Tuscany · — · Maremma, · Grosseto · Province Techniques

The Maremma's 'cooked water' — the most austere and historically significant soup in Tuscan cooking, made by the butteri (Maremma cowboys) from whatever field vegetables were at hand, water, olive oil, stale bread, and a poached egg. Despite its name and apparent simplicity, acquacotta at its best is a study in technique: the vegetable soffritto must develop real depth, the broth must reduce to concentrate, and the poached egg must be perfectly set, soft-yolked, and placed on the soup at the last moment.

The Maremma's hare ragù — wide, rough-edged egg pasta strips dressed with a slow-cooked wild hare ragù in Morellino di Scansano red wine. The hare (lepre) of the Maremma's coastal scrubland and marshes is wilder and more intensely flavoured than farmed rabbit — its dark meat, marbled with the fat of a wild-living animal, produces a ragù of extraordinary depth after 3 hours of gentle braising. The wide pappardelle width is specifically designed to maximise sauce-contact per bite.