The “Queen of Baccalà ” reveals her secrets …
We are in Montegalda, a few kilometers from Vicenza, along the road that leads to Padua, here we meet Da Culata, a traditional tavern obtained from an ancient grocery store. Warm 90s furniture and a welcoming environment thanks to Laura’s presence in the dining room with her father Vincenzo.
The atmosphere is familiar, the local cuisine. On the menu, traditionally offered verbally, but there is no lack of typical home-made pasta, tagliatelle with liver, peasant soups (wonderful porcin soup with smoked croutons) and pasticcio alla Culata with vegetables and meat. Equally tasty, the vegetable side dishes, grilled, cooked in the oven, sautéed or simply boiled, served from a plate turned around the tables.
We are in the Vicenza area, an area famous for the baccalà (cod) .Da Culata is considered by many gastronomes to be the temple of the true “cod alla vicentina”, paired with polenta or slightly crunchy bread, creamed or “alla vicentina” and he is the real king of the menu. Who is the” queen of cod”? Certainly Carla Rigon, the family cook.
Hello Carla, let’s start with the usual question: where do you like to spend the weekend?
Nearby: in Asiago and in Venice, where my favorite destination is the restaurant La Madonna, whose owner is one of our customers.
What car do you drive?
A Renauld, practical and easy to drive. For the most demanding journeys, such as going to Sardinia, (Vincenzo, my husband, is Sardinian) I let myself be carried by his big car.
The next trip ?
After many trips to Sardinia, I would like to know a little more of the South and Sicily.
You are called “The queen of cod,” what is the secret to cooking it perfectly?
The griddle: once it was my grandmother’s traditional “CUCINA ECONOMICA “, the wood one with iron rings, which allow evenly spread cooking, since cod needs a diffused flame. and must “huff” slowly. Another trick is to prepare the sautéed onions, garlic, parsley and let it rest at a cool temperature, but never in the refrigerator.
A wine to pair?
After having made this very long journey, let the code relax on the fresh notes of a dry white. fresh, savory and enveloping with aromas, such as Tai di Quota 1010, a rustic and sincere wine from the Euganean Hills:. The vinification takes place only in steel. On the nose you can smell the aromas of anise, lime, almond paste and sugared almonds. In the mouth there are also yellow-fleshed fruit, herbs and a slight balsamic sensation. It goes perfectly with tasty fish dishes, therefore ideal for our cod.
