It has been said that the Rubus Idaeus, a bramble with little red fruits atop Mount Ida on the windy island of Crete, was once appreciated by Venus – both for the plant’s raspberry fruit and for the drink made from its leaves.
The ancient Romans, who heavily consumed raspberries, were the first to import them to the mainland of today’s Italy in an area of upper Lazio – cultivating them at Monti Cimini in particular. Here the soil and the climate makes for fruit of excellent quality: healthy, tasty, rich in antioxidants, fiber, iron, magnesium, potassium and zinc.
"The raspberry prefers dry/sub-acid fresh, draining and organic soils which, combined with the altitude (800m), create a perfect mix," explains Massimiliano Biaggioli, an entrepreneur who started his adventure in his home garden and now has over 3,000 plants.
"The cultivars are divided into humiferous and re-flowering, that is, capable of bearing fruit once or twice a year, between May and October. The breeding is done on double espaliers, similar to those of the vine, but wider, where the raspberries are tied because they are not climbing.”
For some years now, Biaggioli has been marketing his fruit under the brand name Lamponi dei Monti Cimini, producing raspberries and herbal teas, sugar and salt as well as a tea of raspberry leaves ready to drink, cold or hot, called Lamponella®. His passion for red fruit led him to create a Lamponario (the proceeds of the sales will go to charity) that involved dozens of chefs, cooking enthusiasts, bartenders and students. From Lamponario, we are happy to share two special recipes with La Cucina readers. Read on to give them a try!
Raspberry Bavarese with Monti Cimini Raspberries:
A Recipe by Tiziana Favi, Chef of Namo Ristobottega in Tarquinia
Ingredients:
For the bavarese:
½ cup fresh milk, 1 lb fresh cream, Grated peel of ½ untreated lemon, ½ oz gelatine in sheets, 4 oz granulated sugar, ¾ oz raspberry powder, 4 oz raspberry compote
For the sauce:
½ cup water, 5 oz sugar, 4 oz raspberry and lemon compote
To decorate:
Fresh Raspberries, Fresh mint leaves, Raspberry sugar crystals
Method:
First make the lemon raspberry syrup. Put the water and sugar in a saucepan, heating the liquid until you have a syrup-like consistency. Remove from heat and let cool. Add the raspberry and lemon compote, blend and set aside. Prepare the bavarese. Soak the gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 minutes. Put the milk at room temperature in a bowl and dissolve the raspberry powder in it, stirring well to avoid lumps. Heat the cream with the sugar and lemon zest in a small saucepan. Before it boils, remove it from the heat and add the squeezed jelly and the raspberry compote. Add the milk mixed with the raspberry powder and filter everything through a fine-meshed strainer. Pour into round molds and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Decorate.
The “Golden Sweet Treat” Cocktail: A Recipe by Cristiana Curri (Rome)
Ingredients:
½ oz lime juice, ½ oz mezcal, 1 oz Lamponella®, ½ oz ginger syrup, Raspberries to garnish
Method:
Squeeze the lime inside the shaker. Add the mezcal, Lamponella® and ginger syrup. Shake everything with ice and filter into the glass. Decorate with a fresh raspberry.
Article by Antonia Matarrese