Pearà: the peppery sauce Guy Grossi's mother taught him to make

In our third episode we will go to Verona to try a sauce made from stale bread who was born into a legendary love story. No, not the one between Romeo and Juliet... Chef and restaurant owner Guy Grossi is here to tell us all about it.

Pearà, traditionally served with boiled meats, can also work with roast chicken Source: Guy Grossi

Almost nobody outside of Verona knows pearà, which accompanies boiled meat on Veronese tables for all sorts of special occasions.

A long, slow preparation is what produces its unique flavour, but it's relatively unknown, even in neighbouring towns. As Shakespeare would say, “there is no pearà without Verona walls”.

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LISTEN TO THE PODCAST TO DISCOVER...

• Pearà has saved a queen’s life and is loved by aristocrats and peasants
• Boiled meat is an (almost) essential partner for pearà
• With a Veronese mother, you learn how to make pearà by osmosis

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Guy Grossi, chef and owner of several restaurants in Melbourne and Perth, has dedicated a book to his Veronese mother, “Recipes From My Mother’s Kitchen”. And of course, pearà features in it.

A Veronese mother gave Guy Grossi the gift of pearà Source: Guy Grossi / photo by Loredana Lyon

All ingredients are easily found in Australia to recreate the secret dish Veronese cannot live without.

My mum taught me how to make pearà. I believe my passion for cooking came from that home kitchen as well.

Listen to the third episode of The Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine.

LISTEN TO

Pearà: the peppery sauce Guy Grossi's mother taught him to make

SBS Italian

30/11/202122:22

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Scarrafoni in Cucina: The Ugly Ducklings of Italian Cuisine is SBS' first bilingual podcast in English and another language. Listen now in Italian.