Does Italy have dumplings too? Purple potato dumplings stuffed with lamb shank meat are chewy and bursting with flavor.

▲Purple potato handmade dumplings stuffed with lamb shank, similar in style to traditional Chinese dumplings.

Reported and photographed by Huang Shiyuan, Taipei

After inviting a chef awarded “One Star Three Forks” to Taipei Garden Hotel as a guest chef in March this year, the hotel has recently welcomed Chef Errico Recanati from Anderina Restaurant in Italy, who has been awarded Two Forks by the Italian Red Guide and has earned one Michelin star for three consecutive years. To present authentic Italian cuisine, Errico specially brought lentils, olive oil, and purple potatoes from his hometown in the Marche region of Italy. Among them, the purple potatoes are used to make Italian potato dumplings stuffed with lamb shank meat, which are chewy and delicious.

Chef Errico Recanati’s cooking philosophy can be summed up in two words: “LIFE” and “FREEDOM.” “LIFE” represents his respect for ingredients, while “FREEDOM” reflects his approach to cooking without rigid frameworks. He enjoys presenting individual ingredients in their own right, deconstructing and seasoning them separately, yet when all the elements come together, they create perfect harmony. For instance, in his guest menu, there’s a creamy soup made with Italian lentils and prawns—he uses the often-overlooked lentils as the base, and the prawns from Penghu are prepared in three forms: raw, fresh, and sweet.





▲Chef Errico Recanati’s cooking philosophy can be summed up in two words: “LIFE” and “FREEDOM.”

Italian potato dumplings are one of Errico’s signature dishes and also a traditional Italian family recipe. However, Errico uses purple potatoes instead of regular ones. The aroma after cooking pairs unexpectedly well with lamb. The purple potatoes are steamed, mashed, and then mixed with flour, eggs, salt, and pepper to form a dough, which is used to make the outer skin of the dumplings. As for the filling, the lamb shank is roasted for two hours, then cooked with celery, carrots, onions, garlic, rosemary, and peeled tomatoes for about two hours. Part of the meat is processed into a minced meat mixture in a machine, while the remaining lamb is diced and mixed with crumbled goat cheese and nutmeg before being combined with the meat mixture to form the filling. Finally, the cooked filling is wrapped in the purple potato dough, sealed, and boiled in saltwater to become the dish Purple Potato Handmade Dumplings Stuffed with Lamb Shank.


▲The lamb inside the Purple Potato Handmade Dumplings Stuffed with Lamb Shank has no strong mutton smell.


▲65° Imperial Egg with Marche Potato Purée and Freshly Shaved Umbrian Black Truffle


▲Pan-Seared Scallops and Duck Liver with Chef’s Special Sea Urchin Sauce


▲Italian Lentil and Prawn Cream Soup


▲Char-Grilled Australian Wagyu with Chef’s Family Tomato Olive Sauce

%The full course menu brought by the chef from Italy is shown in the picture.


▲Lentils

▲Olive oil brought from Italy

November 21 & 22 Lunch Set Menu (includes wine):
●65° Imperial Egg with Marche Potato Purée and Freshly Shaved Umbrian Black Truffle
●Italian Lentil and Prawn Cream Soup
●Purple Potato Handmade Dumplings Stuffed with Lamb Shank
●Char-Grilled Australian Wagyu with Chef’s Family Tomato Olive Sauce
●Errico Recanati’s Classic Crimson Ice Cream

November 20, 21 & 22 Dinner Set Menu (includes wine):
●65° Imperial Egg with Marche Potato Purée and Freshly Shaved Umbrian Black Truffle
●Italian Lentil and Prawn Cream Soup
●Pan-Seared Scallops and Duck Liver with Chef’s Special Sea Urchin Sauce
●Purple Potato Handmade Dumplings Stuffed with Lamb Shank
●Char-Grilled Australian Wagyu with Chef’s Family Tomato Olive Sauce
●Errico Recanati’s Classic Crimson Ice Cream

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