2008-07-17
By Pierre-Brice LebrunIn the upper reaches of Levie, many are those who don’t really fancy Jean Baptiste’s cooking. You’ll encounter them if you simply hike a few hundred yards above his farm-inn, following a path which is as sinuous as it is uneven. And that’s where you’ll find them, those selfish hogs whose greatest hope is that one day - preferably as soon as possible - the de Rocca Serra family will espouse vegetarianism, or centre their cuisine on fish, poultry or seafood... But for now, the wild pigs are the undisputed stars of A Pignata. Before being given the place of honour on the menu, they spend several years cavorting in the hills with their chums, eating nothing but acorns and wild chestnuts. Below, in the bar near the gigantic hearth or in the shade of the terrace overlooking the valley, the boar’s praises are sung as guests enjoy sausages, panzetta, ham, coppa, lonzu, blood pudding, and head cheese served with preserved courgettes.
 © Alen MéaulleQuintessential CorsicaThe de Rocca Serra family swear by fresh, local ingredients. They press their own olive oil from olives grown in the grove tended by Antoine, the father. The requisite chestnuts are provided by a neighbour. Vegetables come from the kitchen garden, dairy products and cheese from the farm next door. Ah! the cheese! Not recommended for the faint of heart, connoisseurs should give it a try - one whiff is worth a thousand boar hunts, rambles through the Maquis, and guided tours of Napoleon’s homeland. The repast is best enjoyed with a Corsican wine from Figari, Ajaccio, Sartène or Porto-Vecchio. Ask Antoine, the father, for guidance - he reigns over the wine cellar and the after-dinner drinks, Limoncello, Myrtle liqueurs, and the like. Invisible from the main road, set apart from the village, lost amongst the trees at 850 m (2,790 ft) up, the A Pignata farm-inn is an idyllic, relaxing haven. The new building, boasting fifteen very comfortable rooms, blends right into the rock. Hidden under the terrace is a pool, heated in winter. The monumental chimney could hold an entire roast ox. Within sight of eager diners, Antoine junior cooks up the figatelli, while in the kitchen beyond, Jean-Baptiste, his brother, fries up eggs in olive oil and sees to the pancetta, brocciu and pulanta...  © Alen MéaulleHonouring traditionJean-Baptiste and Antoine, the sons of Antoine senior (who is always eager to give advice or voice his difference of opinion), take advantage of the long winter months to transform wild hogs into a multitude of different delicacies. The work is carried out by the family à l’ancienne - salted, preserved or cooked into a great variety of fabulous meats, enough is prepared to last all year. At A Pignata, they use everything but the oink! A meal without ham or pork is as tiresome as a day without wine, as the saying goes. Here, in the de Rocca Serra home, cuisine is a question of honour. And in the region of Corsica called the Alta-Rocca, honour is no laughing matter - and nor are hogs, not when they’re this good! Lili, Antoine and Jean-Baptiste’s mother, learnt all of her mother’s recipes and has taught them to her sons, who carry on and scrupulously respect the culinary traditions of their homeland. It would be difficult to have a more quintessentially Corsican meal in Corsica than the one served at la Pignata, where guests are assured of living high on the hog! But the real luxury when you spend a weekend here in the Maquis is that of rediscovering the authentic, traditional pleasures of days gone by... Practical informationFerme-auberge A Pignata Table d'hôtes & rural inn*** Route du Pianu Levie, Corse-du-Sud (45 minutes from the Figari airport) France Tel: (33) 04 95 78 41 90 Helipad, horses, pool, solarium and sauna; free wifi in all rooms. Half-board from €75 (rooms) to €125 (fully fitted suite); rooms alone (for 1 or 2 guests) from €110 to €160 (half-board is the more economical, simpler option, as A Pignata is quite isolated). Agence du tourisme de la Corse 17, Boulevard Roi Jérôme BP 19 20181 Ajaccio cedex 01 France Tel: (33) 04 95 51 00 00 |
