A recipe that blends the Ciociaria region with the sea, instinct with calm: this is how Giulio Terrinoni expresses himself through pappardelle with chestnuts, hare, and sea snails.
Photographs by Alessandro Barattelli
Festina Lente: Giulio Terrinoni’s signature dish and a new concept of time on the 10th-anniversary menu
Starting out in Fiuggi, where his first exposure to the restaurant industry came through the family business, Giulio Terrinoni found in Rome the foundation on which to build a career marked by determination, intuition, and constant exploration.
From Ciociaria to the Capital: a career forged in the field
His is an atypical path in the world of haute cuisine: a largely self-taught training, refined through daily work, observation, and direct engagement with ingredients, which quickly led him to distinguish himself and ultimately earn a Michelin star with Acquolina. A milestone that solidified a personal gastronomic vision, characterized by simplicity, technique, and clean flavors. In 2015, this identity took its final form with the opening of Per Me Giulio Terrinoni, a restaurant in the heart of Rome conceived as the full expression of his approach to hospitality and cuisine. Here, fish takes center stage in a menu that combines respect for the catch with measured creativity, giving rise to an establishment that today faithfully represents the chef’s professional maturity.
Running Without Hurry: When a Recipe Reflects a Philosophy of Life
But while the method, for Terrinoni, represents the underlying structure of his cuisine, there are new dishes that seem to convey something more personal, almost existential. One in particular—straight from the new X me menu—is described by the chef with a different kind of passion, almost certain that it will become one of his future signature dishes. “It’s called Festina Lente, and it’s a dish that represents me very much.” The name comes from the famous Latin motto—make haste slowly—and suggests a dual tension all on its own: that between impulse and control, between rushing and restraint. A dynamic that Terrinoni feels deeply his own and that he wanted to translate into a recipe. “At a certain point, I asked myself: in life, should we slow down or speed up? We’re always torn between doing a lot, rushing too much, and at the same time needing calm. I tried to imagine this in the kitchen.”
That’s where the idea came from. “What’s fast? The hare. What’s slow? The snail. In my case, a sea snail.” On the plate, they become pappardelle made with chestnut flour—a direct homage to his hometown of Fiuggi, to the woods, and to the memory of the land, because “I’m still a boy from Ciociaria,” he says—topped with hare and sea snails. A combination that seems surprising on paper but, in his telling, takes on a certain clarity. “This dish has become my mantra. The mind must move quickly, but things must be done calmly.” For a chef who, over the past ten years, has never stopped modifying, creating, investing, and pursuing ideas, it almost feels like a declaration of maturity. A form of inner discipline. “It’s giving me immense satisfaction because I’ve managed to put my own lifestyle into a recipe.” It’s not often you hear Terrinoni indulge in philosophical musings—he himself admits to being “more pragmatic”—but that’s precisely why this passage stands out. Because it reveals how, behind the industrious instinctiveness that sets him apart, a new awareness has taken root over the years: the need to balance mental agility with patient execution, ambition with time. After all, Per Me too seems to have grown this way: running without ever being in a hurry.
Festina Lente
INGREDIENTS (serves 4)
For the chestnut pappardelle:
- 180 g Chestnut flour
- 200 g All-purpose flour
- 150 g Semolina flour
- 75 g Egg whites
- 150 g Egg yolks
For the hare and snail ragù:
- 250 g Cleaned hare
- 75 g Lard
- 125 g cleaned snails
- 50 g lard
- To taste Rosemary
- To taste Garlic
- 75 g red wine
- 50 g chicken demi-glace
- Smoked pecorino cheese
- Marjoram
Preparation of the pappardelle:
Place all ingredients in a stand mixer and knead on speed 3 until the dough is smooth. Vacuum-seal the dough and let it rest overnight. To make the pappardelle, roll out the dough (not too thin) using a pasta machine and cut it into 2 cm wide strips. Store between sheets of paper towels in the refrigerator, inside a sealed container.
Preparation of the hare and snail ragù:
Start by cleaning the hare, removing all bones, nerves, and connective tissue. Next, cut the meat into small cubes and combine with a mixture of lard, rosemary, and garlic, then vacuum-seal everything to allow the flavors to meld. After the hare, it’s time to clean the snails: first, wash them thoroughly under running water, then blanch them for 45 minutes twice in water; the third time, blanch them in a court bouillon flavored with parsley stems, bay leaves, celery, and onion for another half hour. Once cooled, they must be cleaned by shelling them and removing the innards and the bone from the mouth. They are placed once more in cold water flavored with lemon zest and the same herbs as before.
At this point, the snails should also be placed in a vacuum-sealed bag with the minced lard, garlic, and rosemary to infuse with flavor. For the ragù, brown the seasoned hare along with the snails until the lard melts. Deglaze with red wine and add demi-glace to round out the flavor. Toss the well-drained pappardelle in the sauce and serve with marjoram and smoked pecorino cheese, along with the lightly seared hare chop and a skewer of the seasoned snails.
Info:
Vicolo del Malpasso, 9, 00186 Roma RM;
Phone: 06 687 7365;
