Glossary of topics
Cabbage cut from Aci
Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
Vialone Nano Veronese PGI Rice
LINGUAGLOSSA log sausage
Raffadali Pistachios DOP
Belmonte's Gammune
Saffron of the Apostles
Tuscan Cantuccini IGP
San Giuseppe Belladonna Orange
Speck Altoadige I.G.P.
The plums of Frati
Our vision....
Discovering typical products with the DOP, IGP, STG, SQNZ SQNPI, DOC, DOCG, IGT and SLOW FOOD brands, from their land of origin to the kitchen, creating excellent gourmet dishes.
At sight of an eye is our flagship, it consists of personally visiting the places where the products with designation of origin and geographical indication as well as the Slow Food presidia are born, meeting the stakeholders involved in the various roles, from the managers of the consortia, the producers, the customs, the anecdotes, the stories that have their roots sometimes for several centuries arriving at having the designation of origin, the geographical indication, the traditional specialty guaranteed, or the Slow Food presidium as well as the restaurants, hotels, trattorias, shops of typical specialties that prepare dishes based on these products and putting them in a position to consume them precisely "AT SIGHT OF AN EYE". From 2025 we will host in this particular section "A VISTA D'OCCHIO" others, that is, the stories told by anyone who wants to go to one of these places, recounting and accompanying their personal experience with photos.
CABBAGE WITH GARLIC
SLOW FOOD PRESIDIO SICILIAN, new AT EYE fresh fresh
The area is the wonderful land between the beautiful Taormina and the fantastic Catania.
The vegetable is the TRUNZU CABBAGE OF ACI, widely used in the area and little known elsewhere, could DOP ECONOMY not go and discover it? Of course!
Could we not bring him to our CHEF TABLE, could we not take his photo on the piano of excellence?
Already in pole position another A VISTA D'OCCHIO just to be in the area A MASCULINA DI MAJJHIA PRESIDIO SLOW FOOD and yesterday a few km away (only 1,200) already ready just to assemble the photos ... THE MANTUAN IGP MELON, the scent that could be smelled as I walked along the avenue that led to the company ... what can I say to ffa'!
PARMESAN REGGIANO DOP
And what about the King of cheeses worldwide? One of the Italian excellences in the world that has now entered into daily consumption both in Italy and abroad.... Grana Padano? No, Grana is in second place, the King is him.... PARMIGIANO REGGIANO DOP, and where could we go to make our "AT SIGHT" if not in the dairy (Rastelli) awarded as the number 1 in Italy and among the first 16 cheeses in the world? Parma, capital of the food valley, a territory of undisputed gastronomic excellence, being right in this dairy to taste it directly from the hands of those who produced it is priceless, the flavour, I always repeat when it strikes me particularly..... what do I say to ffa'!
Aged for 30 months, so excellent to enjoy in flakes or accompanied by mustards or jams.
He has fully entered our stable!
VIALONE NANO VERONESE PGI RICE
AT EYE SIGHT took us to the place of production of the first rice to have obtained the PGI. at a European level, that is, the NANO VIALONE VERONESE PGI rice. And where could we go if not to the capital of this exceptional product, which is Isola della Scala? We tasted at eye level at the place of production and prepared by the protection consortium itself, which is a very rare thing, three different preparations: ALL'ISOLANA (delicious), ALLA ZUCCA (excellent), but the TALEGGIO DOP AND SPECK ALTO ADIGE PGI one was something sublime.
Since we were there we could have avoided it
from tasting the famous BOLLITO E PEARA' so dear to the Veronese.... of course not? A wonderful, tasty dish (beef, cotechino, boiled tongue and pickled tongue) on winter evenings in Veronese families, each of whom prepares it according to their own recipe and therefore it varies slightly not only from town to town but also from family to family.
LINGUAGLOSSA LOG SAUSAGE
And the last "A VISTA D'OCCHIO" of 2023 could only be a heartfelt one, both because it touches, as the "GAMMUNE DI BELMONTE" was, a product that has been part of my family's DNA, and because in some aspects the founder's story reflects that of my father, I was struck by a degree thesis resting on a shelf entitled .... from pastures to the Michelin star ..... dedicated to the family protagonist of this "slow food presidium" in the TRINACRIA TERRA, apart from the emotion of seeing live the processing with the "partituri" we call "saturi" of the meat (absolutely black pork from the Nebrodi) necessary for the preparation on the characteristic ""A chjanca" oak block, organized specifically for us as it usually happens during closing hours and when it was in the right place the dough had to fit on the finger without falling, the materialization behind me and then spending an hour with us retracing the his incredible story, from a child to the present day, with an attachment to the family, to young people and to the study, of the founder Mr. Rosario Pennisi and 'was simply exciting! We will always keep this page of taste and territory. The product, as I often say when it strikes me particularly .... what can I say to ffa'! Gentlemen unique experience in the slow food presidium "LA SALSICCIA AL CEPPO DI LINGUAGLOSSA ", then cooked for us on the grill, could we not bring some for subsequent tests in our laboratory? Of course, obviously. Great entry into our stable of unique and unrepeatable excellences! All at the foot of Etna in an incredible territory, in a few words SHALAI, like the wonderful structure that he created together with his grandchildren a few meters from the historic butcher's shop Mr. Pennisi, he also made me visit
the inaccessible cellar with very fine wines and I wanted to be remembered the day with the word SHALAI. We closed 2023 in the best possible way, after having touched breathtaking territories and products during the year.
PISTACHIO OF RAFFADALI DOP PART 2
AT YOUR SIGHT!
WORK IN PROGRESS.
HERE THE BAR IS RAISED A LOT, UNIQUE PRODUCTS WITHIN THE VALLEY OF THE TEMPLES, ONE OF THE MOST VISITED SITES IN THE WORLD, A FEW METRES FROM THE TEMPLE OF CONCORDIA, AS WELL AS IN OTHER PISTACHIO GROVES IN THE TERRITORY OF RAFFADALI THAT WE HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF VISITING,
ONE OF THE MOST VERSATILE PRODUCTS OF RECENT TIMES HAS FORCEFULLY ENTERED OUR SAMPLE OF UNIQUE EXCELLENCE AS IT IS USED FROM APPETIZERS TO DESSERT, PASSING THROUGH ICE CREAM, PISTACHIO, BUT NOT JUST ANY ONE...THE PISTACHIO OF RAFFADALI WITH THE VERY RECENT DOP, A PRODUCT OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY BUT PUT INTO THE SECOND PLACE BY THE MORE RENOWNED BRONTE, BUT NO LESS, INDEED, AFTER 23 YEARS OF THE EXPERIENCE IN BRONTE, REPEATED IN RAFFADALI WITH THE GUIDANCE OF SPLENDID PEOPLE, WHO HAVE TRANSMITTED TO US THEIR LOVE FOR THE LAND, TRADITION AND NOW PRIDE FOR THE 'OBJECTIVE OF THE DOP, FROM TODAY IT WILL BE AVAILABLE IN OUR COMPANY AND WILL REACH THE FINEST PALATES ALL OVER THE WORLD. ITS PARTICULAR FLAVOUR, SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF BRONTE, DERIVES NOT ONLY FROM THE LAND, BUT FROM THE STRONG TEMPERATURE EXCURSION,
SOUTHERN OF ITALY ....LUXURY FOOD COLLECTION. AS SOON AS WE CREATE THE RELEVANT DISHES WE WILL LET YOU KNOW THE RESULT WITH PHOTOS
STAY TUNED !
RAFFADALI DOP PISTACHIOS
And from the pistachios of Raffadali to our testing center it's a moment, first experiments based on pistachio Raffadali DOP, a very simple appetizer that contains 2 IGP (mortdella bologna IGP and burrata di Andria IGP), studded with pistachio Raffadali DOP, then paccheri di Gragnano IGP with 100% pistachio pesto and trofie with pesto prepared with a homemade mortar from the mutual fund as mine ended up in Florence 🤷♂️, but soon I will have an original Genoese one, all the ingredients of the Genoese pesto replacing the pine nuts with pistachio, then the ice cream that I was anxiously awaiting to discover the difference after 23 years with the one from Bronte of which I still retain the memory of the superlative flavor and not only me ....., considerations ..... excellent product a little more delicate than Bronte but all 'height of the situation! I look forward to the new harvest after September 15, thinking of other dishes. Unique excellences of Italian cuisine, waiting for UNESCO recognition by 2025, of which I hope to be one of the architects. Very, very soon, big news.
Stay tuned!
TUSCAN CANTUCCINI IGP
THE PIPARELLE DI VILLA SAN GIOVANNI fresh fresh of "slow food presidium" or CANTUCCINI TOSCANI IGP more renowned? This is the question! The first "A VISTA D'OCCHIO" took us straight to the iconic Villa San Giovanni, the gateway to beddha Sicily, in search of the very recent recognition as a slow food presidium for a dessert unknown perhaps to many but known by lovers of true and authentic flavors, in fact the experience was more than positive, a product that has fully entered our stable from the first bite, we are studying to combine it with some flavors of ice cream and that also lends itself to being enjoyed even during the sudden hunger pangs that assail us like these at this hour of Guccini memory (remember shomer but I laila, sentinel at what point is the night?). Without taking anything away from the Tuscan IGP cantuccini which are also very good, the piparelle have won us over with their crunchy thinness, the quality Sicilian and Calabrian almonds (and here we have some great new products in the next one that we can already see in the archives), very good indeed.
And a few km from the piparelle in the meantime another stupendous sight was already ready (and here it comes naturally to me....and what a sight....a breathtaking panorama.) with a product that will be the ingredient that will accompany a great dish and that will have fully matured in just a few days.
(I forgot, with LE PIPARELLE DI VILLA SAN GIOVANNI we are the third Calabrian slow food presidium after I FAGIOLI DI CORTALE (which by the way, thanks to my friend Fortunato, have already been in the pantry for a week waiting to be consumed, as we had done the tasting and tests immediately after the visit) and IL GAMMUNE DI BELMONTE and the Sicilian ones LA SALSICCIA AL CEPPO DI LINGUAGLOSSA and IL MAIORCHINO DI NOVARA DI SICILIA)
Stay tuned.........
GAMMUNE OF BELMONTE SLOW FOOD PRESIDIA
The satisfaction of having contributed to raising the bar of quality, of an authentic world-class excellence made in Calabria, already the subject of a magnificent "AT VISIT TO EYE" one of the current 12 Calabrian SLOW FOOD presidia.
Mario, an exceptional and volcanic person, from which a beautiful and sincere friendship was born, I consider myself happy to be part of his record (13,700 kg). This is what I mean when I speak of DOP ECONOMY, a world made of traditions sometimes hundreds of years old, places, men and situations that intertwine. I have seen with my own eyes the raw material of this product and I can assure you that it is truly the best of what you could have.
I did it because I saw an immense passion in him, watching him on the spot and admiring his passion as a breeder, moments that remain etched in my memory and that will be repeated when it becomes the finished product ready for tasting... from words to deeds.
STAY TUNED....!
SAFFRON OF THE APOSTLES
This time " AT SIGHT " I wanted to call it " two birds with one stone " but it seemed ugly to me and so we will calmly call it " one road and two services " ..... that is on the trail of the most expensive spice in the world Made in Calabria ( from the series the Calabrese cultivation that you don't expect ) and
of the only DOC wine of the province of Reggio Calabria apart from the Greco di Bianco which is a passito, lords of the places of two excellences
"LO ZAFFERANO DEGLI APOSTOLI" which will be one of the ingredients of a dish that we created and the wine (BIVONGI DOC) in the company of a nice person, the great Ugo, that is the one who started (together with other guys) the production in his ancient and characteristic town in the shadow of the very well-known Cattolica di Stilo one of the symbols of Calabria in the Stilaro valley, this is the fourth time in my life that I go to Bivongi, the first on the occasion of clients coming from Australia in the 90s I accompanied them to their native town, then on the occasion of the filming of the scenes of the film "Artemisia Sanchez" at the beautiful waterfalls (the jeep in the photo now decommissioned is one of those that accompanied us from the center of Bivongi to the set at the waterfalls). Fantastic experience of which I have indelible memories then to buy a reception desk about ten years ago and this time very constructive. Needless to say, once in our test laboratory we composed the dish with the precious spice, the result...what can I say! The dish for the record is Sibari MAGISA Carnaroli rice elected the best in Italy for the effects of its proximity to the sea, Silano DOP caciocavallo, Apostles' saffron, more Calabrian than this! I thank Ugo again for having accompanied us on the lands of saffron production (in the lands cultivated in ancient times by the monks who lived in the overlying Grancia degli Apostoli and on the vineyards of BIVONGI DOC, telling us anecdotes unknown to us, like his relative who was the architect of the recognition of the DOC. No small thing, experiences that enrich us with knowledge and flavors. All this happened at the end of last November. Calabria, the beautiful one, the one of excellence, of young people who study, train and produce and going to the places where these products are born which expert hands will then transform into specialties for the joy of the palate and the eyes is priceless!
BELLADONNA ORANGE OF VILLA SAN GIUSEPPE
And from the first inspection 2 months ago, while they were growing blissfully in their green valley, to full maturation, it's just a moment! Could I not go back to stock up at the moment of their full maturation? Of course I did, a fundamental ingredient of a great dish..... a VIEW FROM THE EYE that couldn't be more VIEWED from the eye, just at the moment when the mountain was making smoke rings, the scent of the Calabrian orange blossom that Mr. Francesco uses to put a sprig in the box just picked, I can't describe it to you, the sweetness and the particularity
of the BELLADONNA ORANGE OF VILLA SAN GIUSEPPE, longhina, late, precious SLOW FOOD PRESIDIO to be protected, that one, yes, I can tell you about it.....unique!
On display from their valley, at the piano with all the sound without filters!
SPECK ALTOADIGE I.G.P.
We publish another top "AT VISITA D'OCCHIO" of 2023 before moving on to those already in the archive of 2024 (we already have 3 active and all amazing) and the next ones that will come shortly, but as we often said on radio space 2000, let's cut the chatter and get straight to the heart of the matter, this at visibile is a few meters (yes, meters) from the most beautiful mountains on the planet, the fabulous Dolomites, we are in Castelruth (Castelrotto) Alto Adige Sud Tirol, among other things my very first Dolomite destination over 20 years ago, the product is the very tasty and omnipresent everywhere, Speck, but we want, as more and more, we don't want simple speck but SPECK ALTO ADIGE IGP, and not just any speck but that of one of the best producers, what do you think, will it become part of the fundamental ingredients of some of our best dishes? Of course! First of all, RISO VIALONE NANO VERONESE IGP with SPECK ALTO ADIGE IGP and TALEGGIO DOP, a dish already tested and promoted! This time (like all the others) the sacrifice was pleasant! Note the product from the producer's warehouse to our famous piano and then for the tests in the CHEF TABLE.
THE BROTHERS' WORDS
The "A VISTA D'OCCHIO" from the other evening that I was talking about is "I PRUNA DI FRATI" SLOW FOOD PRESIDIO, the place is the splendid Terranova SM, a pre-Aspromonte town, with a glorious past, much loved by our professor Pangallo who has written a lot, I gladly accepted Valerio Crino's invitation, I remember when I contacted him for the first time in June and he told me ... I'll bring them to you ... and no ... I have to come there ... and then the surprise of the invitation. I also had the opportunity to see other friends of the SLOW FOOD Conduct who are working so hard to save these pearls, as well as the excellent mayor Tigani. What can I say, a wonderful evening, excellent welcome and organization, excellent dishes prepared by the very talented Chef Filippo Cogliandro and cocktails by the Barman Carmelo Martino, naturally everything strictly based on PRUNA DI FRATI, plums whose cultivation dates back to 1500 and which when I was little, as my brother-in-law reminded me, we called pruna da GRAN SORTI, delicious and characterized in addition to the flavor by the fact of the greater content of bloom on the skin and the fact that they come off the central stone easily. Excellent initiatives that make the territory grow, focusing on excellent and unique products.
But to complete the "AT VISIT TO THE EYE" in my own way I am missing the last piece.... the inspection of the cultivation lands as it is already dark and impossible, the good Valerio promised to take me and I am counting on it! The ritual photo of the product also on the piano of excellence that marks the moment in which it arrives in our CHEF TABLE for processing and to make it become a new culinary creation.
