Charming italian Chef: Agriobio Conti rice chosen for a culinary journey
Summer is Chic & Friends
Tuesday, August 2nd, at Piccolo Lago of Verbania, summer party by Charming Italian Chef. Nine starring chefs, for a real gastronomic journey stopping in the different islands of taste.
A big garden, a small lake (Mergozzo lake), Five Chic Chefs. A poker of friends. And here we go: Tuesday, August 2nd, at Piccolo Lago of Verbania, run by Marco Scacco. An open air event to celebrate summer, friendship and the rich Italian food and wine heritage.
It is also an appointment designed to remember the values of sharing, socialization, health, simplicity and sustainability. Founding principles of an association such as Chic-Charming Italian Chef, born in 2009, founded by Raffaele Geminiani and now nourished by over a hundred members. At home and abroad. A cohesive, strong and determined group. Making diversity of professional skills a virtue. Including chefs, pizza makers, bakers, pastry chefs and ice cream makers. For a dynamic dialogue and a constructive comparison.
And the stars of the soirée Chic are different. Led by the vice president, the host Marco Scacco, ready to prepare, like all colleagues, a double proposal: one for an apéritif and one for a standing dinner. So if the prologue includes cold-cooked trumpet zucchini and Volzhenka caviar, the epilogue leaves the scene to the roast chicken by the lake.
Meanwhile, Rie Otsuka – who with her husband Francesco Andreotta is at the helm of the Orterie di Stazzona restaurant (fraction of Villa Tirano) – contaminates the East with the West, favoring the green side of the kitchen: fried tofu with mascarpone fondue and vegetables.
Venetian creamed cod and tomato water vegetable cous cous with cuttlefish ink and soy caviar for Renato Rizzardi – patron, together with Sergio Olivetti, of the Locanda di Piero, in Montecchio Precalcino, in the Vicenza area. Renato is also involved in the making of a first course: the Mancini macaroni with knife-cut duck gravy, peas, Asiago fondue mezzano and burnt onion powder. For two proposals with a rural and marine soul.
And then there’s Tommaso Cannata, visionary and enlightened bakery man. Partner of Semenza – cumpagnia siciliana sementi contadine, owner of the Boutique del Pane in Messina and ready to open (the first day of August) his new Milanese “home”, Corso Indipendenza 5. Tommaso and his 100% Sicilian arancino, since rice is the semi-wholemeal carnaroli of the Agribioconti of Nello Conti, entrepreneur of Lentini, in the Syracuse area: breading and batter are based on ancient island grains; the ragù is made with Sicilian meats and siccagno tomato; stringy cheeses are tuma and ragusano, and peas are local. While the pidone-messinese – sort of rustic crescent-shaped panzerotto-calzone – provides a filling made from escarole, tomato, tuma and anchovies.
And the pastry chef Beppe Allegretta? He comes down from the top floor of the Unico Milano restaurant to present his spiced tiramisu. Then prepare the dessert: “Summer is a state of mind”. Translation: Insipiration Fraise and Passion by Valrhona, mango, coconut, balsamic vinegar and dark sweet spices.
And there’s more, because four special friends joined the Chic. Friends such as Danilo Bortolin of the La Beola restaurant, inside the Grand Hotel Majestic in Verbania, who cooks the creamed pike, accompanied by soft potatoes and crispy with Mediterranean flavors, and the goat milk quenelle with mustard syrup and beer.
Meanwhile, Franco Marasco goes into the woods and takes a dip in the water to create raw porcini mushrooms with quail egg and sea urchin granita. While thinking about how to marry the Mediterranean and the Prealps, he serves a crispy rye with Val Formazza butter, Cetara anchovies, Triglia liver and red mullet. Who is he? He is the chef of an intimate and precious lounge such as Il Clandestino di Stresa.
Another friend is Matteo Sormani, deus ex machina of the Walser Schtuba gourmand inn in Riale, also in the Verbano area.
On the menu: “my leavened … pork neck, red cabbage and horseradish!”; and the crispy veal head, alpine mixed salad and currant. Just to not overlook the most pop cuts of meat.
Not least Ernesto Tonetto of the Hotel San Rocco in Orta San Giulio, in the Novarese area. As the saying goes, change of lake but not of philosophy, aimed at excellence. To carry his signature? The shrimp and sweetbread crépinette with stewed cabbage and the Riso Buono with borage, porcini mushroom carpaccio and black garlic cream.
In combination, the wines of the Bruno Agostinetto di Valdobbiadene farm, in the Prosecco hills; as well as those of Tenuta Carretta, in Piobesi d’Alba, in the Roero. Although, the vineyards extend to the Langhe.
It is also an appointment designed to remember the values of sharing, socialization, health, simplicity and sustainability. Founding principles of an association such as Chic-Charming Italian Chef, born in 2009, founded by Raffaele Geminiani and now nourished by over a hundred members. At home and abroad. A cohesive, strong and determined group. Making diversity of professional skills a virtue. Including chefs, pizza makers, bakers, pastry chefs and ice cream makers. For a dynamic dialogue and a constructive comparison.
And the stars of the soirée Chic are different. Led by the vice president, the host Marco Scacco, ready to prepare, like all colleagues, a double proposal: one for an apéritif and one for a standing dinner. So if the prologue includes cold-cooked trumpet zucchini and Volzhenka caviar, the epilogue leaves the scene to the roast chicken by the lake.
Meanwhile, Rie Otsuka – who with her husband Francesco Andreotta is at the helm of the Orterie di Stazzona restaurant (fraction of Villa Tirano) – contaminates the East with the West, favoring the green side of the kitchen: fried tofu with mascarpone fondue and vegetables.
Venetian creamed cod and tomato water vegetable cous cous with cuttlefish ink and soy caviar for Renato Rizzardi – patron, together with Sergio Olivetti, of the Locanda di Piero, in Montecchio Precalcino, in the Vicenza area. Renato is also involved in the making of a first course: the Mancini macaroni with knife-cut duck gravy, peas, Asiago fondue mezzano and burnt onion powder. For two proposals with a rural and marine soul.
And then there’s Tommaso Cannata, visionary and enlightened bakery man. Partner of Semenza – cumpagnia siciliana sementi contadine, owner of the Boutique del Pane in Messina and ready to open (the first day of August) his new Milanese “home”, Corso Indipendenza 5. Tommaso and his 100% Sicilian arancino, since rice is the semi-wholemeal carnaroli of the Agribioconti of Nello Conti, entrepreneur of Lentini, in the Syracuse area: breading and batter are based on ancient island grains; the ragù is made with Sicilian meats and siccagno tomato; stringy cheeses are tuma and ragusano, and peas are local. While the pidone-messinese – sort of rustic crescent-shaped panzerotto-calzone – provides a filling made from escarole, tomato, tuma and anchovies.
And the pastry chef Beppe Allegretta? He comes down from the top floor of the Unico Milano restaurant to present his spiced tiramisu. Then prepare the dessert: “Summer is a state of mind”. Translation: Insipiration Fraise and Passion by Valrhona, mango, coconut, balsamic vinegar and dark sweet spices.
And there’s more, because four special friends joined the Chic. Friends such as Danilo Bortolin of the La Beola restaurant, inside the Grand Hotel Majestic in Verbania, who cooks the creamed pike, accompanied by soft potatoes and crispy with Mediterranean flavors, and the goat milk quenelle with mustard syrup and beer.
Meanwhile, Franco Marasco goes into the woods and takes a dip in the water to create raw porcini mushrooms with quail egg and sea urchin granita. While thinking about how to marry the Mediterranean and the Prealps, he serves a crispy rye with Val Formazza butter, Cetara anchovies, Triglia liver and red mullet. Who is he? He is the chef of an intimate and precious lounge such as Il Clandestino di Stresa.
Another friend is Matteo Sormani, deus ex machina of the Walser Schtuba gourmand inn in Riale, also in the Verbano area.
On the menu: “my leavened … pork neck, red cabbage and horseradish!”; and the crispy veal head, alpine mixed salad and currant. Just to not overlook the most pop cuts of meat.
Not least Ernesto Tonetto of the Hotel San Rocco in Orta San Giulio, in the Novarese area. As the saying goes, change of lake but not of philosophy, aimed at excellence. To carry his signature? The shrimp and sweetbread crépinette with stewed cabbage and the Riso Buono with borage, porcini mushroom carpaccio and black garlic cream.
In combination, the wines of the Bruno Agostinetto di Valdobbiadene farm, in the Prosecco hills; as well as those of Tenuta Carretta, in Piobesi d’Alba, in the Roero. Although, the vineyards extend to the Langhe.
