Piccini and the scallop dilemma

…And at some point, Valeria Piccini happened to bump into scallops: «Not that I didn’t know them, only I had never cooked them», she explains when telling about her arrival in town, being a countryside chef who at Da Caino in Montemerano had always spoilt the guests only after forcing them to roll through lots of bends and even more kilometres in a very off the beaten path Maremma («Had we been in France, this would have counted as a plus, not a fault», says Gianluca Biscalchin with his usual wit). And so here they are, the scallops. To be precise: Norwegian scallops, cauliflower cream with lemon and caviar, the debut dish (a delicious one, ça va sans dire. And one that wants to please, it is evident) in a special menu – the Christmas one, for those who would like make a reservation – with which the very recent starred award is also celebrated, here at the Winter Garden, the fine dining restaurant inside the five-star St. Regis hotel, overlooking the Arno river, in the historic centre of Florence.

Valentino Bertolini, the hotel’s general manager after a trip around the world, sniggers with satisfaction: «Valeria is extraordinary». She winks, her basis is still Montemerano, but you can see her very often here, «I take the bus from Grosseto. The car? I don’t trust it much». She arrives early in the morning, leaves late at night and, more importantly, her hands are never idle: «There’s a four-letter word that can define all this: work. Indeed», this is the admirable synthesis of food expert Antonio Paolini while he bites the Tagliolini with crayfish tail, turnip tops and dried tomatoes, the second course in the menu. Perhaps Piccini has not personally checked the (excellent) cooking of the pasta, for this is the responsibility of young executive chef Michele Griglio, from Torino, previously with Walter Eynard at Torre Pellice, Paul Knight, Ryan Matherson and Allister Bishop in London, Marc Lanteri in Mondovì; but she is here, supervising. And most of all she creates dishes that are not the same as those at Da Caino: «I was looking for a showcase in Florence for my cuisine and they [the Starwood Hotels people, that is] were looking for a prestigious name that could give a Tuscan imprinting to the cuisine. We found each other».

So lets return to the scallop dilemma, which is also that of the crayfish tail. That is to say: how can you get from a countryside pantry to a super-hotel in an art capital, full of wealthy tourists who come from all over the world? «You need to create a menu that respects the needs of hotel guests. We also offer vegetarian dishes…», she says shiftily, as if it were something to be a little ashamed of... After all, it is a known thing: she’s a meat chef, «there’s no sea in Montemerano», she giggles.

So here’s a list of ingredients that here in Florence, if you please, are not suitable: «No sweetbreads, no heart, no fresh anchovies, no pannicolo [the thoracic diaphragm, didn’t you know it? It is a gourmand delicacy]. The Americans would not appreciate it». Please welcome, instead, what at Da Caino can hardly be seen: «I’m getting used to cooking turbots, mullets… And crustaceans!». She’s starting to enjoy this, «the other day some Russian clients praised me: they had come to dine here three times in a row», even though she’s missing that little hazard in the kitchen that comes «with raw materials that are perhaps poorer but tasty», something which has always been her creed.

No problem, one thinks, when tasting the Tortelli with pheasant, taggiasche olives and pecorino from Pienza. In fact, very well! Her Saddle of lamb with dried broad beans, puntarelle and anchovies from Cantabrico is extraordinary, a dish worthy of a standing ovation. How would she cook it in Montemarano? «I cook it in the same way, but I add some anchovy mayonnaise, made with egg, and fried chicory». Be it the more rustic or the more elegant version, be it Da Caino or at the Winter Garden, the choice is always right.