Le Calandre under an X-Ray

We start with the amuse-bouche, among which there’s also a slice of pizza, in the “steamed” version patented by Massimiliano and Raffaele. It is good indeed; plus it finely shows how Le Calandre is trying to get rid of the pompous character of a tri-starred restaurant in order to wear a more casual attire

TOASTED SCAMPI WITH FRESH BROAD BEAN MILK “CHEESE”, RADICCHIO AND APPLES
This is a cheese so to speak, in fact it is a tofu made with broad bean milk curdled with nigari, a magnesium chloride extracted from sea water. It’s the base for the toasted scampi. The dish is fresh and aromatic, also thanks to the strong impact of the citrus notes given by the use of lemon juice in the preparation of the tofu, plus to the use of the lemon essence, belonging to the In.gredienti line, which is sprayed once the mise en place is concluded, blending in a difficult balance with the bitter scents of the radicchio and the sweet ones of the apple. The iodine meatiness of the scampi is perfectly respected. This recipe is illustrated by Alajmo himself. Who says: «This is one of my first recipes to highlight the lactic note of a vegetable. Lightness is the prevailing characteristic, together with the perception of the total integrity of all the ingredients: scampi, broad beans, apple»

SQUID CAPPUCCINO WITH SQUID INK
Perhaps the most emblematic dish at Le Calandre, today so imitated it appears to be “normal” as it has steadily entered – with all its infinite possible variations – the outline of signature cuisine. Perfect harmony. Online you can find dozens of recipes to make it at home but perhaps it’s better to stop by the delicatessen in Rubano – where you will find the two separate components – potato cream and squid ink – kept in a vacuum, already portioned and ready to be mixed at home

Says Alajmo: «Initially served in a soup dish, it then found its form in transparency. A vertical black and white, emphasized by the perimetral memory of the squid, a game aimed at giving new value and dignity to poor ingredients. Cappuccino, represented by a basic-sapid flavour, can be compared to tiramisu: the potatoes are dressed up as a mascarpone, the squid as coffee. Simple and round, it stimulates salivation in a sensorial pleasure that has something of childhood»

CRISPY CANNELLONI WITH RICOTTA AND BUFFALO MILK MOZZARELLA WITH TOMATO PUREE
It’s a bit like pizza: a disarming madeleine that recalls home, familiar flavours, comfortable atmospheres. Sometimes Massimiliano Alajmo is accused of being too cold, cerebral, perfect in a sort of signature iciness. This dish can well be his – undoubtedly elegant – response

Says Alajmo: «Friable and creamy pizza-flavoured cannelloni inevitably lead the fingertips to play the game of scooping all the sauce left on the dish. This is an unusual, decisively Neapolitan calzone awakening the unaware instinct, typical of children»

SAFFRON RISOTTO WITH POWERED LIQUORISH
The fact Andy Hayler, the gastronomically famous Shell ex manager who has visited all the tri-starred restaurants around the world, has classified it as “the best risotto on the planet”, is part of the silly trivia of which one usually speaks just out of curiosity. Indeed, however, just like the Squid cappuccino with squid ink, this is another signature dish with hundreds of more or less makeshift imitators. It caresses the taste buds with a mellowness you wouldn’t expect at first but which doesn’t sound extraneous, in a meeting-match that becomes a perfect pairing, as Alajmo himself explains

Alajmo says: «It is dedicated to Mariapia, my wife, and to her territory. Liquorish and saffron put the most extreme parts of a plant together: the former the lower, profound, hidden part, the latter the seductive and luminous one. As if it were a dialogue of opposites: origin and growth, birth and rebirth. In fact the two ingredients have similar and yet opposite characteristics. One enters the mouth as bitter, and exits as sweet, the other as sweet and then bitter; it’s a chase, a true handover of flavour. The colours recall the contrast while keeping a hidden truth. The most tenebrous part, only under the light. A strong analogy, a dish that is, in many ways, reassuring»

The menu recently replaced the classic risotto with the Saffron and liquorish spaghetti: the dish is a very interesting evolution of its famous predecessor, that is to say a pasta that starts its journey as pasta and finishes it as risotto

PIEDMONTESE VEAL TARTARE WITH WHITE TRUFFLE
“A dish to be enjoyed with your hands, served on bark”, is explained in the menu. In fact, here there’s a total materic explosion, an orgy that involves all the senses, libido, well shown carnality. This is the most instinctive, immediate dish, which once again contradicts the legend according to which Alajmo is only cerebral. It is offered in a saving-oriented version too, with curry sauce instead of the white truffle: it doesn’t lose its effectiveness, you can find yourself using the pieces of meat to pick the sauce up. It gives enthusiasm

Dice Alajmo: «Il gesto del cuoco e del commensale, in un accordo antico che lega uomo a materia. Nessuna mediazione viene concessa, il cibo deve essere toccato dal corpo per un dialogo diretto. Qui carne e preda sono dolci, mansuete e appena vellutate. La carne è finalmente a nudo, la sua purezza quasi acquosa»

ROASTED PIGLET, MUSTARD SAUCE AND POWDERED COFFEE
Little can be said, a savoury end with a pleasant classic approach, with pork – of course the cooking is admirable, it is sweet, tender and tasty – that meets the right counterpoint: the spiciness of the mustard, the bitterness of the chicory, the aromatic note of the powdered coffee

Says Alajmo: «A new ingredient entered the kitchen, a piglet from Piedmont that required a prolonged and aromatic cooking. The result was a very sweet meat, with the contrast of the two bitter ingredients (chicory and coffee) and the spicy one (mustard). A stimulating, pulpy and crispy dish with a vague aromatic aroma, recalling ancient cooking techniques»

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT COFEE
A total delicacy: here the chef has opted for an easy win