The kitchen of the Castello del Sole mainly cooks food that is cultivated in its own gardens. This is hardly surprising. After all the grounds are extensive: in addition to the 11 hectares of park surrounding the luxury hotel in Ascona,it also includes the Terreni alla Maggia estate with 150 hectares of land, where wines, vegetables, fruits, herbs and different maize varieties for polenta are grown. And, uniquely to Switzerland, risotto rice. “You won’t find the plants standing in flooded fields in Ascona, like you do in Asia or the Po Valley in Italy”, says the chef. “Loto”, as the rice variety is called, is grown dry and is similar to local grain.

Susana Caneja stirs a large saucepan. The bouillon, or the brodo, as it is called in Ticino, has been simmering on a low flame for hours. She tries some and nods with satisfaction: “Patience is a virtue when cooking. The better the brodo, the better the paella later”, says the 25-year-old from Portugal, adding with a smile: “There is another tip, but it comes right at the end.” She should know. As Chef de Partie Poissonier, Susana Caneja is responsible for the Spanish evening where the Ticinese paella is served once a week during summer months.

The giant pan the young cook uses to prepare the dish in front of guests the following evening measures an impressive 80 cm in diameter. For once, she is not standing at the stove in the gourmet kitchen, but in the garden at the Castello del Sole. “The very special thing about our recipe? We use our own risotto rice. In addition, we use rabbit from the Blenio valley and guinea fowl from the Magadino plain. The beautiful yellow colour comes from the saffron which grows in our herb garden.” She suddenly stops moving mid-sentence. The ladle scrapes over a light crust that has formed on the bottom of the pan. Some guests look puzzled. But Susana Caneja smiles: “Don’t worry, this is completely normal. Only then does the Ticinese paella develop its unique taste. Buon appetito!” Anina Rether