A rendez-vous with Bras

The context: the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, which is dressed up these days to celebrate the ten-year-anniversary of its foundation with a series of important and festive events. The protagonist: Michel Bras, a giant in the world cuisine scene, the man who made herbs, flowers and vegetables from Aubrac, a plateau that had previously been forgotten, famous, as well as the efforts made by dozens producers who every day bend their backs just like him, the father of the Young vegetable gargouillou and of the Biscuit de chocolat coulant, the cake with a heart of melted chocolate (that was first introduced in the menu in 1981 A.D.), two dishes that have influenced the work of hundreds of colleagues, inside and outside the French borders. He’s «a chef», motivated Nicola Perullo in the official laudatio, «who doesn’t work on raw materials, but with raw materials, testing their capacity and articulations». Someone who, using the words of one of his most famous pupils, namely Renè Redzepi, «when I know he’s coming to Noma I’m hit by an ulcer in my stomach».

Last Tuesday people came from all across Italy to pay their tribute to his honoris causa degree: with host Carlo Petrini there were ministers and council members, listening to a lectio magistralis that would deserve to be entirely translated and from which we have the space to only recall the 7 actions that everyday guide his job: «learning, listening, loving, remembering, cooking, doubting, sharing».

There were mostly the Italian chefs who in some way have made his lesson their own, transferring it, each one in their own way, this side of the Alps: Ugo Alciati, Alessandro Boglione, Cristina Bowerman, Carlo Cracco, Enrico Crippa, Vittorio Fusari, Davide Oldani, Massimo Spigaroli, Galdino Zara. Cesare Battisti of Ratanà in Milan was the one summoned to cook in honour of Bras and throughout the important week celebrating the ten-year-anniversary at Pollenzo. He arrived just after Massimo Bottura’s turn, and before that of Giampiero Vivalda.

Always fascinated by the interpretation of the «vegetable worlds and the fresh cuisine» of the master from Laguiole, Battisti cooked for Bras’ lunch a Smoked arctic char from the Adamello mountain with lemons preserved in salt and basil oil, within a menu that also included Fresh egg ravioli with celery filled with Seirass with sour butter and borage flowers prepared by the students at Pollenzo and the very Chocolate biscuit signed by Peppino Tinari of Villa Maiella in Guardiagrele (Abruzzo). «The finest moment?», a still emotional Battisti recalls, was «when Bras came to the kitchen. I know he’s a friend of Eugenio Pol [a Milanese baker who moved to Val Sesia] and is crazy about leavened products. This is why I brought him a bread made with ancient Sicilian and Apulian grains and a mountain micca roll made with mother yeast and spring water. He lit up».

Then Battisti went back to cook in the kitchen of the Tavole Accademiche, silent as usual, beside his trusted pastry-chef Luca De Santi. There’s time until tomorrow to taste the great dishes by Battisti in the best canteen in the world (the students in Pollenzo, every day since 5 years ago, have been finding low cost dishes signed by the best chefs on the planet). Dishes such as the Crudaiola made with yellow tomatoes from Salento, buffalo milk stracciatella and basil toasted bread or the Poached egg with kitchen garden salad and anchovy crumble. With only a few euros one can have lunch in a paradise so beautiful that Bras was almost tempted to stay another while.