FRANCIACORTA, Italy--Crema di piselli con scampi e gamberi, that's the name of the dish we enoyed on our first day in Franciacorta. It was prepared by a 36-year-old native of Croatia, Dragan Erdemonic, who spent four years at hotel school in the former Yugoslavia and has worked in Michelin-starred restaurants as well as catering kitchens. He's been at the Relais Franciacorta since the beginning of the year, preparing meals for hotel residents as well as regular wedding parties, business banquets, and celebrations for up to 300 guests.
Chef Dragan explained how he made this soup, which takes advantage of the exceptionally flavorful crop of peas being sold this summer in village markets around northern Italy. On the à la carte menu, the soup is 16 euros, $20. The Relais' kitchen uses a Thermomix, a high-end, multi-function appliance that looks like a jacketed blender and can simultaneously cook and blend ingredients. In Italy it's known as a Bimby, and, despite its eyebrow-raising pricetag (about 1,000 euros, $1,250), it's almost as ubiquitous in Italian homes as a microwave oven.
- Boil the peas for five minutes in lightly salted water. Drain and immerse them in ice water to stop the cooking.
- Process the peas in the Bimby with cream and butter. No Bimby at your house? You could use a food processor and purée your soup in small batches. Either way, run the mixture through a fine sieve or tamis.
- Meantime, clean and devein the shrimp and lightly sauté them in a little olive oil. Do the same with the freshwater crayfish.
- Prepare sundried tomatoes by cutting them into quarters.Lightly sauté the cherry tomatoes, taking care not to break the skin.
- Ladle the hot soup into a deep bowl, and for each portion garnish with three or four crayfish, prawns, pieces of sundried tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and serve immediately.
Our visit to Italy was sponsored by the association of Franciacorta wine producers, the Consorzio per la tutela del Franciacorta.
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