2011 opens the round of mouth-watering dances. Surrender yourself to the cannolo with ricotta and the tart with crumbs, cherries, cream and vanilla ice cream. It is impossible not to be groped by the ‘cestino’ (basket) of shortbread cocoa, with cottage cheese, almonds and caramelized pears. Sweets of Cuccagna restaurant deserve to be tested, even by the less greedy.
-
- Lo chef Rocco Violante
-
- Battuta di podolica con tartufo nero della Murgia e maionese di agrumi
-
- Tortello alle cime di rape con mousse di fave bianche, crumble di pane e colatura di alici
-
- Fagottino con farina di grano arso, burrata, cicoriella di campo, pomodoro regina disidratato e olio al basilico
-
- Paletta di bovino adulto su crema di ceci, cipolla rossa di Acquaviva e polvere di liquirizia
-
- Flan di ricotta con scorza di arancia candita e mandorle tostate Filippo Cea
