Spring is approaching and Renato has already told us what we should not miss in the Valle Maira.
Now Manuela, chef at the Locanda Mistral, will tell us what specialities are in her kitchen for the coming season.
Cooking and food have always been the aspects I care most about here at our Locanda. The careful choice of ingredients, as well as the selection of recipes and their reinterpretation, are crucial points in my work.
I start from the assumption that it is very important to eat healthy and wholesome food. I cook for my guests as I would cook for my family, but I try to surprise them by revising old recipes, handed down from my family, in a modern and original way.
Because eating in our restaurant must be an all-round experience, our dishes, in addition to conveying clear (original/authentic) tastes and flavours, must also tell us something about the history of this valley.
This is the reason why I use ingredients that are in season and as 0km as possible.
My favourite spring dish:
I love vegetables, and this is why there are always vegetarian alternatives on the menu. In this season you definitely should not miss dandelion salad (from our meadows) with egg (the way my grandmother used to make it) or nettle soup.
What herbs can you pick in spring in the Valle Maira?
I pick lots of herbs in the meadows in front of our hotel: dandelion, wild spinach (the 'orle'), nettles, mint, borage, thyme, oregano, ...
They are great for savoury pies, soups, salads, omelettes....
My personal culinary highlight every spring in the Valle Maira:
Guests at our Locanda go crazy for my fresh herb tagliatelle (mint, spinach, chives...it depends on what the meadows and my garden give me), dressed with a simple butter and sage.
Is there anything else, Manuela, that we should definitely do or experience in the Valle Maira in spring?
Spring is wonderful. The meadows covered with different flowers are surrounded by the still-white peaks. The streams are lush and animals, not yet frightened by the summer buzz, can easily be glimpsed. In our vegetable garden, the first herbs are sprouting and the dishes are beginning to smell of the earth.
