Thirty days to celebrate one of Franciacorta’s best loved dishes.
The 134th edition of Lombardia Carne, the area’s ancient cattle fair, took place in March, in Rovato, fifteen days before Easter. The origins of this fair date back to the Longobard era and over the centuries it has turned this Franciacorta town into a melting pot of goods, people and cultures. The main ingredients used to make manzo all’olio – oil-cooked beef – were already making their way here as far back as the 16th century, such as anchovies traded with the Ligurian Sea through the valleys of Piacenza.
It is an ante litteram fusion dish so beloved of Rovato that the town has decided to protect it with a municipal resolution setting up a De.Co. (town council denomination). It has thus now subject to stringent regulations – inspired by Donna Veronica Porcellaga’s 16th century recipe – which set out the essential ingredients for manzo all’olio and how it is to be made. This typically autumnal dish will be served up on Rovato restaurant tables signing up to this initiative for the whole month of November, yet another reason for a weekend away exploring Franciacorta’s food and wine delicacies.
“The only meat which can be used to make Rovato’s town council regulated manzo all’olio is the cut referred to as cappello del prete” (chuck in English), reads article 2 of the regulations. And it goes on: “The other ingredients needed for the dish are extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, breadcrumbs, anchovies, parsley and water. Whilst less common, Grana Padano DOP cheese can also be used.”
It is article 3 which details the cooking methods to be used, giving the beef a consistency somewhere between boiling and stewing. “The chuck is sautéed with anchovies, garlic and extra-virgin olive oil. Water and extra-virgin olive are then added to the casserole dish in 3 to 1 proportions, as well as parsley. The meat is then cooked on a low heat until it is tender, a process which generally lasts 2.5 to 3 hours. The beef is fully cooked when a fork inserted into it comes out again easily.” “In accordance with new cooking techniques”, sous vide cooking is also not to be ruled out.
When it is ready the meat must then be set aside for at least one night in a cool place. Before it is served a sauce is made out of garlic, oil, parsley and anchovies boiled down on a high heat, with added breadcrumbs and, if you like, Grana Padano DOP. The meat is then heated up in the sauce, cut up into approximately two-centimetre thick slices and dressed generously. Polenta (or boiled potatoes) and boiled spinach finish off the dish.
Until 30 November, Osteria Quattro Rose is offering – by reservation – a traditional menu based on casoncelli, (Brescia-style naturally), and manzo all’olio. This cosy retro style ‘winery restaurant’ offers straightforward well-cooked cuisine based on characteristic Brescia flavours accompanied by a selection of more than four hundred wines. Special attention is paid to local wines, of which the area’s prestigious DOCG stands out.
Anyone wanting to take a closer look at the Franciacorta method might also want to stop off at the nearby Cantina Alberelle di Luca Zafferino Dabeni wine estate. Located in an old expertly renovated Lombard farmhouse, the estate’s natural setting comprises six lodgings with splendid views over the garden (with swimming pool) and the vineyards around it, which are used to make Franciacorta Brut, Satèn and Rosé. The agriturismo’s restaurant also signs up to the Manzo all’Olio Month and makes this iconic dish in accordance with centuries-long traditions and served with a glass of Franciacorta wine.
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