07-09-2015
Group photo of the guys who prepared the brunch at agritourism El Brite de Larieto in Cortina d'Ampezzo (Belluno), the epilogue of the second edition of Identità Cortina, on Sunday 6th September 2015. The group includes chefs Oliver Piras, Massimo Alverà, Davide Scabin, host Riccardo Gaspari. On the far right, Paolo Marchi, creator of the event
Waiting for dinner, Paolo Marchi, Ludovica Rubbini (El Brite de Larieto, Cortina), Cristian Deflorian (Felicetti), Davide Scabin (Combal.zero in Rivoli, Torino)and Riccardo Felicetti
Last touches at the restaurant at La Corte del Lampone inside the Rosapetra Resort in Cortina, chef Alessandro Favrin
STARS. Norbert Niederkofler and Davide Scabin, co-authors of the dinner at Rosapetra
Close-up, Alfio Ghezzi of Locanda Margon in Trento; behind him, Riccardo Gaspari of Brite de Larieto in Cortina, two more giants in the kitchen team of Identità Cortina 2
LET’S START. The multiple welcome given by host chef Alessandro Favrin: The quail goes up to Ampezzo, Beef steak tartare with fruits of the forest and cream with stravecchio ampezzano cheese, Knoedles with ricotta on parmesan mousse. Not in the photo, Gooose fat liver chupa chups with hazelnuts
Cheese sandwich by Gaspari, playing on cheese textures
Tagliatella Transalp Express. That is to say, if tagliatelle Monograno Felicetti went to the mountains, the first course by Davide Scabin: below, porcini and chanterelle mushrooms ganache, tagliatelle seasoned with raw butter with anchovies, chopped toasted hazelnuts with crispy polenta and Graukäse, fresh pine gem. On top, smoked ratta potato, beside, a leaf of sea lettuce. Next to it, not in the photo, a sauce jug with bean soup cooked with weeds, to add to taste. A first course based on 4-5 different acidities
Arctic char, soused onion and sour sauce with trout roe by Alfio Ghezzi follows Gualtiero Marchesii's rule: trying to put a product in its natural environment as much as possible
Venison filet with potato ribbla, wild berries and mushrooms by Norbert Niederkofler, chef at restaurant St. Hubertus inside hotel Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano (Bolzano)
The Homage to Dolomites by Alessandro Favrin
The great wines paired throughout the dinner: the excellences produced by Santa Margherita and Cantine Ferrari
The water and bubbles for the dinner
The dining room and kitchen staff for the Identità Cortina 2 dinner at Rosapetra Resort
Davide Scabin starts to prepare the polenta for the Sunday brunch at agritourism El Brite de Larieto, at Passo Tre Croci in Cortina
Riccardo Felicetti and Riccardo Gaspari
CHECKING THE WORK. Felicetti, Gaspari and Favrin in the kitchen of Brite
Oliver Piras (left) and Alessandra Del Favero of restaurant Aga in San Vito di Cadore (Belluno)
WHAT COLOURS. Soused carrot with carrot on a fake (and edible) bark by Oliver Piras
Beetroot meatball with herbs by Piras
Host Riccardo Gaspari gets ready to rotate the spaghetti in the pan
Nido del bosco, that is to say Spaghetti with a little garlic and oil with mountain pine by Riccardo Gaspari
Tortello filled with goat meat by Alessandro Favrin
Scabin completes the polenta
The extended name: Polenta C&C L.A.L. (which stands for Cortina & Capri Luxury Air Line): among the seasonings, mushrooms and puzzone cheese, mushroom ganache, powdered olives, powdered pesto, confit tomatoes, chopped hazelnuts mixed with polenta wafer, polenta with squid ink
Massimo Alverà of Pasticceria Alverà in Cortina d'Ampezzo presented Nuvola: brioche with mother yeast and buckwheat flour with elderberry syrup and a mousse of ricotta and millefiori honey
Paolo Marchi and Riccardo Felicetti
Scabin receives from Paolo Marchi a cake from pastry shop Alverà: on 9th September 2015 the chef from Rivoli turns 50
It's time for a snack for goats and cows too
Everyone enjoying the sunset in Ampezzo
The analysis of the second edition of Identità Cortina – a dinner prepared by multiple chefs on Saturday 5th September at Rosapetra Resort and a signature brunch until sunset on Sunday 6th at Brite de Larieto – should be twofold.
The first, leading and urgent analysis is of the culinary content. For the second year in a row, the chefs participating in the festival put aside every stereotype according to which mountain chefs are unluckier than seaside or urban chefs. «They are forced to make do with less raw materials and less flavours», we often hear with fake sympathetic tones, «to work in more difficult geo-environmental conditions». Oh poor them. But try ask Norbert Niederkofler from Alto Adige if his work is really like drawing blood from beetroots. Try ask him, as he, well aware of the extraordinary treasure offered by the Dolomites, decided to eliminate even foie gras and Adriatic seafood from his menu (ingredients which, in fact, once guaranteed he got a second Michelin star).
The valley of Ampezzo (with Croda da Lago in the middle), the location of the brunch at Brite
Try ask Piedmontese Davide Scabin how poor mountain cooking is, given he gave a phenomenal mark to two dishes that are as typical of the mountains as it gets: Tagliatelle with mushrooms served at dinnertime (seasoned with raw butter and anchovies, porcini and chanterelle mushrooms ganache, powdered toasted hazelnuts, crispy polenta and Graukäse, fresh mountain pine gems, smoked ratta potato, sea lettuce leaf) and Polenta mixed in a huge copper pot at Brite (with mushrooms and Puzzone di Moena, powdered olives and pesto, confit tomatoes, chopped hazelnuts mixed with polenta wafers with squid ink) that had people shrieking with pleasure.
The authors of the dinner on Saturday 5th September at Rosapetra Resort. Left to right, Norbert Niederkofler (St.Hubertus of hotel Rosa Alpina in San Cassiano, Bolzano), Riccardo Gaspari (El Brite de Larieto, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Belluno), Alessandro Favrin (La Corte del Lampone, the restaurant inside Rosapetra), Paolo Marchi and Davide Scabin (Combal.zero, Rivoli, Torino)
Ask them about the inspiration that the sublime surrounding Alpine (or Apennine) landscapes offer to creativity and dishes. This said, we arrive at the second analysis of Identità Cortina: after weeks of crowds at Expo and a few days spent on beaches that were more crowded than tuna nets, sleeping in anechoic chambers was a dream come true. Or having the the silence of the Dolomites’ pastures interrupted by the bells of the cattle browsing close by. It is for this reason too, that when clicking on the photo gallery above, many smiles will appear.
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by
born in Milan, 1973, freelance journalist, coordinator of Identità Golose World restaurant guidebook since 2007, he is a contributor for several magazines and teaches History of gastronomy and Culinary global trends into universities and institutes. twitter @gabrielezanatt instagram @gabrielezanatt