Renovating a villa, hunting for white truffles, eating and wine tasting in Piedmont, Italy
Restaurant Review - Osteria Battaglino, Dogliani
Osteria Battaglino in Dogliani, Piedmont, Italy
Marco Battaglino, age 35, is at the top of his game right now at his eponymous Osteria Battaglino. You can view his website at that link, but don't judge the website, he 's focused on his food much more than promotion online. Battaglino takes inspiration from the traditional recipes of Piedmont and makes them better. He cooks with passion and creates local dishes sourcing ingredients from passionate producers that anyone from our children to the most discerning food aficionado would crave. Battaglino makes food that he wants to eat including a delicious array of seafood that is a spectacular compliment to the rich and filling food of the Langhe.
Flavia Bergamo, in charge of front of the house, is warm and welcoming, honest and generous. They have a huge representation of wines from Dogliani as well as a great selection of wines from Barolo and Barbaresco. When visiting Piedmont, food and wine are at the top of everyone's list of important daily tasks (it's a tough life but someone's got to do it, right?). I would highly recommend the carne cruda, hand chopped raw veal, often topped with white truffle in autumn. The meat is sourced from a single producer located in the small village of Briaglia where the animals feed on grass and live outdoors year round. When I visited this farm I realized that, if possible, I would try and only eat meat from this producer as it is that much better than the rest. The whole roasted onion stuffed with sausage and cheese, a piedmont classic, is outstanding as is the raw sicilian red shrimp, a melt in your mouth change from the traditional langhe fare.
Pasta here is not to be missed. You can visit any Osteria in the Langhe and most make their pasta by hand daily, but I would say that although you may find equal, you will never find better. Again, Battaglino uses locally sourced flour and fresh farm eggs to make his traditional tajarin and ravioli, 1 kg (2.2 pounds) of flour with 46 egg yolks. This is a delicious pasty packed with protein and when you are here in autumn, this is the perfect dish to have topped with white truffle shavings. Our daughter devours a bowl of this pasta served simply with butter or olive oil every time we eat here. Another option is gnocchi made with fresh pumpkin which is divine and during autumn is served with fresh porcini mushrooms or the agnolotti del plin.
Second's can include bollito of bull or chicken. I have to remind myself how crazy it seems to order boiled meat in a restaurant, wasn't this the food we tried to get away from? In fact, these dished are stunning due to the quality of meat, the simplicity of preparation, and the stunning accompanying sauces which include bagna verde (anchovies and parsley), freshly made mayonnaise (I hate mayonnaise in a jar and I love this!), and a tomato salsa. Truly brilliant. If you don't want meat, then choose any of the fresh fish on offer simply roasted in the oven with spinach, tomatoes, capers and olives, simple and perfect.
While there are a good selection of desserts, the one not be missed is the zabaione. Battaglino comes down from the kitchen whipping up this froth of goodness and pours it into your dish table side, it's the best I've ever had. Run, don't walk, to this cozy sensational food destination.
All photographs copyright 2015, Clay McLachlan
Making Fresh Tajarin Pasta by hand with Kids
Learn how to make traditional Tajarin pasta at home
TAJARIN AL 40 TUORLI
Tajarin is the traditional pasta made in the Langhe region of Piedmont, Italy. The pasta is made using flour and eggs. When the pasta is cut more thickly, it is called tagliatelle. We have enjoyed this delicious pasta in every corner of the Langhe and we are proud to have learned the art of making this pasta for ourselves. The best way to master this simple recipe is to make it over and over again so that you become familiar with the feel of the dough. The best quality organic flour and eggs will make this pasta even more spectacular. Different flours dramatically affect the quantity of egg yolks. A simple rule is that the more finely the flour is milled (0 or 00 being the finest) the more egg yolks will be required. Traditionally the recipes calls for 40 eggs yolks to be mixed with 1 kilogram of flour. For this recipe we made enough pasta for six servings of 80 - 100g of pasta per serving.
- 300g Monococco (Einkorn) type 2 Organic Flour and 13 egg yolks (if the dough is too dry, add a tiny amount of egg white or one more yolk)
Weigh your flour with a kitchen scale. Egg yolks vary in size; Egg yolks here (which are a bright orange color) weigh roughly 260g or 20g per egg yolk. Separate the eggs. (You can save the whites in a separate bowl to be used for making meringues). Gently work the egg yolks into the dough with a fork. When the egg yolks are broken and integrated, knead the dough with your hands for approximately or until the dough is stiff. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and set on the counter at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Cut off approximately 1/4 of the dough and shape it into a flat rectangle. From this point you may use a rolling pin or a pasta machine. We use a simple hand cranking pasta machine, gently feeding the dough through and folding each time. Stretch the dough out to the second to last setting so that it is quite thin. You may then roll and cut by hand making sure to dust the dough with flour so that the noodles do not stick together. Alternatively, you may use the attachement, as we have done below, to make the perfect cuts.
Put in a container to freeze or cook immediately. Cook for 2-3 minutes in rolling boiling water. Toss with butter, butter and sage, or a ragu sauce. During autumn we simply top this with butter and fine shavings of white truffles that are collected near Villa San Lorenzo. Buon appetito!
All photographs copyright Clay McLachlan and Tamar McLachlan, 2015.