Buongusto Tours - Pressroom

(with Toni Hilton and Leonardo Tessiore) Diffusione Immagine Publishing Company, Asti 2007)

“…the inspiration for this more than 50 recipes’ selection came directly from those who carry and keep alive the traditions of Monferrato’s tables. ‘Monferrato mio!’ is dedicated to the small farmers, beef-keepers, wine makers who personally maintains high standards in production. To the small shop-keepers, bakers, butchers, ‘trifolào’ ( = truffle hunters) who continue to provide their villages with quality local goods. To the ‘Pro Loco’ civic groups who plan and project the festivals that bring people together. To the kind neighbours who share their garden’s produce, their jars of preserves, and their family recipes. We hope that this collection will help to pass along the flavours, and the food memories to the next generation of villagers, and to the newcomers, and guests of Monferrato…”

“LA SALSA DEL DIAVOLO – BEPPE FENOGLIO E LA CUCINA DELLA SUA LANGA”

Il Leone Verde Edizioni – Torino 2008

“… non essendo un letterato di professione non potevo (né m’interessava, a dirla tutta) scrivere l’ennesimo saggio letterario sullo scrittore albese Beppe Fenoglio (Alba 1922 – Torino 1963), il cantore più autentico del mondo contadino langhigiano (La Malora; I racconti) e della Resistenza partigiana (I ventitrè giorni della città di Alba; Il Partigiano Johnny; Una questione privata). Da un singolare e atecnico punto di vista – il mio, quello di chi scrive e si diletta di pentole&stoviglie - ho tentato di ritrovare il senso riposto e profondo della poesia fenogliana pure in quella singolare consonanza tra il racconto del cibo e la temperie, la metrica, il tessuto della narrazione - intrisa ora di materia ora spiritata di lieviti – che attraversa le sue opere più note. Le più di cinquanta ricette sono state raccolte in Alta e Bassa Langa dalla viva voce di cuochi e cuciniere di paese. I sapori de La Malora sono schietti e popolari, essenziali come quella prosa scarna e affascinante che così efficacemente rende la disperata visione della vita di un giovane servitore. I sapori dei romanzi partigiani sono più sfuggenti: in Bassa Langa, mi sono ispirato alla complessità dei suoi vini, alla versatilità dei suoi nebbioli, in particolare: eleganti e astati quelli di pronta beva, eterei e solenni nelle bottiglie lasciate alla maturazione…”

“THE CHILDREN OF LIGHTENING”

Legends, recipes and tales about the famous white truffle from Piemonte

Diffusione Immagine Publishing Company, Asti 2009

“…long ago, no one knew what a truffle was. Its peculiar scent and taste spread many fantasies about its mysterious origin. Many people believed the truffle was a concentration caused by a bolt of lightening, a product from the earth’s fermentation or maybe an exudation of branches and leaves. As a matter of fact, the truffle is a simple, underground variety of a mushroom…” “…you’ve heard and read a lot about the white truffle and its culinary, literary and even erotic legend. Perhaps too much. This booklet is a small collection of humble stories and unusual anecdotes about two types of people closely involved in the truffle legend as amateurs and professionals. They are the truffle hunters, along with their faithful dogs, and the chefs and gastronomists who create sophisticated dishes for our demanding palates.

“WHEN BARBERA WAS BLACK...”

“Once Barbera was not a red wine, but a “black” one, and restaurants didn’t give you a wine list as thick as a telephone directory and divided into sections, like Dante’s “Divina Comedia”: a good waiter just asked “Red or white?” To tell you the truth he actually said “ Black or white”, and he spoke dialect… Maybe manners were a little coarse, but wine consumption was normal in the daily diet and wasn’t confined to the sophisticated sphere of parties or special events and from a certain point of view, things were better then!”