Emiglia-Romano

With a little help from my friends

Not the song by The Beatles, from the film, Yellow Submarine, but the title of the latest tasting menu at Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy. The restaurant reopened in its Via Stella location in central Modena on 1 June, following the most recent lock-down restrictions with a menu which pays tribute, across 12 plates of food and 18 individual creations, to 16 Italian chefs.

The dishes are each inspired by the originals devised between 1963 and 2020, and have been reimagined, in homage to the original creator and presented in the most elegant and delicate way possible. In some cases chef Massimo Bottura plays with the mind as well as the eyes and the palate perhaps initially to confuse and then certainly excite the diner, but always in a way that makes sense, at least by the end of the particular course. One dish, Zuppa fredda di Carbonara, in homage to Gianfranco Vissani, translates as Cold Carbonara Soup. It is described as Crema Inglese (custard) with pepper, guanciale (cured pork cheek) banana, pecorino cheese ice cream and caviar! This was in fact the first of the deserts but perhaps is best described as a cross-over course! The sharp eyed among readers will notice the key ingredients for Carbonara sauce are mentioned (guanciale, pepper, pecorino and egg in the form of the custard) and clearly that classic Roman dish is the inspiration for this course. The salty tang of the fried guanciale, nestled under the custard and the cheese ice cream really set this dish alight with flavour. A-ma-zing!

I last mentioned Osteria Francescana in 2016. After my previous visit in 2014, I’d had a great desire to go again. Seven years of patience eventually paid off and I was very pleased to celebrate my birthday there just a few days ago with two friends, for one of whom it was his first experience of a Michelin 3* eatery.

My admiration for the chef is unbounded, not only for his undoubted skill in the kitchen, his limitless imagination and his kind personal welcome to every guest, but also because of his significant efforts in developing future talent in the hospitality industry, his interventions to help save the Parmsan Cheese production following an earthquake in 2012, his establishment of a ‘refectory’ during Milan Expo 2015, to feed the most vulnerable people of the city with the food from the various pavilions of the Expo and then the not-for-profit organisation he created with his wife, Food for the Soul, which grew out of that intitial enterprise.

This is a man who has a social conscience and one who, when you meet him, exudes a simplicity both in his love for food and hospitality. He has an open way of communicating and a gentle manner in treating his staff in what must be a very demanding working environment. Many of us are familiar with a style of running kitchens, espoused by the likes of that uncouth gorilla of a man, Gordon Ramsey. The foul language and aggressive way of treating staff, and sometimes customers, makes good TV but with Chef Bottura it’s completely different and consequently his accolades are higher and he remains first and foremost a cook. I wandered down a small road to the side of the restaurant shortly after Massimo had worked the dining room and spoken to each table. A small door into the kitchen was open and I was able to witness the man himself returning to the brigade full of smiles and friendly greetings. If massaging Wagyu cattle produces the finest beef in the world then being nice to the staff when you’re the boss produces quality too.

Osteria Francescana was ranked as number one in the world in 2016 and then again in 2018. It was the first Italian Restaurant to achieve this. It was second in the world in 2015 and third in 2013 and 2014. No one stays at the top of the league forever of course and now Mirazur has taken that first place but it’s clear that Bottura has stayed at the top of his game. His expansion with Franceschetta58, also in Modena and his kitchens in Istanbul, Dubai, Florence and Beverly Hills, often in conjunction with Gucci, make me worry that one day he will overstretch and that Osteria Francescana will consequently cease to be the unique experience it still is today.

June 9, 2021 0

The Red City – or is it pink?

Bologna is the heart of the foodie and agricultural region of Emilia-Romagna. It is known by many different names, la dotta ( the learned one) refers to its reputation as a place of knowledge, being home to the oldest university in the west, la rossa, refers to the red stone and brick of the buildings as well as reflecting the left-leaning politics of the city, since the second world war. La rosa (the pink one, similar to the red), also indicates the colour of the buildings and, shall we say, the city’s liberal social attitudes.

Another sobriquet that is of particular interest to us on this blog, is that of la grassa (the fat one). Bologna has an immense and well-deserved reputation for good products and great cooking.

Eating local salami, mortadella and tagliatelle al ragu (never, ever “spagbol”!) in an unpretentious local trattoria is a great way to spend an afternoon.

A number of years ago I discovered a restaurant that offers a slightly more polished version of local delicacies. I’ve been back four times now and each time it has got better, in terms of the level of sophistication of the cooking and its presentation but most especially in relation to the intensity and combination of flavours in the food.

Camera con Vista (Room With a View) is the place and while the website isn’t the best, it is very out of date, I think, if you go, you’ll experience some great food. The decor is whacky, the staff friendly and helpful and English is spoken well.

On my last visit, yesterday, I started with Uovo pochè, patate al tartufo, salsa Perigueux (poached egg with truffle potato and Perigueux sauce). The combination of soft poached egg, silky smooth potato and heady black truffles could only have been improved if the potato had been put through a foam gun to make it even lighter.

Next up was Ravioli d’anatra mantecata topinambur, foie gras (ravioli with creamy duck, Jerusalem artichoke and foie gras). This was a rich, buttery and intensely flavoured dish which I’d wolfed down long before I thought to take a pic!

For my secondo, I choose Maiale in due cotture, insalata di pomodori, glassa di arance amare (pork cooked two different ways, tomato salad and a glaze of bitter orange). Despite being full of flavour and well cooked this was the weak point of the meal for me, for a number of reasons, perhaps the most significant being, I’d already eaten too much and my appetite was beginning to suffer. One of the servings of pork was the cheek which was unctuously soft and tender, the other a piece of fillet which by comparison was slightly dry. I would’ve been perfectly happy just to have the cheek, sometimes less is more. The bitter orange glaze was a welcome addition to the dish and it was tasty but I can’t say I could detect any orange flavour. The addition of the coastal vegetable, barba di frate, gave a little bitterness and salty sea flavour to the dish which certainly added a layer of complexity.

I highly recommend Camera con Vista if you’re in the area!

May 20, 2019 0

The weather here in Lombardy has been wet of late but as a break in the rain yesterday coincided with a completely free day for me, a friend and I drove to Reggio Emiglia, the county-town, as it were, of the Province of Emilia-Romagna. It’s a pretty city of some 170,000 inhabitants and sits firmly in the agricultural zone where such delights as Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and Lambrusco wine come from. A lot of the architecture is baroque, with attractive squares and arcaded streets. On the road in from the autostrada there are three very modern road bridges by the renowned architect, Santiago Calatrava.The railway station, by the same architect is equally striking.

This blog though is about food, not buildings, so let’s get back to the main subject. I wrote here about the importance of expectations when it comes to defining my kind of food. It’s not acceptable to lead me to expect one thing and then deliver another.

We found a nice looking place to eat lunch yesterday, called Cadauno. It had the appearance of a wine shop with bottles adorning the walls and stacks of wine cases everywhere. The menu was posted in the window and I was particularly attracted by a couple of interesting dishes. Chianina (a type of beef) Hamburger with foie gras sounded appealing as did the Kobe beef sausage spiedini (skewers) in a spicy sauce. They also had Loch Fyne salmon tartar on the list. I was looking forward to engaging the waiter in conversation about where they source their Kobe beef in the hope of being able to lay my hands on some myself.

The welcome was somewhat muted but leaving that aside we found a table and ordered some water while we waited to choose food and wine. The menu arrived on a blackboard and I searched it in vain for the dishes which had so attracted me only a couple of minutes before. On enquiry of the glum waitress we were told that the menu in the window is for evening service and lunch should be chosen from the blackboard. The allure of Kobe beef, even if only in the form of a sausage had seized me and I was very disappointed that it now seemed very unlikely that I would get to try it. The things on the blackboard were fine and if that’s all I’d seen I would’ve been happy enough but my expectations of eating either Kobe or foie gras were raised.

We explained the problem. The waitress, without hesitation, brought us the full menu so once again my gastric juices flowed in anticipation. We ordered starters and mains, including the two previously mentioned dishes, they were written on the pad, the menus were gathered up and the waitress plunged into the depths of the kitchen only to return a few minutes later to tell us we couldn’t have the main courses.

We had tried and failed to order the food they’d advertised on their window menu; now was the time to admit defeat. We left with our expectations unfulfilled and somewhat let down but still with the sneaking suspicion that we might’ve missed a notice on the menu in the window saying it was only available in the evenings (there was no such notice). The staff apologised and suggested we might like to come back in the evening…

Our second and successful attempt to find food led us to Cantina del Carbone nearby. Here the menu was a mix of Italian and mexican food – this seemed unusual and I guess it may be something to do with the personal preferences of the chef, or perhaps his or her nationality.

In any case there were plenty of interesting sounding things to choose from and the staff were welcoming enough. We ordered pasta dishes to start. For me it was spaghetti del carbone which included anchovies, mushrooms, tomatoes and parmesan. The anchovies were the salted type and there were lots of them resulting in a really robust taste – too much for some I should think but I loved it its deep and salty flavour.

My friend had casarecci ( a new pasta shape to me) in a creamy saffron sauce with rocket and torn bits of speck ham sprinkled on top.

My companion, for his second course, choose Sandwich Cubano, which had originally interested me too. The menu told us it would be a sandwich consisting of mojo pork (mojo being a spicy sauce from Cuba and other Spanish cultures), swiss cheese, smoked ham and tomatoes all served with ranch potatoes.

The bread was quite well grilled (burned?) on the outside which ought to have indicated that it was nice and crunchy but apparently it was soft and ‘wet’ both inside and out. He thought the pork a bit dry and certainly the potatoes were cold. This dish was not the picture of loveliness of the other things we ate. It’s a shame because I think it had the makings of something quite delicious but it simply didn’t deliver.

My second course was much nicer and was described as Gamberi al sale picante affumicato. Big fat juicy prawns in a smokey, salty and spicy coating – they were messy to eat but absolutely delicious. They were served with a little salad of fennel and melted cheese, which I’m going to try cooking myself but I’ll served it warm not cold.

I will go back to Reggio Emiglia one day and try to find other interesting places to eat. Many bars seem to offer nibbles of parmesan cheese and the wonderful local hams and salamis so I think it’ll be a great place for an aperitivo too.

My Kind of Food

Sharing stories about the kind of food I like to eat

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With a little help from my friends

The Red City – or is it pink?

Great Expectations