U Giancu likes cooking while dancing with the seasons. Artichokes set the winter rhythm, leaving the stage to spring, made of violet-coloured asparagus. Then, according to the season and to what Fabio can find in the fields, herbs and flowers of prebuggiun take over making up a huge and multicoloured salad or the perfect ravioli filling with a yummy but so delicate taste. A waltz with all the colours of the summer vegetables follows: big and mignon aubergines, courgettes with their orange flowers, long green beans, red and white pinto beans, spring onions, yellow celery, colourful peppers. During the hot season, U Giancu especially likes making pesto dance to dress fresh home made pasta or to accompany the classic Genoese minestrone, boosting its taste.
In autumn, the warm colours of the woods become the perfect scenery to sprout mushrooms: porcini, finferli, tiny trumpets, columbine, steccherini. They all dance in U Giancu’s cooking pan! Home made bread and focaccia are never missing on the table: even more delicious when served with tasty local cheeses. Beef, rabbit, pork, rooster, bison, lamb and veal (cooked in many different ways) complete the choreography. Just before the curtains fall…Apple cake, pear tarte, peach cake, crostata filled with home made fresh fruit jams. Cinnamon biscuits, pistachio or hazelnut biscuits: crunchy or soft. The creamy ice creams and the fresh fruit sorbets made by Emanuele complete the menu on a sweet note.
“Red or white?” This was the classic question the waiter would pose the client at a resturant in the sixties. Since then, a lot has changed. Today we are all more aware and able to make an informed decision. Words like: brut, soft (?) , cru, magnum and fruity are no longer abstruse.
Ugiancu has also evolved in time. A lot of attention is given to natural wines.
Martino tries to privilege small productions and native vineyards with organic or bio-dynamic methods among the over 300 labels on our list, although the great wines of the italian tradition are also prominently present. To make reading it easier, the list is organized by region, and there is a good section dedicated to small bottles, which are becoming more and more popular. And, also, the newborn page dedicated to French wines, especially Champagne which is a real love for the cellar man.
During Winter 2012/13 we wanted to do something else to improve. And so we decided to restore the old olive mill belonged to grandfather and built at the end of 800. We tried to change as little as possible. At the end of spring everything was done, and many of you already visited it and also used it during Summer. Now we’re ready to heat it with the stove when it will start to get cold. Waiting for you…
Also the small brewery ” Il giro del Cavallo” has seen the light as well as the first beer-froth produced by Emanuele with a lot of care and enthsiasm.