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Croatia Weekend

Bailliage of Croatia
Istria, June 14-15, 2019

Experiencing Istria gastronomy before summer
" As dusk fell, our destination was Rovinj, the most beautiful town on the Istrian coast "

Our 10th event since the inauguration of the National Bailliage in 2018 took place in Istria over two days with even more gastronomic stops and gourmet experiences than our previous gastro weekend in Lošinj in May.

The two days began on the hills situated in the beautiful landscape above River Mirna and Motovun Forest, the latter being famous for truffles.

First stop: the Ipša family farm which is owned by Claudio Ipša, Professionnel du Vin. We tasted different types of olive oil which had earned the family many prestigious awards in Croatia and Italy.

We also tasted their wines which exhibit extended maceration, full body and delicious flavours. An array of cheeses and well-known Istrian smoked ham called ‘pršut’ made it really hard for us to move on.

Next stop: a restaurant and hotel called Alla Beccaccia in Fazana near the biggest Istrian town of Pula. Alla Beccaccia offers home-made Istrian dishes with a sophisticated twist.

They are primarily prepared with what is caught. Beccaccia is the Italian name for woodcock which is occasionally on the menu. We enjoyed delicious dishes prepared by Chef/Owner Jadranka Radolović.

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Wild game pâté
Carpaccio of veal fillet
Confit of veal tail salad

Istrian fennel minestrone

Ravioli ‘Alla Beccaccia’
Quail risotto

Veal knuckle cooked under a baking cloche
Wild boar, ceps, flavoured grilled polenta

Cherry strudel

On day two, after breakfast in Alla Beccaccia and a short journey, we encountered something completely different. We explored big ecological olive orchards carefully cultivated by our member Chevalier Andrea Lupieri. The Bailliage officially adopted an olive tree which means an obligation to return to check on our ‘baby’.

Sparkling wine served in the olive orchard followed by a typical brunch called marenda served in Andrea’s house on the outskirts of Vodnjan. His garden hides another old olive orchard. The menu included Istrian classics: fuzi-style pasta with asparagus, fuzi-style pasta with chanterelle and Vodnjan cake.

As dusk fell, our destination was Rovinj, the most beautiful town on the Istrian coast, to dine at Giannino a restaurant owned by Corrado Pellizzer who is a top chef with impressive energy. He and his eldest son Nereo (Maître Restaurateur) asked Chef Dubravka Cujo to prepare our dinner.

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Pelagic fish variation
Creamy asparagus soup with marinated cuttlefish

Istrian pasutice pasta with cod
Istrian pljukanci pasta with shrimp and scallop shells

Sea bass fillet with Istrian truffle

Lemon sorbetto
Millefeuille, carob and orange cake

The menu showed a fine balance between Istrian-Italian heritage and traditional fishermen's cuisine from Rovinj.

Corrado Pellizzer does not see age as a barrier - he is 83! He took us to see his latest restaurant project Bugadur about to be officially opened. After which he served a digestif in his third restaurant Puntulina run by his youngest son Gianni.

The grand finale of this culinary adventure was held on the terrace by the sea.

Koraljka Tironi
Chargée de Presse

Vicenza, September 20, 2023

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