Andreina's world and friendly embers

One day Davide Scabin was asked what the world of raw food was for him, whether sea or land. And the answer was illuminating: 'Everything that comes before my job as a cook'. True, cooks and chefs cannot do without heat sources, which go far beyond the flames and embers that have accompanied us since man tamed fire. But now they are the protagonists. I am thinking of the zero edition of Identità di fuoco in September, on the 24th and 25th, at Casa Maria Luigia in Modena, with Massimo Bottura and Lara Gilmore as hosts, Jessica Rosval gran ceremonial in the kitchen, a space powered only by a pizza oven and a grill, zero gas and zero induction that is.

Among the protagonists Aitor Arregui of Elkano in the Basque Country, Niklas Ekstedt from Stockholm, Errico Recanati of Andreina in Loreto (Ancona), with their very personal ways of interpreting a cuisine that brings ancient virtues and problems into the present. And today it’s nice to travel along two distinct paths: those who exalt the raw material as it is, just fire and meat, and those who decline an entire menu in smokey key, with surprising nuances. And in this following in the footsteps of Basque Victor Arguinzoniz, for everyone Mr. Etxebarri, but also Dani Garcia's Smoked Room, which offers Fire omakase routes in Madrid and Dubai.

And a short time earlier, on the 10^th of September, Recanati opened his garden for the 10th edition of Il Gafe del fuoco, an event where Gafe is not a Spanish word, but an acronym for Grande Aperitivo di fine Estate (Great End-of-Summer Aperitif), more than fifty protagonists for a truly special evening that I look forward to relive and I would also like to learn more about a guide entirely dedicated to the steak universe: the World's 101 best steak restaurants. The site bewitches, captures you. In mid-November in Milan, four special dinners at Griglia di Varrone hosted Europe's number one restaurant, the Belgian Carcasse with its chef, Timon Michiels, and reference butcher, Hendrik Dierendonck, more than half a century of true quality between father and son.

And when it was time to leave behind the Christmas holidays, a high-quality stop at Andreina's where Recanati called a tasting menu Fumo, 130 euros, with wines for 45 (three glasses) or 60 (four) and a second menu Fiamme, 150 euros. Fireplace, grill and embers in full view, with a chef's table right in front, where the entrance used to be, now moved to the side. The photo at the top of the page helps you understand how differently their approach is to the classic barbecue, with so much attention to nuances instead of just cooking for the sake of doing so.

Ample space under the hood where all sorts of vegetables are hanging such as cauliflower and cabbage as well as a guinea fowl or strips of lard that are caressed by puffs of heat. Only close to serving, they are removed and placed on the grill which also hosts Errico's signature dish: Cacio e 7 pepi with Benedetto Cavalieri spaghettoni, served seventh.

The start is with Oysters and red apple from the Sibillini mountains; Barbecued urchin and burnt lemon; Carrot, grapefruit and charcoal; Canocchia, wild boar and coral, with the first cooked and the second raw; Raspberry salad, on the menu for twenty years, a hymn to the vegetable world; Partridge ravioli, its broth, caviar and white truffle; Cacio e 7 pepi; Piglet, aromatic salad and ciccioli; Radicchio, extract and nuts; Caramel passion; Grilled 72 soufflé, banana ice cream where the number stands for the intensity of the dark chocolate.

A perfect lunch to start the New Year, first with Champagne Brut Intense Mag 19 Ar Lenoble, followed by Mimmo 2019 from the Le Piane winery in Boca (Novara), a blend of Nebbiolo, Vespolina and Croatina, both offered by new sommelier Ilary Pagano, who directs  the dining room together with Valentina Iacoponi, while Marco Rama is the sous chef.

For further information +39.347.9572088, info@ristoranteandreina.it.

 

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso