Asia and Italy, a delicious embrace

“Asia and Italy”. The second chapter in the commitment by Identità Golose e Eataly to spread the extraordinary Italian biodiversity across the world gave life to another super signature dinner which had the involvement, in the audience, of some of the biggest institutional representatives in Italy and at the 2015 World Fair of the largest continent in the world, on top of hosts Oscar Farinetti, Paolo Marchi and Claudio Ceroni; in the kitchen, three chefs of the highest quality: Haruo Ichikawa of Iyo in Milan (with the young sous chef Michele Biassoni ever so promising), Enrico Panero from Da Vinci at Eataly Firenze and Barbara Scabin of Blupum in Ivrea, her brother Davide half time at the table of honour, half in the kitchen lending a hand.

The initial formalities and Farinetti in great shape, perfectly fitting the part of the optimist and effective dreamer: «You know what? Italy has a huge potential, we want to become the most important country in Europe, in ten years’ time. Made in Italy must grow as much as Eataly: we’re already in many countries, we will also open in Seoul on 20th August, in Moscow in September, Munich in November, the second food store in New York in January, and then London, Paris and Madrid, and even China and India. Marvellous prospects to explain the beauty [and deliciousness] of our peninsula».

Speaking of deliciousness, the word of course had to go to Marchi, who’s feeling more and more at ease in his role of warrantor of quality, represented by the new Italian fine dining. And so the show can begin... that is the dinner, after Nicolò Rubelli’s speech, one of the many interpreters of our excellence with his Rubelli group, a historic Venetian brand of fabrics for interiors and furniture, founded in 1958, now also in the design world.

The first dishes were served. Ichikawa-Biassoni’s was spectacular: Il Gambero, that is to say a red prawn from Mazara offered in all its parts, the fried head, the powdered carapace, the meat filling the rolls with a brunoise of pak choi stalks, the leaves of the same Chinese cabbage used to wrap the delicious roll. Then some more prawn meat with oil, sesame and salt, a yuzu and nanami mayonnaise (a mix of seven spices: togarashi red chilli pepper, mandarin zest, sesame, poppy and hemp seeds, chopped nori seaweeds, Sichuan pepper) and finally the heart of the same pak choi with enokitake mushrooms. Delicious.

Panero presented his personal interpretation of Cantonese rice: China Made in Italy was made with Carnaroli rice with fresh peas, acid meat jus, scrambled eggs, pork loin slices raw blond Tuscan prawn (fa-bu-lous) and shallot: a complex dish, confirming the talent of the chef from Piedmont: some thought it was incoherent, others were hoping for an encore.

It was then the turn of Scabin: few words and a difficult task, interpreting Indian cuisine – after the previous Japan and China – from a fine dining point of view. The task was left to a very craveable dish, Lamb wrapped in “birjani” alla caprese (birjani is a Persian and Indian dish made with rice, spices, meat or vegetables). Her version included a timbale of tarragon risotto with stewed lamb, mozzarella cream, San Marzano tomato chutney, iceberg salad and raita sauce (another Indian specialty: yogurt, cucumber, spices).

Finally, a dessert signed by Luca Montersino: Sushi Tiramisù with strawberries, ginger sauce and fake eggs made with apricots (some brilliantly renamed it Tiramisushi): beautiful and delicious.