The Academic Tables will have a Piedmontese flavor this week thanks to Maurizio Quaranta, the chef at the esteemed restaurant La Speranza, in the southern part of the Langhe, close to Mondovì.
Maurizio is originally from the Grana Valley, which is also home to one of the world’s best cheeses, Castelmagno. A highly experienced chef, he was awarded a Michelin star at Locanda del Pilone in Alba before deciding to set out on a new adventure on a smaller scale, opening his own little restaurant in Farigliano with his wife Sabrina. Within its ancient walls, Maurizio serves a cuisine that is solidly based in local tradition but has been given his own personal spin.
The key ingredients are Piedmontese beef, vegetables grown in the Langhe and hill and mountain cheeses made by artisan cheesemakers and exuding the scent of the pastures where the cows, sheep and goats grazed.
In Pollenzo, Maurizio will be offering a menu that showcases the gastronomic wealth of his native province of Cuneo, nicknamed “La Granda,” giving UNISG’s international students a chance to fully immerse themselves in the intense and history-rich flavors of their new home. Here’s the menu:
Leeks, pumpkin, tuma cheese and chocolate risotto followed by offal terrine, and as dessert amaretti and hazelnuts cake with egg-nog.
Swiss-chards tart with cream, milk, egg, Parmigiano, bread crumbs, followed by cisrà, typical Piedmontese soup with tripe, chickpeas, leeks, potatoes, carrots, celery, cabbage, and as dessert oranges iced mousse with honey wafer .
