The circle of food

The last of the 5 shifts (over 3 days) of the Roma Food&Wine Festival closed yesterday at lunchtime with the last three aces played: Aurora Mazzucchelli of restaurant Marconi in Sasso Marconi (Bologna), Ugo Alciati of Guido in Serralunga d’Alba (Cuneo) and Alessandro Negrini of Aimo e Nadia (Milan).

The lunch had a fun prologue. During the presentation orchestrated by mister food (Paolo Marchi) and mister wine (Helmut Koecher), Negrini recalled an episode from the old days: «Aimo and Nadia were very, very, very [indeed, he repeated it 3 times] close friends of Guido and Lidia Alciati, Ugo’s parents. One day the latter paid a visit to the restaurant in Milan. Those were the years when Aimo had the kitchen garden behind the Trattoria. That night it was pouring so much with rain that he was a little short of breath. Guido, who should have been there as a client, at some point got up from the table and said to his colleague: ‘I’ll help you’. They did all the service together». The friendship between two of the most important dynasties in Italian cuisine in the past 50 years is still demonstrated by the mandolin knife they use in Milan to cut scales of truffle in the kitchen: «It is made in Costigliole», Negrini lightens up, «a gift from Guido to Aimo».

So here are the last three dishes. Mazzucchelli concentrated a round expression of her territory in the Emilian Apennines: Grana Padano tortelli with lavender aroma, almonds and nutmeg. «It represents a summing up», she explained, «of the house of cheese through all its seasons: lavender is the fresh maturation, the milk of spring. The nutmeg and the juices from the stock with the spices represent the stravecchio, very mature; while the almond, the crispy part of the recipe, sums up the aromas of the medium maturation». Besides, most of all, «My mother Maria is a sfoglina and my father Mario is as chef. I grew up with my hands in fresh egg pasta». This dish expresses great flavour and roundness.

The same goes for the now archetypical Baked square pepper stuffed with tuna, anchovies and capers from Salina by Ugo Alciati, «A dish», the chef explains, «that was born from Piedmontese tradition and from the tradition of my family, founded on 53 years of working in the restaurant. The pepper is an example of how even the most classic recipes can undergo some change in their aesthetics, their content, pairings, cooking procedure. Tradition is a history that evolves». In order to present a digestible dish («A fundamental goal, one we always keep in mind») all the ingredients are cooked in a different way and «the pepper is first dry cooked and then steamed». Of course «the choice of raw materials to be used comes first».

The same mantra applies in the case of Negrini, in Rome to cream his Risotto Carnaroli Gran Riserva with turnip and Mothia salt, caraway and Piedmontese white truffle cream for everyone. «It’s a vegetarian risotto», Fabio Pisani’s accomplice explains, «that travels between Apulia, Piedmont and the mountains». The real peculiarity is the unknown caraway: «Its scientific taxonomy is carum carvi, the cumin from the fields: Eugenio Pol brings it to us from Valsesia. It is our way of saying that, in order to meet the enchanting world of spices, it is not necessary to go East: in Italy we have magnificent spices». For the finale, one could use this as a manifesto for this second edition of the Roma Food&Wine Festival: «When visiting the restaurant, the great musician Leonard Bernstein once told Aimo: ‘Food is a circle that encloses great raw materials and balanced flavours». Perfect.

See also
Roma Food and Wine Festival, day 2
Roma Food and Wine Festival, day 1