Premiate Trattorie Italiane: fiefdoms of traditional Italian haute cuisine

We tell you about the annual luncheon of the "family" consisting of 19 locals who hand down and repurpose ancient local recipes while presenting them with the utmost attention to detail, plating, service and even wine pairing.

The occasion was the Premiate Trattorie Italiane luncheon, this year hosted by Giovanni Milana's Sora Maria e Arcangelo in Olevano Romano, about an hour's drive south of Rome, and I was so thrilled that it would take an entire book and not just an article to tell the stories behind the faces, the work behind the products, and the ancient mastery of the art of hospitality and good food behind the dishes presented by the very capable hands of these chefs. But let's start at the beginning...

What are the Premiate Trattorie Italiane? They are an association of Trattorie with common values, traditions and aims of intent. A group of families among the stoves, accomplices, kindred, united with each other, who have dedicated their lives to the enhancement of the gastronomic traditions of their territory, transforming themselves into bastions of taste, history and research. They are hatreds to good eating, to the all-Italian family welcome, stoic perseverers in handing down and re-proposing ancient local recipes while presenting them with the utmost attention to detail, to the layout, to the service and even to the wine pairing. Not "simple" trattorias then, as there are thousands of them in our regions-even some very good ones for sure-but real fiefdoms of traditional Italian haute cuisine with a precise charter of values to abide by, an internal set of rules to keep faith with the common goals of quality, enhancement of local producers and products and all-round excellence, a sort of gastronomic bushido.

The Premiate Trattorie Italiane are 19 to date and dot the entire Peninsula from north to south. At the annual luncheon in Olevano (in conjunction with the one in Ceglie Messapica hosted by Ceglie Messapica's trattoria Cibus), the kitchens of Sora Maria e Arcangelo, Caffè La Crepa (Isola Novarese, Cremona), Il Capanno (Spoleto, Perugia), Lo Stuzzichino (Sant'Agata sui due Golfi) and Trattoria del Cimino da Colombo dal 1895 (Caprarola, Viterbo) came together.

This long but fitting preamble to introduce a "Babette's lunch" in which courses curated by the chefs in attendance and masterfully paired with glasses of wine chosen by the hosts themselves.

Upon our arrival we were greeted, on the delicate notes of a violinist, by a very rich buffet with a series of exquisite delicacies brought to us by Giovanni Milana's trusted suppliers, who draws heavily from the Latium territory with painstaking and valiant work: a riot of cured meats, cheeses and oil that alone made us enter with both feet into the wonderful world of "discovery" and rediscovery of those flavors so frank and pleasing that they left our mouths watering even after we had brushed the plate. Just to name a few: cheeses from the azienda agricola Ammano ot far from Lake Martignano north of Rome (above all the caciocchiato and fiordilatte bocconcini); sliced meats from Fattoria Lauretti; oil from the La Rosciola farm in San Vito Romano; a sheep and mint tartare of spatial delicacy (so much so that one is surprised that it was really sheep) from the butcher's store La bottega del macellaio in Casalvieri by the passionate Roberto Cedrone. In between disgorging trays with other appetizers from the kitchen, among them: some Mosciarelle chestnut bon-bons from Casette di Capranica Prenestina (Slow Food presidium) and porcini mushrooms with a roasted pumpkin cream and some home-marinated and smoked Angus belly Carpaccio that had the same melt-in-your-mouth sensation as "Colonnata lard on a hot crostini" and yet pork it was not.

But it is when seated at the table that the dancing begins and gripped the fork here comes the appetizer curated by the host: Giovanni Milana (Sora Maria e Arcangelo) and his Tarte Tatin of Caramelized Borettana Onion served on a chicken liver and fig rabbit torcione paired with Proietti's Metodo Classico from 2019 Cesanese grapes. A dish that enhances local products but dressed in transalpine fashion. The pike in island sauce with polenta nostrana presented by La Caffè La Crepa di Isola Dovarese near Cremona paired with Tenuta Fornace's Oltrepò Pavese Riesling Sette Nani 2021: a dish with a strong but well-balanced taste, where the pungency of the vegetables in the form of giardiniera is harmonized by the flavor of the fish caught locally, in the fresh waters of the Oglio or Chiese or the Po River, and processed with maniacal precision.

This was followed by Pappardelle kneaded with porcini mushrooms with wild pork, fennel and porcini mushroom carpaccio by the Calistri family of Trattoria del Cimino in Caprarola (VT) paired with Sergio Mottura's Poggio della Costa Grechetto 2019. The pappardella with a rustic tooth and rich flavor plays catch-up with the scent of the mushrooms and fennel with a jaunty, gritty flicker. We then move on to the second first course: Zito alla Genovese curated by Mimmo De Gregorio of the trattoria Lo Stuzzichino in Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi paired with Molettieri's Irpinia Aglianico Cinque Querce 2019: a zito topped with a rich and creamy sauce of golden onions cooked with muscle and beef "niche" for at least three hours, topped with a generous grating of sweet caciocavallo cheese.

The second is the Quail with sautéed herbs and sorbastrelle from Il Capanno di Spoleto paired with Leonardo Bussoletti's 2020 Ciliegiolo di Narni Ramici, again cooked to perfection, aromatic Mediterranean herbs measured and never overpowering, and the sweet/spicy cue of soft sorbs create a harmonious blend of flavors that are elegantly embraced by the accompanying celeriac puree.

We close this incredible roundup with an extraordinary, iconic dessert, for which Lo Stuzzichino grants an encore, Dora's Pizza Dolce (named after Mimmo's wife and made to a recipe from his mom) and the ever-smiling and overflowing Mimmo De Gregorio almost gets teary-eyed as he recounts the dish-this one paired with Cesanese-based Ratafià by Riccardi Reale: custard, chocolate cream and black cherries from the Colli di San Pietro for a classic, solid dessert.
The Premiate Trattorie party concludes on the veranda, and with the coffees are offered bitters from Izzi Liquori located in Fondi in the province of Latina and fluffy babas dripping with rum.

Faces full of the conniving smiles of longtime friends, sincere hugs and an air of cheerfulness despite the end of a busy service, this is the figure that hovers constantly among the members of Premiate Trattorie Italiane: almost an extended family of chefs, hosts and waitstaff who share this visceral passion that has become daily life for years and even generations. A boast for all lovers of good food, an all-Italian pride.

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