{"id":6655,"date":"2019-03-28T09:00:33","date_gmt":"2019-03-28T15:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/villasentieri.com\/?p=6655"},"modified":"2023-04-27T15:16:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T22:16:22","slug":"calabria-dispatch-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/28\/calabria-dispatch-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Calabria Dispatch #16: An Execution at the Italian Culinary Institute"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 28, 2019<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

With Pastry Week behind us, after making our pasta sfoglia on Friday afternoon (see the prior post<\/a>), we got together for a pizza party.\u00a0 This was a no-pressure pizza party\u2026 no competition, no judging\u2026 we just made and ate pizza and had wine and beer.\u00a0 Well, there might have been a little bit of bourbon beforehand but if there was, I\u2019m not telling, or I don\u2019t remember, or something…<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pizza toppings prepped and ready to go.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

About pizza parties:\u00a0 Chef John feels there are certain foods that are so fundamental to Italian regional cuisine that we absolutely need to nail them perfectly by the time we finish this course.\u00a0 This includes things like pizza, focaccia, handmade pasta, and ciabatta, just to name a few.\u00a0 Pizza parties are fun but they\u2019re also a way to keep practicing pizza-making to solidify our skills.\u00a0 It\u2019s a way to be in class without being in class.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Chef Jordan (right) a graduate of the program, and Ryan, one of our Kitchen Assistants, in the Pizzeria.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Although Pastry Week wasn\u2019t a particularly stressful week, we all seemed to let loose a bit more than we had at our previous pizza parties.\u00a0 Maybe it was the anticipation of the stress that we knew would accompany the upcoming execution, menu execution, that is!<\/p>\n

\"\"
A bit of fun during the pizza party.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The next day, Saturday, was nominally a free day.\u00a0 It was also beautiful.\u00a0 The chefs packed picnic lunches for us and we had an al fresco lunch on the beach.\u00a0 There was one little bit of business before lunches were distributed, however.\u00a0 We needed to divide ourselves into two groups for our next menu execution, for which preparation started the next day.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Making candied orange peels for my Bourbon Gelato “Old Fashioned” Crostata a la Mode was another of my projects during this week.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Each group also had to randomly pick 10 slips of paper out of a box (well, this is a cooking school so it was really a plastic food container, not a box).\u00a0 Each of the 20 slips of paper in the \u201cbox\u201d contained the name of one of the 20 regions of Italy.\u00a0 We had to come up with a menu that reflected each of our 10 selected regions.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Al fresco lunch on the beach during our day off.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My group was assigned dinner so we didn\u2019t have a meeting to discuss our menu ideas with the chefs until noon the next day.\u00a0 The other group, assigned to prepare a luncheon, had a 9 AM muster.\u00a0 We took the afternoon off completely and planned to convene early the next morning to come up with menu ideas.\u00a0 A few of us did research in the evening to identify the most characteristic raw ingredients and classic dishes of each of our regions.\u00a0 This was a valuable head start the next day.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Each group randomly selected 10 regions to represent at their meal. I was in Team B.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Coming up with a complex menu is stressful.\u00a0 Coming up with a complex menu that meets Chef John\u2019s criterion that it would be worthy of a \u20ac250 price tag is even more stressful.\u00a0 Chef John likes complicated menus.\u00a0 He also likes complicated dishes.\u00a0 Sometimes a complicated dish becomes even more complicated during the days of preparation as Chef John gets a new idea that he \u201csuggests\u201d we consider.\u00a0 There\u2019s a certain gleam in his eye when an idea excites him and, suggestion or not, you know you\u2019ve got to try it when he gets that look.\u00a0 (Remember the pasta sfoglia from the end of pastry week?\u00a0 It became one such complication.)<\/p>\n

\"\"
Pasta sfoglia after the last fold but before rolling.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It took us all day, and I mean all day, to come up with a menu that met approval.\u00a0 We also had to pair four wines with our meal.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t actually work on the pairing till the day before service but I\u2019ve noted the wines along with the dishes with which they were paired.\u00a0 Here\u2019s where were our menu ended up:<\/p>\n

Antipasto Tris<\/strong><\/p>\n

Caponata with Marinated Anchovy Crudo<\/p>\n

Baby Octopus Salad Perfumed with Citrus in a Puff Pastry Shell<\/p>\n

Small Arancini Filled with Cuttlefish and Peas on Spicy Tomato Sauce<\/p>\n

Pane Carasau (Sardinian Crispy Flatbread)<\/p>\n

Prosecco<\/em><\/p>\n

Table Bread<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cibatta<\/em><\/p>\n

Primo Piatto #1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Risotto with Peas and Pea Cream Garnished with Mint Oil, Fried Peas, Parmigiano Chips and a Fried Mint Leaf<\/p>\n

Primo Piatto #2<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fregole allo Scoglio<\/p>\n

(Sardinian Toasted Pasta with Seafood: allo Scoglio = from the Reef)<\/p>\n

Falanghina<\/em><\/p>\n

Primo Piatto #3<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cannolo alla Norma (see below, way too complicated for a parenthetical note)<\/p>\n

Secondo Tris<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rabbit Involtini with Prosciutto San Daniele and Sage, Porcini Mushroom Trifulata<\/p>\n

Rabbit alla Ligure<\/p>\n

(Braised Rabbit with Olives, Artichokes and Pine Nuts)<\/p>\n

Pan-Seared Rabbit Loin with Balsamic Onion Sauce<\/p>\n

Potato Puree<\/p>\n

Spring Vegetables<\/p>\n

Focaccia with Parmigiano Reggiano and Black Pepper<\/p>\n

Aglianico<\/em><\/p>\n

Dolce Tris<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bab\u00e0, Rum Syrup, Pistachio and White Chocolate Sauce, Candied Pistachio<\/p>\n

Bab\u00e0, Hazelnut Liqueur Syrup, Hazelnut and Milk Chocolate Sauce, Candied Hazelnut<\/p>\n

Bab\u00e0, Amaretto Syrup, Almond and Dark Chocolate Sauce, Candied Almond<\/p>\n

Gelato<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vin Santo Gelato<\/p>\n

Cantucco<\/p>\n

Vin Santo<\/em><\/p>\n

With our menu finally settled just before dinner on Sunday we put together a spreadsheet of all the ingredients we needed as our shopper would depart at 8 AM the next day.\u00a0 We all went to bed early.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mariana made this amazing Polvorosa de Cerdo (savory stuffed pastry) accompanied by a salad of valerian for the first course of the Venezuelan dinner.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But before that, Chef Juan and Mariana (also a culinary school graduate) treated us to a wonderful traditional Venezuelan dinner on Sunday.\u00a0 The hard work was to begin on Monday and this was a very welcome treat.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Chef Juan made this beautiful Pan de Jam\u00f3n (bread filled with ham) for the Venezuelan dinner.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We were allotted kitchen time starting at 2 PM on Monday.\u00a0 We met early in the day to plan out all the tasks, day-by-day, working towards serving our meal at 6 PM on Wednesday.\u00a0 We then made the initial assignment of tasks for the first day.<\/p>\n

\"\"
The luncheon menu for Team A.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As the focaccia recipe was mine, I was asked to make it.\u00a0 Of all the remaining dishes I wanted to make the bab\u00e0 and the risotto:\u00a0 the bab\u00e0 because I\u2019d never made bab\u00e0 before and Masetro Caridi had just taught us how, the risotto because I love making risotto.\u00a0 Because I was making the focaccia and the bab\u00e0, it was logical that I should make everything that needed to be prepared in the Pastry Kitchen.\u00a0 That still left the risotto as an option for me to prepare on the night of service as all the component parts would be prepared by the other members of our group.<\/p>\n

\"\"
I can’t get enough of this view from the Pastry Lab. Working in there is a real treat.<\/span><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I spent three calm afternoons (well, other than one melt-down by a kitchen assistant on the last day) in the Pastry Kitchen (called the Pastry Lab, here).\u00a0 I made:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Biga (a preferment for ciabatta)<\/li>\n
  2. Cibatta<\/li>\n
  3. Focaccia<\/li>\n
  4. Pane Carasau<\/li>\n
  5. Cannoli Shells<\/li>\n
  6. Cantucci<\/li>\n
  7. Bab\u00e0<\/li>\n
  8. Three different liquor syrups for the Bab\u00e0<\/li>\n
  9. Chocolate-free sauces for each of the Bab\u00e0 for a guest who did not eat chocolate (one of the other students made the chocolate-based sauces)\n

    \"\"
    Our menu card.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Cannolo alla Norma is really a Frankenstein.\u00a0 We took two classic Sicilian dishes, one sweet (Cannoli) and one savory (Pasta alla Norma) and combined them.\u00a0 I made savory cannoli shells.\u00a0 The filling was eggplant with three types of ricotta (fresca, salata, and infornata).\u00a0 The whole thing rested on a puddle of tomato sauce.\u00a0 This was one of the ideas that captivated Chef John after we had proposed a much more traditional pasta (Gleam\u2026Suggestion\u2026Execution).<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Our Antipasto Tris. Note the puff pastry shell for the baby octopus salad.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    As for the pasta sfoglia (puff pastry), we thought our antipasto was a done deal after Sunday\u2019s meeting but somewhere around Tuesday Chef John thought it was too plain.\u00a0 He suggested (Gleam…) that we make puff pastry shells to hold the baby octopus salad.\u00a0 As we were nearing execution time, one of the other students was in the pastry lab rolling out, cutting, and baking the best of the puff pastry we had made on the last day of Pastry Week to make shells for the octopus salad!<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Risotto with Peas and Pea Cream.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The group asked if I would cover front of the house for the dinner.\u00a0 Everyone agreed that I could still make the risotto and they would cover my position but it just seemed too complicated and stressful, as well as disruptive for the guests, so I opted to just work front of the house.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Fregola allo Scoglio.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    I had to introduce each dish, describe where it came from (if traditional) or how we created it using ingredients characteristic of one or more of our regions, describe each of the wines and explain why they paired well with the dishes.\u00a0 I also added a bit of patter here and there to keep the evening light with anecdotes about the possible origin of the name \u201cvin santo\u201d and a story about Pasquale Caputo, aka Pat Cooper, the Italian-American comedian.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Cannolo alla Norma.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    When the meal was over, the chefs marched into the kitchen to give us a bit of feedback (the positive feedback\u2026the more critical feedback would wait till after break).\u00a0 As they were leaving, I asked Chef John if we could open a bottle of wine in the kitchen (a violation of school rules).\u00a0 He said we could do ANYTHING we wanted.\u00a0 The emphasis was his.\u00a0 I know the criticism, when it comes, will likely be sharp, as it should be (you can\u2019t justify a \u20ac250 dinner without perfection), but I also know that his response was an indication we had done a good job.\u00a0 It was a positive end to a taxing week.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Our Secondo of Rabbit Three Ways with Potato Puree and Vegetables.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Unlike our first menu execution where classes ended on the day we cooked and served our meals, we had one day of class left.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Baba three ways.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    It was a pretty low-key day though.\u00a0 We left at 8:45 in the morning on Thursday, March 21st for a \u201cCultural Excursion\u201d to Azienda Statti<\/a>. \u00a0The Statti Company (azienda = company) is located on an estate that has been in the hands of the Baronial Statti Family since the late 1700s.\u00a0 The company is currently managed by two brothers, Alberto and Antonio Statti.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Vin Santo Gelato, a Cantucco, and a glass of Vin Santo.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The estate originally produced olive oil.\u00a0 Since the 1960s it has been producing wine but only in the last few decades have they endeavored to market wine under their own name.\u00a0 The estate also has citrus groves, a range of other crops, 800 cows, and forage for the cows.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    The Statti Cellar.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Organic waste from crushing grapes for wine, pressing olives for oil, and from cows is used to produce methane.\u00a0 Much of the methane is used to generate electricity.\u00a0 The olive pits are not used for methane but are dried and coarsely ground to produce fuel for pellet stoves used to heat the buildings.\u00a0 The estate is energy self-sufficient, and even sells electricity back to the local utility.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    A view of some of the buildings at Azendia Statti.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    After a tour of the grounds and winery we had a tasting of eight wines, four white and four red.\u00a0 The group consensus was that the wines were quite good.\u00a0 Remember, we had a whole week of wine tasting with a sommelier as well as the occasional guided tasting at other times so we\u2019ve tasted a fair amount of wine.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Two of the 800 Statti cows.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Other than Cir\u00f2 in northeast Calabria, Calabrian wines aren\u2019t well known outside of Calabria.\u00a0 Statti is trying to break into a crowded market.\u00a0 One of their strategies is to price their wines aggressively low to try to gain market share.\u00a0 Good wines at great prices equals a winning strategy for consumers.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Olive trees at Azendia Statti.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Following the wine tasting we were served an array of locally produced cheeses and salumi with bread and olive oil, from Statti, of course.\u00a0 Their olive oil is really good, too!<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    We tasted eight wines, four white and four red, guided by a Master Sommelier at Statti.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    We got back to school minutes before lunch was served at 2 PM.\u00a0 After lunch we were free.\u00a0 A five-day break was looming and the atmosphere was relaxed.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Wine being aged in the Statti cellar.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    The next day I planned on boarding a plane to Pisa to spend a few days with Zia Fidalma and cousin Massimo in Benabbio.<\/p>\n

    \"\"
    Working out our wine pairings with Chef Mark McDonald who is also a sommelier.<\/strong><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    March 28, 2019 With Pastry Week behind us, after making our pasta sfoglia on Friday afternoon (see the prior post), we got together for a pizza party.\u00a0 This was a no-pressure pizza party\u2026 no competition, no judging\u2026 we just made and ate pizza and had wine and beer.\u00a0 Well, there might have been a little … Continue reading Calabria Dispatch #16: An Execution at the Italian Culinary Institute<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6667,"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-6655","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\/6655","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=6655"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6655\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8059,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6655\/revisions\/8059"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6655"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6655"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/villasentieri.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6655"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}