Firenze: Restaurant & Residence Centanni

A few minutes from the centre of Florence, immersed in an atmosphere of tranquillity, you’ll find the Centanni. This name is a guarantee for pleasure and relax with more than forty years of experience and a natural sense of hospitality. The two families Bianchi and Burgassi, the perfect owners of this fascinating environment, are today divided between the three main activities. The Residence, founded in the end of the 90’s and built upon the old remains of the rural houses, ideal for the once who are looking for quality service; an evidence of this is that many of the clients are known artists and businessmen. The Residence is located just outside of Florence, immersed in nature it is the perfect place to feel the scents and the flavours of the authentic Chianti. The Golf Club, the most recent of the families’ activities, offers a 360° experience for all sport lovers in this part of Tuscany offering Golf school, Putting Green, Pitching Green, a 9 hole field, restaurant, tea house, game room, swimming pool and a massage bath to relax.
But it is the restaurant that is the true “jewel” of the Centanni. Founded in 1962 as a “trattoria” it was immediately recognised for the great quality of the traditional cuisine and for the beautiful environment with a splendid view and a nice and relaxing garden. The restaurant is a growing success with a sophisticated atmosphere but at the same time friendly and simple, recently it has also grown in terms of space with a splendid terrace overlooking the hills of Chianti. Here you can find the most delicious dishes, simple and plain but of the highest quality, in addition the wine menu offers more than 400 precious labels. You can just slow down and let your heart be filled with joy in this warm and pleasant atmosphere.
A dinner at Centanni is just unforgettable. The traditional flavours, sometimes strong and particular, of the Tuscan cuisine offers a wide rang of good choices and it is almost impossible to suggest one specific dish; but the fresh handmade pasta with the “cappelletti di piccione” is a great choice for the first course and as a second course I would suggest the rare “cervello fritto” (fried brain) and the Florentine beefsteak. Don’t miss the excellent deserts, all fresh and handmade. What else can I say’have a nice evening!

A Centanni recipe: Pigeon cappelletti with melted butter

Ingredients for 6/8 people:
2 pigeons
1 onion
½ celery rib
1 carrot
½ glass of white wine
beef-stock
1 glass of white wine
150 gr. of grated parmigiano
1 egg
olive oil salt pepper and butter q.s.

Cook the pigeons with the giblets with finely diced onion, celery and carrot in a pan. When the vegetables start to brown add the white wine and make it boil; then cover all with the broth and coddle adding broth if it evaporates until the cooking is done. When pigeons are cooked and not too hot bone them and mix the meat with the
egg, parmigiano, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Roll out the egg pasta and made 2 stripes of very fine pasta to exalt the stuffing, brush one side of the pasta with a beaten
egg, put equidistant small balls of stuffing. Cover it with the second strip avoiding to leave air inside the stuffing. Cut the cappelletti with shape you like and cook them immediately in boiling water. Serve them with abundant melted butter not cooked.

(Portions of this article first appeared in "Toscana & Chianti News")
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