I had the good luck to visit Galleria Campari this week, a multimedia exhibition celebrating 150 years of the Campari brand, with particular focus on the famous artists who have contributed over the years.There is a whole gallery dedicated to the work of Fortunato Depero, a futurist artist who created a huge range of artwork for the brand, and also designed the iconic, conical Campari Soda bottle.
Campari is a "Bitter" with its roots in the patent medicines and nostrums of the 17th century. These came in many styles and flavours, generally containing exotic and sometimes unpleasant herbs and spices, presumably on the "the worse it tastes the more good it does you".
The actual Campari recipe was developed in the late 19th century by Gaspare Campari and remains a closely guarded secret.
Campari is great in cocktails as it delivers a useful combination of bitterness, sweetness, complexity, and of course its trademark crimson colour.
In cooking, however, Campari is a bit of a challenge. Its bitterness takes few hostages, and its colour won't do much for anything green. But I have a few ideas...
My first recipe is a simple foil for the elixir itself. Pure white ricotta with a scoop of crème fraiche (for a hint of acidity) lightly sweetened with white sugar and slightly salted (to prevent cloying). Splashed with Campari and served in a white bowl, it was very effective. If I'd had a pomegranate to hand I would have garnished with a few seeds. But I didn't. Shame.
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