Mrs Ilaria, tell us about the origin of the Osteria del Gallo?
The current Osteria del Gallo was opened in December 99, I have been here since September 0, and it takes from an old “Osteria del Gallo” that was at Badia Polesine after the Second World War, around the 50’s in the centre, but in a different road from where we are now. The idea was to keep the memory of how we where alive, as a matter of fact on the restaurant walls we have old photographs of Badia going back to those years that we found in the archive of our civic library. They surround the place that is in a building dated 600 in the heart of the historic centre of Badia. The elegant country environment has walls and columns in hand worked tiles creating arches and warm spaces. I have added my grandmother’s house chests and dresser, salvaging some doors that are now used as show cases for wines, extra virgin oils of some Italian regions and other rarities of our gastronomy.
What kind of clients do you serve?
The menu is a la carte, the same at midday as in the evening. For my choice we do not have fixed price menus. At lunch we mainly have business clients, In the evening the small environment meets the needs of couples, families or small groups of friends looking for a tranquil and familiar place with a cuisine that has our traditional tastes, but also particular dishes.
What are the basic ingredients of your cuisine?
Amongst the starters we are known for our Prosciutto crudo of Montagnana (a small place that is 15 km far from Badia, where this very sweet prosciutto is produced) and other selected cold meats. Polenta (clearly in the winter that we propose with soppressa, melted gorgonzola, mushrooms, lard), aubergine rolls with speck, gorgonzola and nuts, mozzarella from Puglia.
Amongst the first courses bigoli with duck, casarecce (egg pasta similar to strozzapreti) with chicory and sausage with red wine, buckwheat tortelloni filled with bitto over spinach béchamel and risottos, one of our best dishes, that we suggest with prosciutto crudo of Montagnana, or Castelmagno Dop, during the season with sweet chicory from Treviso and Morlacco del Grappa (from November to April), with Amarone of Valpolicella , with pears and gorgonzola, stracchino and champignons.
For the second courses we have also specialised in grilled meats and we are renowned for our beef, Argentinean, Angus and sometimes off the menu also chianina cut (depending on the availability due to the limited production), beef filets that we serve cut thick in order to keep the meat soft. We cook them differently according to our clients requests, (grilled, with balsamic vinegar, green or pink pepper), entrecote, T bone, roast lamb, duck breast with aromatic oil and other dishes.
The desserts are all home made: delicate tiramisu that we prepare without coffee and liquor, allowing the delicate taste of mascarpone cream to come out (even with strawberries, depending on the season),chocolate salame that we make with nutella, white chocolate mousse with wafers and cream and coffee sauce, vanilla semifreddo with caramel and chopped nuts, chocolate cake with pears accompanied by mascarpone cream(proposed in the winter) and others.
We have hundreds of Italian wines, mostly reds, due to the menu, but we also have interesting proposals among the white and sweet wines.
We have heard a lot about the famous Montagnana and fresh chicory risotto: tell us about this recipee?
The risotto made with Montagnana prosciutto cotto is one of our most famous dishes, it has been on our menu for years, enhancing and proposing the products of the territory. As I said Montagnana is a small medieval village at 15 km from Badia Polesine, one of the few still with a surrounding wall, worth a visit. In September they celebrate the palio and in June the Montagnana prosciutto crudo festival. This product is not very well known as the production is limited and tied to the territory, but the quality and the characteristic sweetness of this prosciutto allows us to use it in our risotto, without it turning too salty after cooking. Obviously, the prosciutto and rice are mixed at the end of cooking, also to prevent it turning tough and dry.
Whilst the one with sweet chicory from of Treviso and morlacco del Grappa is a risotto that we introduced last season, after having discovered the tastiness of this soft cheese produced in the Grappa area, that combines well with the Treviso chicory’s sweetness. These 2 products are limited by their seasonal production (from November to April), so we are only able to offer it during the\ winter. The choice of this dish follows the philosophy of our restaurant, proposing dishes tied to the tradition of our territory always with a touch of particularity and research.
Do you have particular projects for the future?
I already organise tasting evenings, generally during the winter, in collaboration with the AIS Italian Sommelier Association in the province of Rovigo, aiming at being a good restaurant owner, also helping culture: transmitting what I discover in my food and wine research to my clients. It is a great satisfaction for me to allow people to discover new tastes connected to our traditions, our origins and roots with an important thread: the genuine products that a country like ours offers.