Rustic cooking in the heart of Italy

The fortified hilltop town of Orvieto is striking on approach by car or train. Perched atop a hill formed from volcanic ash, the town is encased by thick walls carved out of the surrounding rock. Most striking is the outline of the famous gothic-style Cathedral stretching high above Orvieto. Food-Travels.com visited with renowned Chef Lorenzo Polegri at the Ristorante Zeppelin in the rolling green hills of Umbria.

Polegri's Ristorante Zeppelin is located in a 16th century building in Orvieto’s historic old town center. It's near the main strolling and shopping avenue, Corso Cavour, especially frequented by Italians for their ritual Passeggiata. An art in itself, the Passeggiata is a style of walking in stilettos and Armani suits for which Italians are especially famous.

Zeppelin was opened in 1995 by the union manager/bodybuilder-turned professional chef, Lorenzo Polegri. Raised in the foothills of the Apennine mountains in a small village nearby Orvieto, Polegri and his father managed his family's vineyards, olive trees, grains, and vegetables. His interest in the traditional cuisine of his land grew and he began studying old recipe manuscripts authored by his grandmother, after whom he dedicates his Marchesa Adele Viti Culinary Art Institute. Polegri interviewed local farmers and household cooks to gather as much information as possible and embarked on his dream with his first restaurant in 1993.

Upon walking into Zeppelin and pausing at its long sessile oak, marble-topped bar, we understood Polegri’s choice of name. The restaurant is shaped like the original Zeppelin, the passenger airship that carried travelers from Germany to North and South America. Continuing past the bar accented by the classic hand-operated espresso machine, through the golden-painted corridor with antique wooden floors and green marble archways, we reached the kitchen. Small but efficient, it's here that Polegri hosts his cooking classes.

Polegri's cooking philosophy

Chef Lorenzo, as he likes to be called, is known for bringing his 93 kg of what he terms “pure madness” out from behind the kitchen stoves to the tables of eager guests. Polegri has received rave reviews from L’Espresso, Gambero Rosso, Lonely Planet, Geoguide, and the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. He has cooked for the Italian Food Festival at the United Nations, Slow Food, and the James Beard House in New York among numerous other appearances.

Despite Polegri’s national and international success, he remains humble in his cooking style. His cuisine could be described as creative rustic cooking. While talking with Food-Travels.com, Polegri discussed how he tries to keep each dish to just four elements. Local, fresh ingredients are paramount. Although he respects the fusion dishes of his contemporaries, Polegri's philosophy is to keep the ingredients “as near to the earth and plate as possible.”

This personal philosophy is clearly an outgrowth of Polegri’s intimacy with the countryside and the people who work it. Polegri also offers cooking classes on site at Ristorante Zeppelin and on location around Umbria. His students meet with olive oil producers and vintners and visit the town market to learn about local products. The Culinary Art Institute draws both professional chefs and household cooks eager to learn traditional techniques.

Umbrian classics at Zeppelin

The Zeppelin menu offers traditional and innovative selections. For antipasti there's local salami, cured Etruscan-style pork, Apennine sheep’s milk cheese, marmalade from nearby farms, and chickpea and zucchini timbale. And of course the menu offers plenty of pasta selections, all handmade. Umbrichelli, a thick spaghetti unique to Orvieto, is served with the traditional wild boar sauce. Tagliolini and Ravioloni are served with the black truffles hunted in the nearby countryside. And for something really hearty - Gnocchi are served with a lamb ragout and pecorino cheese.

Zeppelin’s main dishes range from roasted Umbrian pork to wild game. Much of the meat is prepared after being cooked slowly, sometimes marinating over the course of days with wild fennel and herbs. Local hunters often sell their goods directly to the town’s restaurants. While hiking nearby in search of the Etruscan caves and burial sites that dot the region predating the Romans, we were dodging Cinghiale or wild boar hunters. We even had to tie a bright red handkerchief around our dog's neck to avoid the unthinkable!

Entrees are usually accompanied with cooked rappini, broccoli raab, or other local hearty vegetables like dandelion or turnip greens. Fried zucchini flowers are another local favorite. A salad of wild mescaline greens often with arugula and borage is served following the main course for its digestive value.  

Zeppelin’s desserts will make you want to save room for that extra bite. Everything's made on-site from the gelato served with reduced Limoncello sauce to the cone-shaped tiramisù and ricotta cheese flan. A sampling of Umbrian sheep’s milk cheeses served with honey, marmalades, and toasted walnuts is the local way to finish off the meal!

What's particularly wonderful about eating foods grown and produced locally is their heightened flavor. Our pallet was awakened by tastes distinct from foods harvested too early and produced en masse. In Southern Europe especially, where growing times are long and animal husbandry remains a way of life in the countryside, the opportunity to appreciate foods close to their source abounds.