Focus on Cuisine

March 2010

Carso is a limestone plateau extended on the border between Italy and Slovenia. The western part of the plateau witnessed epic fights during the First World War. Form some panoramic points you can admire fascinating views of the Trieste’s Gulf and of the Friuli plain.

Kras is a hard soil which gives peaceful moments of rare beauty. People living here resemble their land: strong character but at the same time genuine and honest.

The family of Avgustin Devetak has run for 5 generations a successful and renowned inn (Lokanda) in San Michele del Carso where they exalt the traditional Carso cuisine based on seasonal and local products.  Here Italia, Slovenian and Austrian cultures combine every day. All the family is involved in the gostilna and Gabriella, Avgustin’s wife, suggest us one of her traditional and tasty Easter recipies.

Carso spring lamb breaded with aromatic herbs with smashed apples flavoured with mountain savory and its sauce

INGREDIENTS

• 1 spring lamb
• 5 onions
• 1 lt white wine
•  6 bay leaves
• 1 rosemary branch
• 3 mountain savory branches
• Salt and pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil 200 ml.

          Smashed apples:

• 5 apples
• 50 gr. of butter
• mountain savory branch
•  aromatic herbs:
• thyme-rosemary- mountain savory - sage - majoram
• breadcrumbs

PREPARATION

Cut the spring lamb into pieces and put them into a casserole with oil. Add the sliced onions bay leaves, rosemary and mountain savory together with salt and pepper. Add wine and a little water and let it cook for about 45’ minutes.

In the meanwhile, to prepare the smashed apples, cut the apple into pieces and let them cook with  butter  and a mountain savory branch. When the apples are ready remove the mountain savory branch and puree them.

Take away the lamb pieces from the casserole and coat them with aromatic herbs breadcrumbs. Put the lamb into the oven for 10 minutes at 190°C . Filter the lamb sauce and cook it for a while.  Serve displaying the golden lamb with the smashed apples and the sauce.

Avgustin suggest to combine this recipe with Lis Neris 2001 (95% Merlot – 5% Cabernet Sauvignon)

Trattoria Gostilna Devetak

Loc. San Michele del Carso 48

34070 Savogna d'Isonzo GO

Tel.  +39 0481- 882488     

info@devetak.com – www.devetak.com

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December 2009

The so called “Riviera Friulana” runs from Lignano to Grado passing through Marano Lagunare. We stop right in Marano a tiny village of hard working people (after Chioggia it is the most important fishing port of the Upper Adriatic Sea). The historical centre of the town witnesses its clear Venetian origin.
The inhabitants of Marano have always been devoted to fishing and all the related activities.
The sea with its rhythms has shaped simple people proud of their lagoon and of their works.
Fishermen’s families consolidated an original local gastronomic culture and for some of them this culture became a real job.  Giorgio Dal Forno, with “Ai tre Canai”, is the best example (experience it yourself!). His preparations represent the four seasons and contain their distinctive elements.
For this winter Giorgio recommends us the eel, and this is his recipe for Christmas.

Sauteed eel

INGREDIENTS (x 4 persons, 300 gr per person)

• 3 eels from 500 to700 gr each
• White onion (for 1 kg eel 500 gr onion)
• Grinded black pepper (at will)
• Extra virgin olive oil (1/2 glass)
• White vinegar (1/2 glass)
• Dry white wine (1/2 glass)
• 3 bay leaves
• 4/5 leaves savoy cabbage

PREPARATION
Cut the onion into thin slices. Clean the eels and cut them into 8 cm pieces. Put them into the pan with the grinded pepper.  Cook the eel pieces on a high flame for 10 minutes moving them sometimes. Simmer with vinegar. Add the white wine and the bay leaves and cover with water.  Add salt.
After 10 minutes lower the flame and cover the pan. Cook it for 30 minutes, taking care that not all the water evaporates.
Turn off the gas and check if the eel is ready (it is ready when it is easy to separate completely the fish meat from its bone).
While cooking the eel, wash and parboil the savoy cabbage leaves in a pan. They need to be cooked for approximately 2 minutes until the leaves become soft.  Cool the leaves with water and ice, dry them with a dishcloth and lay them.
Separate the meat of the eel from the bone and prepare a mixture with a small part of onion. Add salt and pepper. Stuff the cabbage leaves with the mixture and form some rolls fixed with a wooden stick (the roll should be about 8/10 cm long).
In a hot non-stick pan, with some oil, melt a part of an anchovy and a clove of garlic. When the anchovy is melt, take off the garlic and brown the rolls 2 minutes for each side. Then put them in the oven for 5 minutes at 150°C.
Serve with white hot and soft polenta.

The perfect matching for this recipe is a sparkling wine. Choosing on of our wines the more suitable is Fiore di Campo.

Ristorante “Ai tre Canai”
Via Udine, 36
Marano Lagunare (Ud)
Tel. +39 0431-67020