At the helm of the Li Ciusoni restaurant, Chicca Ortu shares her passion for fresh pasta, rooted in childhood memories: “Cooking here feels like cooking for one big family.”
Warm appetisers and flavourful cured meats from the hinterland, traditional first courses, grilled meats and the famous spit-roasted suckling pig, local cheeses and typical Gallurese desserts. At Li Ciusoni, the table is set with specialities of authentic Gallurese cuisine. Genuine and flavourful dishes offer a taste of this land, surrounded by nature amidst stunning holm oaks and massive granite rocks.
An excellent host at Li Ciusoni, Chicca Ortu, a member of the Muntoni family, tells us how her passion for cooking and fresh pasta began, tied to fond childhood memories. It’s the perfect opportunity for her to share the recipe for her Gallurese-style raviolone, a traditional festive dish.
How did you find your way into the kitchen? My whole family has always loved cooking, and my parents used to involve my brother and me in making fresh pasta. My mum would give us little moulds to make our own desserts while she worked on hers; my dad, a farmer, had us making cheese with empty tuna cans, though for some reason, ours always turned out rock-hard. For me, cooking is still all about family. Cooking brings people together, and cooking at Li Ciusoni feels like cooking for one big family.
Do you feel deeply connected to your homeland? Absolutely. I’ve worked elsewhere too, but at the Valle dell’Erica Resort, I feel so at home. It’s a wonderful place, and I consider it a privilege to work here.
How would you describe your cooking? Simple, just like eating at home. My dishes are genuine. Everything here is prepared fresh: my cooking is zero-kilometre and zero-minute. I enjoy preparing local Sardinian dishes but not only those. I make traditional Gallurese pasta dishes, as well as suckling pig, focaccia, and other specialities.
Perfect for festive occasions, Chicca shares her recipe for raviolone, a traditional Italian first course, prepared in the Gallurese style. In her hands, it becomes a round disc of thinly rolled pasta dough.
To make my raviolone, I use only durum wheat flour, lukewarm water, and salt. The filling is made with a typical Gallurese cheese, panedda, which is very soft, and I add ricotta to make it even creamier. Then I mix in parsley, lemon, and sugar. The sugar is unique to Gallurese ravioli and is used only in this part of Sardinia. It contrasts beautifully with the lemon, as well as with the tomato and basil sauce.
It’s clear that you’re passionate about your work. Do you believe it’s the best job in the world? Yes, I always say it’s the best job alongside being a doctor. Medicine and cooking both heal. The latter heals the soul and brings joy.
