First were the olives, then the stuffing, and finally the frying. Say hello to Olive all’Ascolana, loosely translated as “fried stuffed olives”, a dish typical from Marche region that strangely enough never made its way to the New York table. Until Cremini's opened.
Located in Brooklyn on Court Street, in the heart of Carroll Gardens neighborhood, the restaurant is the first of its kind in the Big Apple. All it took was a leap of faith by a young couple, Elena Salati and Riccardo Massetti that right after getting married, took the vows to love each other and to bring to the Unites States the culinary tradition of the Marche region, birthplace of geniuses like Raffaello or Rossini, but relatively little known to the Americans.
Why there wasn’t a Marche restaurant in New York so far? “Because olive all’ascolana are difficult to prepare,” says Elena, owner and chef. “We import our olives from Marche, they have to be DOP (Protected Designation of Origin), soft and of a certain size. They are stuffed with three types of meat, dipped into battered eggs, breaded and finally deep-fried. The whole process takes a long time”.
“Few people know that olive all’ascolana is not food for the poor, on the contrary, it’s a recipe of noble cuisine that dates back to the 19th century” explains Riccardo, owner and general manager. “Allegedly, they were invented by the cooks of wealthy families as a way to utilize meat leftover from abundant feasts”.
Riccardo and Elena decided to move to New York City last year after being inspired during a trip to California. Away from home, they thought: how wonderful would that be to realize an American dream by opening an Italian restaurant? As soon as they got back home, they started to work on their project, an authentic “marchigiano” place in NYC, something that Americans have never experienced before. A few months later, they moved to Brooklyn and opened Cremini's.
Mozzarelline
A real adventure for the couple that never owned a restaurant and comes from different backgrounds. Elena is an interior designer and buildings development consultant from Pinerolo, Piemonte, who’s passion for cooking drove her to take professional cooking classes and venture into catering and events organization. Riccardo was born in Porto San Giorgio, Le Marche, and after gaining degrees in sociology and journalism, he moved to Milan where he worked in marketing and communications. Their love story started over food, cucina marchigiana (from Le Marche region), in particular when Elena decided to ‘steal’ Riccardo’s family recipes and learn how prepare his favorite food. Riccardo could not resist, and the rest is history.
Polpette
They decided to name the restaurant after cremini, golden cubes made with custard, which are dipped in breadcrumbs and then lightly fried, included in the menu as one of their signature dishes. Although Riccardo and Elena stay true to the authentic regional cuisine, they added a modern twist to the menu such as experimentations on the olive all’ascolana, offering varieties with gorgonzola, truffles, baccalà, and a vegetarian option.
Crescia
Same for cremini that can come also with chocolate, pistachio, mint, coffee, and Anisette liqueur taste. Another specialty on the menu is Polpette Le Marche, balls of fried fettuccine and minced meat, seasoned with béchamel and paired with ragù and Parmigiano Reggiano for dipping. They also offer a vegetarian version. Last but not least, the menu features Crescia, a special stuffed flatbread (similar to a piadina) from the Urbino area.
Riccardo and Elena’s ambition next dream? To open a second location in Manhattan!
Burger