Toscana & Chianti News

Restaurant

STEFANO PINCIAROLI'S SUPERB CUISINE

Great little gems, made from “impoverished” yet delicious ingredients, light up the table with mouth-watering flashes that conquer the heart, even before the taste buds.

Yet when other qualities such as love, passion, creativity and, above all, fun are added to these attributes, we can no longer talk about simple dishes, but rather veritable works of art.

This is in fact the way in which chef Stefano Pinciaroli presents his dishes in his Ristorante PS in Cerreto Guidi; works which are born out of a love of cuisine and fine dining, the on-going urge to experiment and satisfy a wide range of needs, without ever forgetting a flavour for tradition.

The young Tuscan chef loves to create new, delicious dishes, but he does so in a very distinctive way. He goes in search of old recipes, gets ideas and uses them as a basis on which to have fun and invent new things. The flavours always remain traditional, but the cooking techniques and presentation are renewed all the time.

"In my dishes I try to combine flavours with contrasts in colour, at times adding a pinch of irony," Stefano explains to us. "But the outcome wouldn't be the same if I didn't have by my side a staff who put passion and commitment into everything that they do."

This is the second principle on which Stefano's philosophy is based: the excellence and originality of dishes, united with the passion of his staff. It's a combination that never tires, especially in terms of the food. It is the epitome of a restaurant concept that is not purely based on the food, but on a set of elements that are part of a wider spectrum in which imagination, service and freedom successfully go hand in hand.

THE RESTAURANT
Set atop a hillock in the Lower Valdarno, between Montalbano and the Arno river, stands Cerreto Guidi, a distinctive medieval village brimming with history, where you can discover the agricultural firms, farms, villas and churches, which are typical of the hilly Tuscan landscape. Ristorante PS is located in the centre of this little village, adorned in a simple yet elegant ambience, where Stefano Pinciaroli and his staff welcome you with rare courtesy, almost a thing of the past.

RECIPES
Vin Santo-Infused Liver Terrine with Red Onion Marmalade
250 g chicken livers
125 g red onion
100 g butter
1 tablespoon Vin Santo
2 bay leaves
Pinch of salt

Finely cut the onion and cook in a frying pan with a drizzle of oil. Add the livers and bay and sauté over high heat for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and let it evaporate. Add 1 litre of water and boil until all the liquid has evaporated. Set the mixture aside to cool. Blend, adding the salt, butter and Vin Santo.

Red Onion Marmalade
1 kg red onion, cut into thin strips
600 g caster sugar
8 cloves
4 bay leaves
½ cinnamon stick
300 g sultanas
700 ml balsamic vinegar
700 ml white wine
2 teaspoons salt

Put the onions, sugar, salt and spices in a saucepan and marinate for about 4 hours. Pour in the balsamic vinegar and wine. Using an instant-read thermometer, heat the mixture to 224°F (107°C). Remove from the heat and set aside to cool at room temperature.