Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance member Federico Mariutti draws on the hard work, wisdom and secrets of local food producers and farmers in order to bring to his restaurant the best his local area has to offer, like this frico with potatoes and onions.
Federico was born in Pordenone into a family of pizza-makers, cooks and waiters. At the age of 13, amidst helping his father with the pizzeria and cleaning fish to serve fried at the market, he realized what he wanted to do with his life: be a chef. He finished hotel school and set off to gain experience in kitchens in Switzerland, Florence, Milan, Venice and London.
After extensively renovating an old bar and bottega from the early 1900s, he opened Osteria Turlonia in Praturlone in Fiume Veneto. Here Federico and his wife Isabella serve up authentic local cuisine, based on tradition, though not without allowing a few small modern touches.
“With the passing of time I fall more and more in love with my land and every day I continue my research, paying particular attention to local producers of meat, vegetables, oil, cheese and wines,” says Federico. “I like to uncover the hard work of producers and farmers, I listen to their wisdom and hear their secrets in order to pass them on to people. That’s why since 2015 I’ve been a member of the Slow Food Cooks’ Alliance: I’m always committed to offering, promoting and adding value to local products and producers, in order to give my customers fresh, clean and fair food.”
“I love food, I love cooking, I love being well, I love cuisine in its simplest and most sincere forms,” he concludes.
Frico with Potatoes and Cavasso and Val Cosa Onions
Ingredients:
- 6 medium potatos
- 120 g (4 oz) Cavasso and Val Cosa onion
- 250 g (12 oz) fresh Latteria Turnaria cheese (aged 60/90 days) or similar cheese
- 250 g (12 oz) aged Latteria Turnaria cheese (aged at least 1 year) or similar cheese
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
METHOD:
Cut the potato into 1-centimeter/1/2-inch cubes and boil until tender. Drain and leave to cool to room temperature. Slice the onion into thin slices and coarsely grate the two cheeses.
Sauté the onion with the olive oil in a frying pan until soft, then add the potato cubes. Raise the heat to high and add the grated cheeses, stirring everything together.
Leave to cook briefly until a golden crust forms on the bottom, then flip the frico. Leave to cook until a crust forms on the other side, then serve immediately.
Speck, San Daniele prosciutto, radicchio or mushrooms can all be added to the mixture before cooking.