Carpaccio di funghi porcini e melograno

Carpaccio of edible boletus with pomgranate seeds

for 6 persons

300 g fresh edible boletus, 1 pomgranate, a slice of Parmesan cheese (about 200 g ,lemon juice, olive oil, pepper, salt

Clean the mushrooms with care and cut into thin slices. Break the pomgranate in two halves and take out the seeds. Place first the slices of mushrooms on a serving plate and add the seeds, sprinkle with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. To finish add very thinly sliced (not grated!) parmesan cheese.

Risotto ai porcini e tartufo

Risotto with edible boletus and truffle

For 4 persons

300 g Arborio rice, 60 g butter, 1 chopped onion, ½ glass of dry white wine, approximately 1½ litres stock broth (preferably mushroom flavour, otherwise vegetable), 100 g grated parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, 300 g fresh mushrooms (edible boletus) or 100 g of dried mushrooms (soaked in water), ½ grated onion, some black truffle (according to availability fresh or as truffle paste)

Clean the mushrooms and cut them into slices. Fry the onions in a large pot in butter. Add the wine and let it simmer. Add the rice and after some minutes the boiling broth just to cover the rice. Slowly add more broth, keep stirring. At the end the rice should be still  „al dente“. In the meantime fry the grated onion and the mushrooms in oil, add salt and pepper. When the mushrooms are done add a little black truffle or truffle paste. Mix the mushrooms, the risotto and the parmesan cheese. (When using white truffle: at the end grate a tiny amount raw on top of every plate).

Fagiano in Salmì

Pheasant with chicken liver sauce

For 6 persons

1 pheasant (recommended also with grain fed chicken or turkey), ½ litre white wine, 100 g bacon cubes, broth, ½ onion, 1 clove of garlic, rosemary, bay leaves, juniper, sage, 1 carrot, capers, butter, olive oil, 1 glass of cognac, 2 chicken livers.

1. Pluck the pheasant holding it over an open flame. Cut off head, neck, wing tips and feet.  Open the pheasant, take out liver and intestines, put on a spit. Roast on the spit with strong heat in the oven so that it is crunchy on the outside but bloody on the inside.

2. Cut the pheasant into pieces. In a casserole heat and flambee the Cognac. Add butter and  boiling broth,  place in the pieces of the pheasant. Let simmer at medium heat for about 1 hour until the meat is tender.

3. In a separate saucepan fry the liver and heart of the pheasant and the chicken livers in butter and oil, add sage, bay leaves, rosemary, juniper berries, chopped onion and carrot, bacon cubes, capers, salt and pepper. Add white wine and let cook for about 1 hour, adding some more white wine from time to time. Blend the mixture of liver and herbs. And work it into a smooth sauce.

4. Take the pheasant out of the casserole, add the liver sauce to the casserole and season with salt and pepper. Place the pheasant back into the casserole and let cook for a few minutes.

5. Place toasted white bread on plates, soak them with the sauce and place the pheasant meat on top.

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