Saracino goes to London

From September 2014 to January 2015: five great chefs for five months dedicated to made in Italy’s gastronomic excellence in the historic luxury department store in London. Stelle di Stelle is born from the fruitful collaboration between Harrods and Identità Golose, which began last year: on that occasion, everything was concentrated on one day, with The lunch of a lifetime. This year, instead, the period has stretched in which the chefs alternate themselves at the helm of The Winery, located on the Lower Grand Floor, next to the very well supplied international wine shop. And after Carlo Cracco and Enrico and Roberto Cerea, during the month of November our Stella will be Gennaro Esposito.

The chef from Campania has always been working in his home town, Vico Equense, where his restaurant, La Torre del Saracino, two Michelin stars, is located and where, since many years ago, Esposito has been organising the famous Festa a Vico, one of the most beloved events by Italian and international gourmets. The passion he feels for his land is also very present in the raw materials he selected for his arrival in London.

«We wanted to present a menu that would be faithful to our style, - Gennaro Esposito explains when presenting the five dishes that will be prepared for the guests of Stelle di Stelle – even though many people, when they go abroad, try to second some tastes that are potentially simpler. On the contrary, we wanted to present some recipes that we truly felt our own. In order to do so, we looked for really authentic products and suppliers. Starting from fish, since our menu will be almost exclusively fish based, as in the nature and the spirit of our restaurant.»

This is the complete list of the dishes that Esposito will bring to London:

Polenta with Grana Padano fondue, quail eggs, broccoli and white truffle
Soup with Nocellara olives and almonds, fennel purée and “Eighties” silver scabbard fish
Mixed pasta soup with small rockfish and crustaceans
Bread crusted mullet, Nubia garlic sauce and pesto with raisins and pine nuts
A walk in Vico – Extra virgin olive oil, lemons and walnuts

We thus start with an entree that «unites the flavours of Northern Italy such as Grana Padano, truffle and polenta, with a purely Mediterranean ingredient such as broccoli». And how about the "Eighties” silver scabbard fish? «When I began to work in this field – the chef says – it was customary to cover the fish in breadcrumbs, parsley, oil, often demeaning the pureness of such a precious and delicate raw material. We wanted to recover the crispiness of that recipe, putting it in contrast with the softness of the silver scabbard fish and uniting it with the intense flavour of the soup with Nocellara olives.»

The dessert is also very unique and bring three essential elements in the gastronomy and the panorama of Vico Equense to Brompton Road: «This is a real tribute to "my place". The place where I was born and where I work. Walking around Vico, walnut, olive and lemon trees are among the plants that you’re most likely to meet. These three ingredients, united with a touch of salt flakes, create a unique dessert, which plays with a delicate salty note, with the acidity of lemons, the aroma of extra virgin olive oil, which we intentionally chose with a very intense fruity note.»

After Gennaro Esposito, in December, Italo Bassi is awaited at Harrods. He’s the chef at Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Féolde’s historic Enoteca Pinchiorri, three Michelin stars, in Florence. The event will end in January with Enrico Crippa, chef at restaurant Piazza Duomo in Alba, three Michelin stars and number 39 in the San Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants 2014 list.

Stelle di Stelle has the patronage of ExpoMilano 2015, Fipe and Ebnt. The event is created in collaboration with Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano, Acqua Panna e S. Pellegrino, Lavazza, Birra Moretti, Ferrari, Molino Quaglia. The price for the menu is 65 pounds for lunch (85 pounds including drinks) and 115 for dinner (140 pounds including drinks). For reservations, send an email to stelle.di.stelle@harrods.com.