{"id":6461,"date":"2019-02-27T15:09:55","date_gmt":"2019-02-27T22:09:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?p=6461"},"modified":"2023-04-26T17:31:55","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T00:31:55","slug":"calabria-dispatch-12","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/27\/calabria-dispatch-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Calabria Dispatch #12: How Far Over The Top Can We Go?"},"content":{"rendered":"

February 27, 2019<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

I feel like I\u2019m living in a Fellini movie.\u00a0 Consumption of food and alcohol has reached amazing proportions.\u00a0 Take Monday for example.<\/p>\n

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Broccoli Rabe and Burrata with Lemon-Anchovy Dressing<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Monday, February 25, 2019 was day five of our sommelier training.\u00a0 Sommelier days started in the kitchen with food preparation and consumption and ended with about three to four hours of wine tasting (followed by dinner\u2026and more wine!).<\/p>\n

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Cooked and pressed octopus ready to be thinly cut into carpaccio<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The previous night, Sunday, we went out for pizza, drinks and karaoke so Monday started at the unusually late hour of 10:00 AM (except for those of us who had signed up for baking duty).<\/p>\n

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Tortino di Semolino with Fried Egg, Steamed Spinach, Tomato Sauce, and Feta Cheese<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the kitchen at 10 AM Chef John immediately prepared a plate of Tortino di Semolino (similar to semolina gnocchi but cut into larger pieces) accompanied by a fried egg, steamed spinach, tomato sauce and feta cheese.\u00a0 Next we had a bowl of tripe stewed in tomato sauce, topped with battered and fried onion rings and seared foie gras and accompanied by crostata.\u00a0 Following that was Bavette (similar to linguine) with a sauce of baby octopus and tomato sauce and plated with octopus carpaccio.<\/p>\n

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Tripe with Onion Rings and Foie Gras<\/span><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At this point it was now noon.\u00a0 Only two hours had passed and we had consumed a day\u2019s worth of food.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Bavette Pasta with Baby Octopus Ragu and Octopus Carpaccio<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Shortly after noon we were served maltagliati pasta with braised oxtail, fava beans, rosemary oil and Parmesan cheese.\u00a0 This was followed by a \u201cmilkshake\u201d made of housemade fior di latte gelato, heavy cream and bourbon vanilla paste!\u00a0 Now it was shortly after 12:30.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Tuna Croquette with a Sauce based on Shrimp Demi<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were turned over to Chef Juan for a lecture on food costing during the height of our postprandial somnolence.\u00a0 At 2:15 we went into our fifth day of wine tasting with Chef Mark.<\/p>\n

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Quail Stuffed with Truffles and Cream, fried in Extra-Virgin Olive Oil and Lardo di Colonnata and served with Potato-Celery Root Puree, Beets, Pomegranate Syrup and Pomegranates<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We tasted only four wines, a very short list compared to the other days, as Chef Mark was making a five-course wine-pairing dinner for us that evening.\u00a0 The afternoon wines were paired with a dish of boned quail stuffed with truffle-and-cream laced bread stuffing, seared in a mixture of olive oil and lardo di colonnata, served with a potato and celery root puree, matchstick beets, seared cauliflower, pomegranate syrup and pomegranate.\u00a0 The idea was to evaluate how each of the wines paired with this very complex dish. \u00a0(Generally not well, is the answer.)<\/p>\n

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Soft-Shell Crab Sandwich on Butter Bread with Cheese and Tomato Sauce<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Blessedly, we had a few hours off so that Chef Mark could cook.\u00a0 Around 4:30 I headed to my suite.\u00a0 At 5:00, I decided to take a quick nap, thinking I really wouldn\u2019t sleep.\u00a0 When my alarm went off at 7:00 I couldn\u2019t figure out why the alarm was sounding before the sun had risen.\u00a0 It took me a few moments to realize it was evening and I had to be at dinner at 7:30.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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The beginning of Sommelier Week. More bottles were added as the week went on.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Dinner was a five-course meal that was NOT Italian but that was designed to explore wine pairings.\u00a0 The first course was an Indonesian-inspired shrimp curry in coconut milk.\u00a0 Next was a vegetarian plate of broccoli and cauliflower, each prepared three ways including pureed, pickled, and cooked.\u00a0 Next was Mexican-inspired albondigas soup in a very flavorful broth made from house-cured pancetta and multiple types of dried chile.\u00a0 The main course was chicken thighs braised in beer.\u00a0 The braising liquid was used as the base for a peanut mole.\u00a0 The dish was served with a cornbread that was very much like a corn pudding.\u00a0 Dessert was a tris of gorgonzola:\u00a0 gorgonzola cheesecake sprinkled with chopped pistachios, shortbread with a gorgonzola cream sauce and a sweetened pistachio puree, and a ball of gorgonzola with orange blossom honey.\u00a0 Each dish was accompanied by a different wine, except for the chicken which was accompanied by the same beer I which it was cooked.<\/p>\n

Doesn\u2019t this sound like a Fellini movie???<\/p>\n

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Pasta alla Sarde but made with Anchovies<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is pretty much how the previous four days had gone, as well.\u00a0 The first day of this week-long session was Thursday the 21st.\u00a0 It was the first day after our five-day break.\u00a0 In the morning we went to the market in Catanzaro Lido.\u00a0 Frank was still with me.\u00a0 We were looking at the stall of a vendor selling ceramic and terra cotta wares.<\/p>\n

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Chef John demonstrates how to clean and butcher Spatola, a long fish that is similar to a Barracuda<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was quoted a price of \u20ac10 for a ceramic spoon rest.\u00a0 I thought it was expensive compared to other similar items that actually had price tags.\u00a0 I was about to leave when an Italian woman came up and began a very animated conversation with us.\u00a0 I told her, in my limited Italian, that I was a student at the culinary institute.\u00a0 The conversation continued for a while with me struggling to understand and respond.\u00a0 Then she pointed out a two-part terra cotta contraption meant to hold a candle to heat \u2018nduja in a small terra cotta bowl.\u00a0 The warm \u2018nduja was to be spread on bruschetta.\u00a0 I confirmed that I loved \u2018nduja.\u00a0 She told the vendor to give us a good price so I took the plunge and said I\u2019d take the spoon rest and \u2018nduja warmer, expecting to be quoted something like \u20ac25.\u00a0 Instead, the price for both was \u20ac13!<\/p>\n

When Frank and I wrapped up shopping, we sat at a nearby bar (a \u201cbar\u201d is a coffee bar in Italy) having espresso.\u00a0 Teresa, our new friend from the market, came by and said she was buying us another round of coffee.\u00a0 She did so and briefly sat with us.\u00a0 She is a commanding presence.\u00a0 Despite being very lively, she spoke Italian (to us) clearly and slowly so that I understood almost everything, learning about her children who are living in Russia, for example.<\/p>\n

\"\"
One view at Scolacium Archaeological Park<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Following the market, we went to Scolacium Archaeological Park.\u00a0 The area of the park was originally inhabited by the Greeks, followed by the Romans, followed by\u2026 you get it, the usual story of Italy!\u00a0 It was discovered when the owner was working on his olive grove.<\/p>\n

Back at school, lunch was a multi-course affair that included rabbit, which Frank loved.\u00a0 (Don\u2019t tell his mother!\u00a0 He\u2019s convinced her that he doesn\u2019t like rabbit which, of course, isn\u2019t true.\u00a0 He\u2019s also convinced her he doesn\u2019t like fish and soup which also isn\u2019t true.)<\/p>\n

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Octopus Carpaccio<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That afternoon was our first session with Chef Mark McDonald, who is also a sommelier.\u00a0 We were instructed in a method to analyze wine, and tasted five different wines.\u00a0 I\u2019m sad to say I didn\u2019t make any notes about dinner, nor did I take any pictures so it\u2019s lost.\u00a0 I know for sure that I didn\u2019t have any wine!<\/p>\n

The next morning, we started with hands-on in the kitchen.\u00a0 Afterwards,\u00a0 Chef John used many of the ingredients we had prepped to make dishes for us to eat.\u00a0 I took the lead on making spinach pici.\u00a0 Pici are thin, rolled pasta similar in length to spaghetti but a little thicker, and hand rolled.\u00a0 As I write this, the pici have not shown up on any plate served to us.\u00a0 Sometimes the Chefs eat the food, sometimes it has to be disposed of\u2014but rarely\u2014sometimes it appears weeks later!<\/p>\n

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Chef John whipping up a batch of Lollipop Frogs’ Legs in Browned Butter<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First to be prepared and served was Broccoli Rabe and (huge balls of) Burrata and dressed with extra-virgin olive oil (we go through gallons per week), lemon juice, anchovies and garlic all blitzed in a food processor.\u00a0 Following that we had a riff on a Sicilian dish, Pasta alla Sarde, but made with anchovies which Chef John prefers to sardines.\u00a0 We tasted house-cured Bottarga and then moved on to an exceedingly complex Zuppa di Pesce (fish soup).<\/p>\n

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A view near the end of Sommelier Week. The reality of what we consumed was much worse!<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To make the fish soup, Chef John first made a light Fish Stock from bones and heads with some veggies and tomato puree.\u00a0 He cooked mussels and added the cooking liquid to the broth which was ultimately frapped and strained before using.\u00a0 He baked whole langostino after coating the tails in seasoned breadcrumbs.\u00a0 He saut\u00e9ed shrimp in shrimp butter which was made by combining equal parts butter and fresh, whole shrimp and cooking and mashing till the shrimp started to crackle and brown after which the butter was strained and the shrimp discarded.\u00a0 He cooked branzino (sea bass) filets in butter.\u00a0 Then, and only then, was the soup assembled.\u00a0 Into the bowls went mussels, branzino, shrimp, and fish broth.\u00a0 On top went the langostino.\u00a0 A piece of focaccia was artistically inserted along the side.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Baccala Sausage with Polenta and Salsa Livornese<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The soup was followed by lolipopped frogs\u2019 legs (that we had previously prepped and which had been frozen for a couple of weeks) cooked in brown butter then doused with prosecco.\u00a0 After the frogs\u2019 legs he made Sarde in Saor, a Venetian dish of floured and deep-fried sardines layered with an onion mixture.\u00a0 The onion mixture is made by cooking lots of thinly sliced onion in lots and lots of olive oil.\u00a0 When soft, vinegar and sugar and raisins are added.\u00a0 Mercifully, this dish needed to marinate so it didn\u2019t get served until dinner.<\/p>\n

Chef also demonstrated how to make conserved tuna and his version of eggplant parmigiana.\u00a0 The parmigiana also appeared at dinner.\u00a0 The tuna is in jars waiting for another day!<\/p>\n

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Chef John demonstrates how to cook tuna for Tuna Conserve<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At this point, Chef Mark got us for an afternoon of wine tasting.\u00a0 We tasted seven wines before I took a pre-dinner nap!<\/p>\n

The next day, February 23rd, started with making two breads: Honey Bread and Butter Bread.\u00a0 Both would end up on plates over the next two days, most notably, the butter bread was used to make soft-shell crab sandwiches!<\/p>\n

Chef then made, and we ate, fish tartare with crispy fish skin.\u00a0 Following this was a beautiful octopus carpaccio (the extra of which would be served on the 25th along with pasta and a sauce of baby octopus).\u00a0 Chef then made two different olio cotura dishes, one salmon and one spatula.\u00a0 Spatula is a long fish with nasty sharp teeth that looks like a barracuda.\u00a0 Olio cotura basically involves poaching something in oil.\u00a0 We ate both of these later in the day served with a caper foam that Chef Juan whipped up.<\/p>\n

The day in the kitchen ended with Vitello Tonnato, traditionally thinly sliced cold poached veal served with a tuna fish mayonnaise and capers.\u00a0 Rather than poach the veal, Chef cooked it sous vide.\u00a0 The small amount of liquid from the sous vide was incorporated into the mayonnaise along with house-cured tuna.\u00a0 After the Vitello Tonnato we had Tomato Soup made from house-canned tomato puree followed by Milanese, thinly sliced veal or beef, breaded and fried in CLARIFIED BUTTER!\u00a0 We went to the dining room for lunch (yes, lunch) of pasta with a sauce of pureed house cured and smoked salmon and cream.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Vitello Tonnato<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chef Mark then started an afternoon of wine tasting.\u00a0 I think we had six wines based on my notes.<\/p>\n

On the 24th, Chef demonstrated the cooking of the oxtail that was served on the 25th with pasta and fava beans.\u00a0 He also started the baby octopus sauce for the next day.\u00a0 With those demos out of the way, he cooked something that was served to us:\u00a0 Chick Peas with Infused Olive Oil, the kind of simple peasant food that I love!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Chef Mark’s Shrimp Curry<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We then had Tuna Croquettes served with the Shrimp Demi followed by sausages made of Baccala (salted cod) [for which Chef Juan stood in the back of the kitchen for over an hour stuffing tiny, tiny casings using a funnel and his fingers] served with polenta and Salsa Livornese!\u00a0 We made two kinds of Arancini but after I deep-fried the first batch, the remainder were put away for another day (sometimes restraint shows through but not often!).<\/p>\n

\"\"
Chef Mark’s Broccoli and Cauliflower Contorno<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chef started the tripe that was served the next day as well as his take on Buffalo Wings, involving turkey wings, pepperoncino picante and 20 hours of sous vide before the cooking liquid got turned into a sauce using \u2018nduja and butter!\u00a0 These didn\u2019t make it to the table until the afternoon of the 26th when they were served with a beer tasting headed up by Chef Mark.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Chef Mark’s Albondigas Soup in Pancetta and Chile Broth with Avocado<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chef demonstrated the preparation of the quail that would end up on a tasting plate the next day (truffle stuffing, seared in olive oil and lardo di colonnata, etc\u2026).\u00a0 The day in the kitchen ended with battered and fried soft-shell crabs served on butter bread with tomato sauce and cheese!<\/p>\n

\"\"
Chef Mark’s Chicken Mole with Corn Pudding<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chef Mark\u2019s wine tasting involved five wines.\u00a0 We had a few hours to recover before going out for pizza, karaoke and alcohol.\u00a0 The school paid for the first round of drinks for everyone.\u00a0 A few of us then ordered another drink not knowing that Chef Mark would buy bottles of liquor for the table!\u00a0 I was among those with the smallest alcohol consumption that evening (three Jack Daniels\u2019, two Obans, two Rums, and about 3 or 4 Gins\u2014one of which involved a bottle being poured into my mouth [well, mostly onto my face] while on the dance floor).<\/p>\n

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Chef Mark’s Gorgonzola Tris for dessert<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You now understand why the next day started at 10 AM instead of 9 AM<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

February 27, 2019 I feel like I\u2019m living in a Fellini movie.\u00a0 Consumption of food and alcohol has reached amazing proportions.\u00a0 Take Monday for example. Monday, February 25, 2019 was day five of our sommelier training.\u00a0 Sommelier days started in the kitchen with food preparation and consumption and ended with about three to four hours … Continue reading Calabria Dispatch #12: How Far Over The Top Can We Go?<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":"","wpupg_custom_link":[],"wpupg_custom_link_behaviour":["default"],"wpupg_custom_link_nofollow":[],"wpupg_custom_image":[],"wpupg_custom_image_id":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[363],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-and-places"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6461"}],"version-history":[{"count":13,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7471,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6461\/revisions\/7471"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}