news 2002 n°2

SlowFoodMasterItalianCookingNews,no.2,yearI,October2002

SCHOOL OF ITALIAN REGIONAL COOKING

Jesi • Italy

summary

Dear friends, let’s go!Gianfranco Mancini 2

The Pergolesi HallNicola Silveri 3

Our team 4

The Venice Region: many cuisines from the mountains to the seaStefania Cavallini 6

Land of confines and mountain cookingPaolo Bellini 10

General programme 13

A region of lakes and streamsGilberto Venturini 21

Land of olive oilPier Giorgio Oliveti 22

From the alpine valleys to the Po plainsArmando Gambera 24

Our expert cooks 26

Our work-placement restaurants 28

To our Convivium Leaders 30

Verdicchio: a white wine of excellence 32

Cover: Il miracolo dei pani e dei pesci, Giovan Francesco Guerrieri(Fossombrone, 1589 - Pesaro, 1657)

1

Master Italian Cooking NewsMAGAZINE OF THE ISTITUTO SUPERIORE DI GASTRONOMIA

Editorial DirectorGianfranco Mancini

Editorial StaffPaolo Bellini, Angelo Concas, AlbertoFabbri, Luca Fabbri, Carlo Gazzarrini,Stefania Cavallini, Raffaele Grilli,Piergiorgio Oliveti, FrancescoPensovecchio, Federico Piemonte,Pasquale Porcelli, Vito Puglia, GilbertoVenturini.

Editorial Co-ordinationArduino Tassi

TranslationsJennifer PiersseneThanks to Martha Huber Scavone

Graphics and page layoutGEI Gruppo Editoriale InformazioneElisabetta Carletti

PrintingArti Grafiche Jesine - Jesi

Advertising and administrationAssociazione Ital. Cook.via F. Conti n. 5 – 60035 JESI (AN) ItalyTel./Fax ++39.0731.56400 Web: www.italcook.it E.mail: info@italcook.it

Recorded in the Tribunal of Ancona no. 433/02, 22.02.2002Editor-in-chief: Dino Mogianesi

ASSOCIAZIONE ITAL.COOK.Founded by Slow Food and the Town Council of Jesi

Board of DirectorsNicola Silveri (chairman) GiovanniMancia, Simona Romagnoli (directors).

Reviser BoardGiuliano Cerioni (chairman) SergioMoretti, Sabrina Rotatori (members).

When we decided on the workschedule and the didacticstructure of our school, wedecided to focus the teachingon the particular cuisine ofeach region of Italy, becausewe believe that the roots of ourfood culture are found in thetraditions of the territory.However we also thought thatthis would not be sufficient. Infact it is the duty of a schoolthat wants to support Italiancuisine in the world to offerproducts and ingredients ofquality and guarantee the bestthat the food industry produces in Italy. Those whofollow our course have thepossibility of learning about theproducts used, to continuecooking Italian dishes whenthey return to their country.This is why at the centre of theschool at Palazzo Balleani,other than the classrooms,there is an important room: the

Pergolesi Hall.Situated on the first floor of thefour hundred year old building,this large hall will be in realitya window on the Italian companies who present theirproducts, from pasta to wine,from salami to cheese, fromgrappa to coffee, etc.The companies, chosen bySlow Food, will exhibit theirbest products here, leavingthe students to taste freelythese products for the durationof the course, to be presenteddirectly at the weekends dedicated to learning about theproducts and their producers.The Pergolesi Hall, which wehave named after the greatmusician who was born andlived in Jesi in the 1700’s willalso be the location for theFriday evening dinners, whenat the conclusion of the week’swork the school will open itsdoors to the town and will

allow the dishes studied duringthe previous days, to betasted. The hall will thereforebecome the show room of ourschool for the public and willpermit us to create a link ofwelcome and friendshipbetween our students and thetown.

3

Five years have passedsince the day that we firstdecided to set up a cookeryschool to enable and inspirecooks who love Italian cuisine to share their knowledge and skills with therest of the world.Bit by bit the idea hasmatured, in discussion withthe Town council of Jesi, (atown in the Marche regionnoted for its production ofVerdicchio wine) and theSlow food organisation.Together we have worked onthe outlines of the teachingprogramme and how it mightbest be organised.We have worked with pleasure over these yearsbecause we have sensedgrowing support for our project and because of ourfirm conviction that Italiancuisine needs solid, practicalsupport and clear standardsworld-wide. The best way toachieve this must surely beto found a school dedicatedto Italian cuisine.There are two pitfalls that we

must avoid: first, we mustbeware of offering quick,superficial or unhelpfulanswers, as can happen soeasily when courses are hurried or crammed into ashort weekend. Secondly, wemust not present Italian cuisine too vaguely or in toogeneral a way, ignoring itsdistinctiveness and its rootsin the local cultures of northand south, the coast and thehinterland.For this reason we havedecided to create a real worthy school that offerslong, thorough and demanding courses. Thosewho attend will be authoritatively taught aboutthe basis of our culture,region by region and willlearn all that is necessary toappreciate truly genuineItalian cooking, and to present it to every

corner of the world. The Slow Food organisationthat has inspired the Schoolof Italian Regional Cooking atJesi looks forward to developing a programme of education that focuses onsense and taste, quality oflife and the protection of theenvironment and biodiversity.Inspired by this philosophy,professional cooks from allover Italy will come to ourschool to teach the traditionaldishes most characteristic oftheir own regions, preparedwith prime quality ingredients.The Master Italian Cookingcourse of Slow food is readyto take its first steps.We look forward to seeingyou in Jesi. Dear friends, let’s go!

The DirectorGianfranco Mancini

2

Dear friends,let’s go!

The Pergolesi Hall

The ChairmanNicola Silveri

5

In Jesi our chairman guides

the work of the board of

Directors and is

responsible for relations

between the school and

public institutions. The director

is responsible for the didactic

activities and contact with the

national direction of Slow

Food. The secretary follows

the administrative business

and makes contact with

foreign representatives.

In each region of Italy there is

a regional director who works

for our school; and this person

chooses the typical dishes to

be presented, speaks to the

trainer-chefs and directs the

students to the restaurants for

a period of work experience.

They are all people connected

to the Slow Food movement

who have worked for years

with it, who know each other

and who are friends. All of

them work hard, but with

pleasure, as is the philosophy

of Slow Food, to reach the

same objective: create a

School of great value to

support the eno-gastronomic

wealth and food culture of Italy

in the world.

4

Our team

Nicola Silveri - Chairman

Gianfranco Mancini - Director

Arduino Tassi - Secretary Armando GamberaPiemonte

Gilberto VenturiniLombardia

Paolo BelliniTrentino

Pier Giorgio OlivetiUmbria

Pasquale PorcelliPuglia

Angelo ConcasSardegna

Carlo GazzarriniToscana

Vito PugliaCampania

Federico PiemonteFriuli

Alberto FabbriEmilia Romagna

Francesco PensovecchioSicilia

Stefania CavalliniVeneto

Il Formai Pincion deve il suo nome al fatto che il casaro, divertendosi la sera precedente alla produzione del formaggio e alzandosi tardi al mattino, non aveva fatto intempo a scremare il latte della sera. Il prodotto che neusciva era così un formaggiograsso buonissimo emolto ricercato.

To the north, on the border of

Austria, we have the Dolomites,

distinguished mountains of

rare beauty. The Dolomite cui-

sine is simple in its ingredients

which skilfully mixed yeld deli-

cious dishes.

Local dishes of sound local tra-

dition include the polenta, that

derives from centuries ago and

is nothing more than ground

corn, cooked in salted water

until it reaches a desired

consistency, sometimes

dense, sometimes

less so according to

the recipe.

The polenta is some-

times used as a sim-

ple accompaniment to

other dishes, but it may

also be treated as a main

course served with lightly

fried onions and mixtures of

mushrooms, game sauce,

or strongly flavoured

cheeses, such as the skiz,

- a hot mixture that creates a

mouth-watering aroma!

As always in mountainous

zones, isolation and difficulty of

communication encourage the

use of local natural resources:

wild herbs such as colubrina, or

the gamaita, the dandelion or

the bubbolini. All these herbs

also serve to restore the body

after the monotonous food of

the winter, as spring brings its

supply of fresh vitamins .

In the local cuisine we see the

use of barley and beans,

cabbage and the red turnip and

pumpkin with which casunzieiis made, a type of ravioli. We

can also find potato gnocchiand polenta with mushrooms,

snails, game, cheeses and fish

from the small rivers that run

down to the valley.

Moving down to the plains we

find the hilly zone that widens

out from Lake Garda (the

biggest lake in Italy) to Venice.

6

V E N E T O

The Venice Region:

many cuisines from themountains to the sea

Among the Italian regions, that of the Veneta is

one of the most varied.

It is located in the north-east of the country and is

blessed with a varied landscape of mountains, hills,

plains, lakes, rivers, lagoons and a long stretch of

coast along the Adriatic sea.

Stefania Cavallini

PINCION DE SELVA

TONIOLO CASEARIA S.p.A.

Borso del Grappa - Treviso - Italia

+39.0423.910266 r.a.

info@toniolo.it

www.toniolo.it

On these hills vineyards stretch

for as far as the eye can see

and wine is produced in great

quantities, whites and reds of

the highest quality, known

throughout the world.

In the smaller towns may be

found the famous osterie (tav-

erns), places to meet friends

after work, in moments of rest

or on holiday where you can

chat, play cards or drink a glass

of wine that the locals call the

ombra.

Our diet follows the seasons of

the wild herbs with which we

prepare soups, risottos and

omelettes rich with various

flavours. Typically used are the

white asparagus of Bassano,

the bruscandoli, the very

famous baccalà alla vicentina(salt cod) Towards the cold

season the splendid radicchioof Treviso arrives, fresh and

crunchy or the variegated

radicchio of Castelfranco, dif-

ferent varieties, stupendous

vegetables.

From the hills we come down to

the plain, watered by various

rivers.

The economy is predominantly

agricultural so the cuisine

revolves around the farmyard

animals such as chicken,

turkey, rabbit and pig.

At Lake Garda the climate is

mild. Everyone here cultivates

vines, citrus fruits and olives

from which an excellent olive

oil of soft density is made. The

cuisine uses many of the lake

fish: the Lake Garda carp, the

trout, the coregone, the eel, the

agone and the tench.

Finally we descend towards the

coast and arrive at the sea:

here is Venice at the centre of a

lagoon and 200 kilometres of

coast where naturally we find

dishes with fish, crustaceans,

shrimps, the schie not to men-

tion the black ink squid, the

sarde in saòr, the bigoli in salsaand thel baccalà mantecato.

The people, their traditions and

the thousand-year history of

Venice have contributed to the

variety and richness of the cul-

ture of this splendid region: for

us it will be a pleasure to wel-

come all those who would like

to sample our culinary tradi-

tions and to learn more - with

the skilled help of our chefs!

8

V E N E T O

Jada

The land of Valdobbiadene Prosecco in its best fruit: wine, food, hospitality and cuisine.31040 S. Stefano di Valdobbiadene (Treviso) Italia - Tel. +39 0423 900213 Fax +39 0423 900042

www.gustosissimo.it e-mail: jada@jada.it

Situated in the north of Italy,

leaving the plain behind you

and heading off along the

Adige river valley, we see the

start of the Alpine valleys. Here

you pass from olives to vines,

the terracing cut into the moun-

tains, the apple trees, the ice

and alpine lakes and the

streams and rivers of the

purest of water. Woods and

forests, meadows and grazing

10

T R E N T I N O

Land of confinesand mountain cooking

Tospeak about Trentino and its gastronomic

culture it is necessary to look closely at the

geography of this region.

It is a land of borders, where the Latin world finishes

and German culture starts.

Paolo Bellini

13

land cover the highest parts of

the territory.

Travelling through this region

you will find wine-sellers, fruit

warehouses, distilleries and

cheese factories. Whether pro-

ducing from small farms or

large cooperatives, they all

work to protect the unique

wealth that nature has offered

to this territory.

The Trentino is a land of wines:

Nosiola, Marzemino and

Teroldego are local vines, but

you can also find the excellent

Muller Thurgau, Chardonnay

and Pinot Grigio. The vines are

cultivated with masterly cultiva-

tion systems up to 900metres

above sea level, with notable

climatic and territorial differ-

ences that make this land a

real wine-growing microcosm.

Here you can taste white wines

with a unique aromatic touch

and a well-structured red

(some really are quite extraor-

dinary!), but don’t forget the

high-class spumanti or the vinosanto of the lake valley. Finally,

let your taste buds sample a

very fine grappa.

Milk, cheeses, butter: this is an

area with thousands of small

producers to discover.

The type of cattle-breeding

here is typical of that of the

Alpine mountains, with various

varieties of cow, from the Brunato the Frisona italiana, the

Grigia alpina and the Pezzatarossa.

This activity pays careful atten-

tion to nature, to the rhythm of

the seasons, to the respect for

the life of the animals and to

the limits imposed by the

region. With the milk taken , we

produce the Grana trentino and

the Asiago, the Puzzone diMoena, Casolét, Vezzena and

the Spressa. Many of these

cheeses are products of raw

milk, and therefore maintain

the food properties of the

alpeggio with its precious flora,

medicinal herbs and the purest

water of the mountain.

Although there are common

features in the cuisine that link

the various parts of the

Trentino, the dishes vary from

valley to valley. Recipes found

include: the canederli, the

orzetto and the polenta (or

rather the polenta as a polentacarbonara with lucanica and

Puzzone di Moena or the white

polenta with radicchio or the

polenta pasticciata). There are

soups of various types, cheese

ravioli, savoury meats, fesa dimanzo (beef) or coscia di vitel-lone (veal) left for weeks insalamoia with pepper, garlic,

rosemary, laurel and sage,

then lightly fried and finely

beaten). There is also the

spezzatini di cervo or capriolo(deer) the sguazèt, the lake fish

and the dishes prepared using

apple which is perhaps the true

symbol of the Trentino

(risotto with apple, apple

strudel and apple fritters)

Other important ingredi-

ents include mushrooms

and chestnuts.

12

General programme

T R E N T I N O

Course Dates 2003

8 January - 14 March

25 March - 30 May

9 June - 13 August

7 October - 12 December

Course Dates 2004

7 January - 12 March

23 March - 28 May

8 June - 12 August

5 October - 10 December

1 The courses are designed for

professional cooks working out-

side Italy who wish to widen and

improve their knowledge of Italian

cuisine. In particular we are

addressing cooks who have com-

pleted their training and have

worked alongside established

chefs for some time. Our aim is to

provide a wide-ranging frame of

reference with plenty of in-depth

detail that will enable cooks to

interpret Italian cuisine to the high-

est standards throughout the

world. Those wishing to take this

Master's should thus be familiar

with basic culinary techniques.

2 The courses are held at the

Institute, which is located in

Palazzo Balleani in Jesi, a city of

40,000 inhabitants in the central

Italian region of the Marche. Each

course lasts for ten weeks, and

those taking part will all be able to

further their experience by work-

ing for a few months or even a

year with restaurants associated

with Slow Food throughout Italy.

They will thus come into direct

contact with restaurateurs special-

ized in meat or fish dishes, from

North to South, comprising a

whole range of particular regional

specialties.

3 Every week the cuisine of a par-

ticular Region of Italy will be the

object of a special focus, such that

by the end the cooks attending the

course will be familiar with Italian

cuisine in its foremost regional

expressions: from the traditional

rural dishes of Tuscany to the fish

preparations of the Adriatic; from

the cheeses of Piedmont to the

tortellini of the Emilia Romagna;

from the vegetable dishes of

Puglia to the sweetmeats of Sicily;

from the cuisine of the Alpine val-

leys to that of the Mediterranean

coast. Italy is a complex mosaic of

history and products, dishes and

traditions, scents and savors.

Every "festa" is indeed a feast,

which means a particular dish and

a celebration of life.

4 One day a week, preferably

Monday, will be devoted to partic-

ular subjects with tastings of wine,

olive oil, pasta, cheese and cured

meats selected from the country's

foremost producers. During their

free time, the participants will

have access to the Institute

Library, where they will be able to

find out more about subjects of

special interest to them.

5 Lessons will take place all day

on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,

Thursdays and Fridays. Following

a brief historical and geographical

introduction to the Region, its

environmental features and its

food and wine heritage, students

will move on to the preparation of

typical regional dishes. These will

be practical, one-to-one lessons

taught by regional specialists

using specific regional ingredients

that will change from week to

week. On Fridays the school will

open its doors to the general pub-

lic, presenting the most interesting

dishes of the week's endeavor for

their evaluation.

6 Saturdays and Sundays will be

devoted to individual study and

getting to know a wide range of

producers and their products.

Some producers will present their

products at the school, where tast-

ing sessions will also be arranged.

Others will welcome chefs to their

premises throughout the country

for weekend visits. Other

weekend activities will

include visiting Italy's fore-

most art cities (Rome,

Florence, Venice).

7 Each course will be attend-

ed by no more than twenty

participants, who will also

receive board and lodging in

apartments in the historic

center of the city, not far from

the School. The cost of the

course, including board,

lodging, laundry service etc.

is ten thousand US dollars,

plus one thousand dollars

enrollment fee.

8 At the end of the course all par-

ticipants will receive an official

Master's certificate under the

aegis of the Marche Region and

the Italian Ministry of Culture.

15

1 I corsi sono riservati a cuochi

professionisti che operano all’e-

stero e vogliono acquisire una

conoscenza approfondita della

cucina italiana. Ci rivolgiamo in

particolare a cuochi che abbiano

già terminato il loro curriculum

scolastico o che abbiano lavorato

per qualche tempo accanto ad

altri chef di cucina. Noi desideria-

mo dare una conoscenza ampia e

rigorosa, con metodo organico e

preciso a coloro che desiderano

fare cucina italiana nel mondo in

modo professionale. Pertanto chi

desidera partecipare al nostro

Master deve già conoscere le fon-

damentali tecniche di lavoro in

cucina.

2 I corsi si svolgono presso la

sede dell’Istituto, nel Palazzo

Balleani, a Jesi, cittadina di

40.000 abitanti, nelle Marche,

nell’Italia Centrale. I corsi hanno

una durata di dieci settimane.

Tutti coloro che frequenteranno il

Master avranno la possibilità di

continuare la loro esperienza per

alcuni mesi o un anno presso i

ristoranti della catena Slow Food

in tutt’Italia, da nord a sud, spe-

cializzandosi sia in carne che

pesce, nelle Regioni che ciascu-

no preferisce.

3 Ogni settimana viene pre-

sentata, studiata ed elabora-

ta la cucina di una Regione

d’Italia. Alla fine del corso

ogni professionista cono-

scerà la cucina italiana nelle

più elevate espressioni

regionali: dalla cucina tradi-

zionale e contadina della

Toscana al pesce

dell’Adriatico, dai formaggi

del Piemonte ai tortellini

dell’Emilia Romagna, dalle

verdure della Puglia ai dolci

della Sicilia, dalla cucina

delle valli alpine a quella

mediterranea. L’Italia è un mosai-

co infinito di storie e di prodotti, di

piatti e di tradizione, di profumi e

di sapori in ogni terra. Da noi per

ogni festa c’è un piatto e per ogni

piatto c’è una festa!

4 Un giorno a settimana, di prefe-

renza il lunedì, è dedicato a corsi

brevi, monotematici con degusta-

zione di vino, olio di oliva, pasta,

formaggi, salumi tipici e tradiziona-

li selezionati tra i migliori produtto-

ri di tutto il territorio nazionale.

Nel tempo libero ciascun profes-

sionista avrà la possibilità di

approfondire le proprie conoscen-

ze con studio individuale presso

la biblioteca dell’Istituto.

5 Le lezioni si terranno nei giorni

di martedì, mercoledì, giovedì e

venerdì, con orario pieno. Dopo

una breve presentazione storico-

geografico della Regione con le

sue tradizioni enogastronomiche

e con le sue particolarità ambien-

tali, si passerà allo studio concre-

to dei piatti tipici del territorio.

L’insegnamento non sarà teorico,

ma principalmente pratico ed indi-

viduale. I docenti e le materie

prime provengono dalle singole

regioni e cambiano ogni settima-

na. Il venerdì sera la scuola apre

le porte alla città e presenta i piat-

ti più interessanti della settimana.

6 Il sabato e la domenica sono

riservati allo studio individuale e

alla conoscenza di aziende, pro-

duttori, prodotti tipici nei vari set-

tori alimentari. Alcuni produttori

verranno direttamente presso la

Scuola per presentare i loro pro-

dotti con prova di assaggio, in altri

casi gli chef usciranno sul territo-

rio per conoscere le singole

aziende e i produttori in tutte le

regioni d’Italia. Alcuni fine setti-

mana sono dedicati alla visita

delle città d’arte più famose

(Roma, Firenze, Venezia).

7 Il numero massimo di parteci-

panti è di venti corsisti, ai quali si

garantisce anche vitto e alloggio

in appartamenti in palazzi storici,

nel centro della città, a pochi

passi dalla Scuola. Il costo del

corso, compreso vitto, alloggio,

servizio lavanderia, ecc. è di die-

cimila dollari USA, più mille dolla-

ri di iscrizione.

8 Alla fine del corso viene rilascia-

to ufficialmente un Master con il

riconoscimento della Regione

Marche e del Ministero della

Cultura.

14

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“tasting laboratory” that lasts

for an hour.

Transfer to classroom

The teacher prepares the dish.

The students follow the

process and then prepare the

dishes themselves alongside

the teacher, following a

personal teaching programme.

All the operations of the

teacher will be observed either

directly or through the

schedule.

The work will not be rushed,

but done with precision in the

normal learning time required.

When the cooking is finished

the dishes are transfered to

the table to be checked

through tasting and

comparison.

Collective discussion

Review of the didactic

schedule. Eventual variants

from the base dish.Everyday

2/3 base dishes will be

studied.Work finishes at 17:30.

FRIDAY EVENING PROGRAMMEAt the end of a week’s work on

Friday evening the school is

open to the public.

In the Pergolesi Hall a

dinner-tasting will be presented

to 20/25 people with a various

series of dishes, elaborated by

teachers and students, each

one according to the

traditions of their origin.

Prime ingredients and wines of

high quality will be used that

have been suggested by the

school’s sponsor companies,

chosen by Slow Food from

among the best at national

level.

SATURDAY,SUNDAY

Saturdays and Sundays are

dedicated to getting to know

the regions and their products

through direct contact with the

producers.

Some weeks the producers will

come to the school in Jesi to

present their companies and

products with a guided tasting

session.

At other times students will

travel to various Italian regions

to visit producers and

companies.

The work undertaken at

weekends is very important

because it is a direct way for

the students to learn about the

products; how to use them,

where to find them in their

place of origin and how to

introduce these products into

the students’ future work.

17

MONDAYTHEMED TASTING AT THE

REGIONAL ENOTECA

1 Wine-tasting techniques

Getting to know the principlevines of Italy• The red wines of Piemonte

and Tuscany

• The white wines of Friuli,

Veneto and Trentino

• The local vines of

Central Italy

• The South of Italy- the

surfacing of great wines

2 Tasting course of Extra

Virgin Olive Oil

Excellent national products• The productions of

Central Italy: The Marche,

Umbria and Tuscany

• The productions of the

Islands: Sicily and Sardegna

• The productions of Northern

regions: Liguria and Garda

3 Italian Cheeses:

Familiarization and tasting• Methods of maturing and

refining

• Typical products of the

various regions

• Product tasting

4 Salumi

(Dressed pork products):

The great regional traditions:• Salumi - Cooked and raw

• Salumi ground paste and

whole meat

• Ham-prosciutto, culatello and

fiocco

• Cured pork - coppa, lonza

and lonzino

• Salami and ciauscolo.

• Mortadella, bresaola and

lucanica trentina

5 Bread

• The flour, the rising of the

bread and baking

• Common bread, whole-wheat

bread and seasoned bread

• Breadsticks for the catering

industry

TUESDAY WEDNESDAYTHURSDAYFRIDAYCOOKING COURSE WITH

THE DISHES OF A REGION

(a different region every week)

Timetable: From 8:30 to 17:30

with a 1 hour break for lunch

Each day the lesson starts with

a presentation of the prime

ingredients: their

characteristics, quality, zone of

origin and the companies that

produce them. This is our

16

Weekly work plan

In the 15th century, the historical centre of Jesi went though a phase

of great development.

Right in the centre of the city, near the beautiful palazzo della

Signoria, is the palazzo della Balleani, a building that belonged to a

family who owned a large amount of land outside of the town walls.

All the great land-owning families had large cellars beneath their

homes where they gathered grapes to make their supply of wine for

the winter.

In the Balleani cellar, where our school is located, we can now find the

regional Wine-Cellar (Enoteca) of Jesi.

This Enoteca is managed by an association of producers (Assivip)

who organize wine tasting courses.

Not only do they present wine, but also other high-quality products

from local producers: olive oil, cheeses, salami, pasta. On Mondays

the Enoteca will be in the hands of our school, where we will hold our

tasting sessions: courses on wine, oil, bread and cheese.

The collaboration with the Enoteca will continue on Friday evenings

with the conclusion of the teaching programme of the week. Our

school will open to the public for an evening of tasting with a presenta-

tion of the dishes studied during the week.

Regional Enoteca of Jesi

19

PIEMONTE1 Veal and Piemonte beefL’insalata di carne cruda, il vitellotonnato, il bollito misto, il brasatoal barolo and il fritto misto.2 Grain, potato and riceTajarin, agnolotti, gnocchi, risottocon le rane.The cooking of the plains: riso incagnone, tapulone3 Mountain cookingLa supa barbeta, dundaret, cursetin, trota ai funghi, agnellosambucano.4 Salted fish La bagna caoda, il merluzzo al verde.Cheeses and truffles of Alba: usesand preparations.

EMILIA ROMAGNA1 La pasta sfogliaThe making of various shapes:tagliatelle, tagliolini, maltagliatiand grattini, pappardelle and stric-chetti.2 Le paste ripiene (filled pasta):The tortellini of Bologna, the cap-pelletti of Ferrara and the agnolottiof Parma3 I tortelloni: Ricotta, chestnut and potato fil-lingsI cappellacci di zucca4 Oven baked pastaLe lasagne al forno, i cannelloni

MARCHE1 The cuisine of the coastIl brodetto di pesce, stoccafissoall’anconetana2 Inland cooking with cerealsand legumesSpelt, lentils and chick-peasVincesgrassi, stracciatella andpassatelli

3 Game and farmyardanimals:coniglio in porchetta, polloin potacchio, cinghiale4 Cheeses and trufflesPecorino di fossa and tar-tufo bianco di Acqualagna:their uses and prepara-tions

PUGLIA1 Grain, bread and handmade pastaIl grano arso, il grano“stumpato”.The bread of Altamura, thebread of Laterza, the bread ofMonte Sant’Angelo.Pasta: orecchiette, strascinati,cavatelli, troccoli.2 Legumes and vegetablesDried beans, chick-peas andbeans.Cime di rapa, la cicoria catalogna,i lampascioni, i sivoni.3 Milks and cheesesMilk products: fiordilatte, provola,scamorza, burrata, manteca.Cheeses: ricotta fresca, ricottamarzotica, caciocavallo podolico,canestrato.4 The sea“Il crudo” (seafood and fish): tri-gliette, seppioline, polipetti, can-nolicchi, taratuffi, anchovies, mus-sels, sea urchins and oysters.Sardines and anchovies.

CAMPANIA1 ‘Sunday’ cookingGragnano pasta, rice, Napolitanonions and the San Marzanotomato. Ziti al ragù, paccheri allagenovese, il sartù di riso, il timbal-lo and timpano in crosta.

2 Vegetables and legumes Soups and Minestrone: minestramaritata, minestra di broccoli,fagioli alla maruzzara, zuppa dilenticchie e castagne and zuppadi ceci e castagne.3 Meat and salumiPanzetta di agnello, mugliatellicon patate, il soffritto, costine conpapacelle, puntine alla pizzaiola.4 Seafood dishesThe fish of the gulf, Napolitan salted cod, cheeses, cuoccio allamarinara, piccione alla salsa difrutti di mare, filetto di scorfano alculìs di ceci con cipolle in agrodolce.

LOMBARDIA1 Freshwater fishPesce di torrente o di lago in car-pione.Luccio in salsa alla mantovana.2 RiceRis e erborin Risotto alla milaneseRisotto alla “pilota”3 Pasta dishesTortelli di zucca alla mantovanaPizzoccheri della Valtellina

18

Cooking programmesof regions

4 Meat dishesOssi buchi in gremolata alla milaneseStracotto di manzo al vino rosso Cassöela

UMBRIA1 StartersBruschette, crostini, pani, torta altesto and “pizze”2 SoupsZuppe rustiche, minestre di ceci,farro and fagioliPasta:tagliatelle, tagliolini, quadrucci,umbrichelli or ciriole and strangozzi.3 Cooking with trufflesThe white truffles of Fabbro, Cittàdi Castello, Gubbio and GualdoTadino. The black trufflues ofNorcia and Spoleto.4 Grilled meatFrom lamb to boarTOSCANA1 Simple cuisinePanzanella and fettunta; acqua-cotta, soup, tomato bread soup;scottiglia, tripe and centopelle.2 Meat and saucesBeef and pork, la fiorentina anddressed pork products.Meat sauces: beef, pork, game,tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes,and crostini toscani.3 The Renaissance cuisineHors-d’oeuvres and sformatini;porrata and maccheroncini dipane; anatra alla frutta and pic-cione alle mandorle; torta di perebiancomangiare dolce; cioccolatacalda aromatizzata alle spezie.4 DessertsI cantuccini e i frati fritti, il casta-gnaccio, le frittelle di riso, la schiacciata, il panforte, i riccia-relli, lo zuccotto

VENETO1 The Veneto traditional baccalà (dried salted cod): Il baccalà alla vicentina, il baccalàmantecato, il baccalà allaveneziana. Le polente.2 Vegetables The red radicchio tardivo ofTreviso and the variegated radic-chio of Castelfranco.

The Veneto asparagus: variousvarieties. The beans of Lamon.3 Traditional Venetian fishIl saòr, a method of conserving:sardines and sogliole in saòr, sea-sonal vegetables in saòr. Le sep-pie in nero, i bigoli in salsa.4 Meat La padovana (chicken) and lapolverara. The lamb of Alpago.

FRIULI1 Soups and minestroneVegetable and asparagus mine-strone, la iota and pumpkin soup2 Goose, the Jewish traditionof Saint DanielGoose as an alternative to porkThe different ways of preparation:brodo con ciccioli di oca, ovenbaked goose.3 FishSimple fish from the Adriatic Sea,their preparation, conservation,and recipes. Shellfish and crus-taceans. Boreto, insalata dimoscardini.4 Cuisine from Central EuropeA mix of food cultures fromAustria, Hungary, andSlovenia.The sweet and thesavoury, the spices. Dishes fromCarnia and from the valley ofNatisone. Cjarsons, il frico,salame nell’aceto, la brisa, gnocchi di susine.

SARDEGNA1 Pasta and soupsCulurgiones (ravioli with ricotta)suppa cuata, fregula cun cocciula,pani frattau. 2 FishAnguidda incasada, arangiola as’oristaneseBurrida a sa casteddaiaZimino di ostriche e aragosta.3 MeatPorceddu arrustiu, angioni in cassola cun cancioffa, busecca sacasteddaia, curcuris a ghisau. 4 Sardinian dessertsTrigu cottu, gattò (croccante),suppas indorada, seadas.

SICILIA1 Arabic cooking and couscousMarinated fish, tuna ofFavignana, swordfish, capersfrom Pantelleria, capers fromSalina.2 Street food from PalermoPanelle, arancine, sfincione,pane con la milza e ricotta Baroque cuisine from Palermoand Gattopardo cuisine:bucatini con le sarde, bucatini coni broccoli in tegame, timballi dipasta. La caponata and sweetand sour sauce.3 Wheat, oil, legumes andbread Broadbeans from Leonforte,lentils from Ustica.Black bread from Castelvetrano. Cheeses: ragusano, pecorino,maiorchino, piacentino, ricotta,vastedda della Valle del Belice.4 Sicilian DessertsLa cassata, i cannoli. Biscuitsfrom Ragusa and Catania, chocolate and carrube fromRagusa, il gelo di anguria, i sorbetti e le granite. Dried fruit:almonds from Noto, pistacchiofrom Bronte. Wine and “ossidati”for cooking: il Marsala

TRENTINO1 Mountain dishesSoups: orzetto, brò brusà, canederliBread gnocchi, strangolapreti, ciaronciè.2 Salami and meatLucanica, “salziza” and carne salada. Tonco de pontesei,gulasch, sguazetLa Selvaggina: cervo and capriolo3 Pasture and forest productsThe vegetables of the Gresta val-ley, flowers from Baldo and wildherbs, mushrooms and forestfruits and mountain cheeses.4 DessertsLa torta de fregoloti, il brazadel, lozelten.Traditional Trentino apple:strudel and fritters

Fast torrents of clear water

come down the sides of

the Alpine mountains that

run along the whole of the

Northern part of the region. They

supply six large lakes at the val-

ley bottom that widens out onto

green plains. Calm rivers run off

from the lakes, before throwing

themselves into the Po, dividing

into thousands of ditches and

channels which irrigate fertile

fields of cereal, beetroot and fod-

der for supplying a flourishing

production of milk.

Cows milk and cheese are

extremely important for the gas-

tronomy of the Lombardia region.

From the mountain pastures we

obtain the great cheeses such as

Bitto, Formai de mut and

Taleggio, and those of the plains:

Gorgonzola and Grana Padano.

Butter is the main condiment of

Lombardian cooking.

The serum plains, by- products

of the working of cheeses, feed

millions of the heavy Po valley

pig whose leg is seasoned for the

best Italian hams and whose

meat when flavoursomely left to

mould, becomes salami of a par-

ticularly whole bou-

quet. On the moun-

tains the art of con-

serving the meat is

characterised by the

making of Bresaola di manzoand the superb Violino di capra.

The presence of the Hebrew

community in this region has in

addition, made an interesting tra-

dition of salumi d’oca (goose)

flourish that is eaten raw or

cooked.

The cultivation of rice in nearly

all of the province has been

made possible by widespread

irrigation. Zuppe di ris, (rice

soup), riso e rape (rice with

turnip), riso e sedano (rice with

celery), riso e prezzemolo (rice

with parsley), riso e fegatini (rice

with liver) are only a few of the

innumerable dishes of which rice

is the main ingredient.

Lombardia is the only region of

Italy where rice has a gastronom-

ic importance much greater than

that of pasta and using its best

quality rice (the Vialone Nanoand the Carnaroli) a monumental

dish of Italian cuisine is made:

risotto. Pavia, Mantova and

Milan are fatherlands of the most

famous and sumptuous risottos:

alla milanese, alla certosina and

alla pilota.

Other cereals are protagonists of

the Lombardian table: the com-

mon wheat in the extreme south

of the region where the great tra-

dition of fresh pasta begins and

where the famous tortello dizucca is prepared; in the moun-

tain foot zone where we find

maize and where the polenta di

mais triumphs and finally on the

mountains we grow buckwheat

from which polenta taragna and

pizzoccheri are made.

In the more northerly zones

where fresh water runs, we find

carp, tench, eel and frogs.

Lombardian cuisine is rich with

dishes in which all of these fish

are used with great expertise.

The most frequently used meats

include that of the cow from

which ossobuco and cotolettaalla milanese are made, tripe,

from which busecca is prepared

and rustin negàa (roast tench).

Pork is used for the preparation

of cassöela (a type of rustic

choucrûte).

The wines of the region are pro-

duced in rather limited locations.

The great red in Valtellina, the

most refined Spumanti in

Franciacorta, white and red on

the morainic hills of

Lake Garda, and

sparkling and rustic

reds on the hills of

Oltrepo Pavese.

21

L O M B A R D I A

A region of lakes

and streams

Azienda Santa Barbara di Antonucci Stefano & C. s.n.c.

Borgo Mazzini, 35 • 60010 Barbara (AN) • Tel. (+39) 071 9674249 • Fax (+39) 071 9674263

www.vinisantabarbara.it • info@vinisantabarbara.it

Gilberto Venturini

22

U M B R I A

Vines and olives have for

centuries symbolised the

Umbrian countryside located in

the geographic heart of Italy.

However, to get close to under-

standing the cuisine of this

region it is also necessary to

consider the great culture of

meats, game, vegetables and

truffles.

Umbria, a region where respect

for tradition is not just a simple

slogan. On the contrary, it is felt

throughout, in the countryside as

well as in the heart of both small

towns and the great art cities.

In fact, in the last half of the

century Umbria has perhaps

faced the flattening effects of

globalization better than others.

The people of Umbria have not

forgotten their own roots or

their cultural, artisan and social

traditions.

Here the Slow Food culture is

widespread from Orvieto to

Todi, from Castiglion del Lago

to the Città della Pieve. The tra-

ditions remain alive and are

renewed above all in the cui-

sine, where the local products

are the foundations of the typi-

cal menus of the different

zones.

Here, the cuisine sees the influ-

ence of both the noble courts

and the simple farmer and so

we must never think of Umbrian

Cuisine as being only rustic. On

the contrary, there are extreme-

ly diverse dishes present, inher-

ited from Etruscan, Roman,

Mediaeval and Renaissance

cuisine as well as that of the

nearby regions, Tuscany, Lazio,

the Marche and Romagna.

Relatively small in surface,

Umbria is blessed with a natu-

ral environment of high quality

land, air and water that con-

tributes to the success of agro-

alimentary production.

The ingredients for cooking are

in certain cases of the highest

ranking. This is the case with

the extra-virgin olive oil, with

the DOP of Umbria subdivided

into five areas from Trevi to

Orvieto. Typical products

include the salumi and the

numerous derivatives of pork

meat (capocolli, prosciutto,coppe di testa, mazzafegati,coralline, mortadelle, budellac-ci, etc), cheeses such as

pecorini, giuncate or the ricottaof Poggiodomo and legumes

such as the risina (rice) of

Trasimeno, the cicerchie (chick-

ling), the chickpea or the lentils

of Castelluccio (they were and

are the fundamental ingredients

of the Umbrian soups), mush-

rooms, truffles and cereals such

as wheat spelt.

Common vegetables include

the red potato of Colfiorito, the

onion of Cannara, the celery of

Trevi and the peas of Bettona,

and there are also the much-

appreciated aromas such as

saffron. Lamb, the chianinabreed of cow and the entire

range of game make popular

dishes.

With some differences from

zone to zone the Umbrian meat

experts and those that work at

the oven to make bread, pizzaand focacce represent a bit, the

fundamental traditions of this

region’s gastronomy.

A part of this discussion should

be reserved for the wine. Wine

such as the Sagrantino of

Montefalco, the OrvietoClassico, the Torgiano, the

wines of the hills of Trasimeno

or those of the Amerino, hardly

need presenting.

There are numerous bottles in

the local wine cellars that have

helped make wine-growing

Umbria known in Italy and the

world.

Pier Giorgio Oliveti

Land of olive oil

the cereals are wheat and

maize: from the white flour of

the first we obtain the tajarin, a

type of pasta that is as fine as

angel’s hair and from the yellow

flour of the second we make

polenta, an excellent side dish

for stewed meat and steamed

dishes. Agnolotto or ravioli,deserves a place of honour: it is

the excellent filled pasta of

Piemonte, distinguished from

place to place by the diversity

of the fillings and the shape;

square in Turin and Asti, al plin(pinched) in the Langhe.

In the Langhe and Monteferrato

areas in lower Piemonte, the

cuisine feels the influence

of the nearby Ligurian sea:

salted anchovies and the

Ligurian Ponente extra virgin

olive oil coupled with garlic

make a communal dish par

excellence, because it has to

be consumed in company: the

bagna caoda. In this simple

country sauce, the vegetables

of the plains are soaked in pinz-imonio (a dip made of olive oil,

pepper and salt): the cardoon,

gobbo of Nizza, the pepper of

Carmagnola and so on. As well

as the use of anchovies, we

must mention the salted cod

coupled with polenta. But the

Langhe wouldn’t be the same

without the

w h i t e

truffles of Alba, and Cuneo

wouldn’t be so notable without

its cheeses, among which are

the legendary Castelmagnoand the tasty Raschera.

From Cuneo to Pinerolo the

Alps faithfully preserve a

provincial cuisine which uses

mountain products to create

traditional dishes such as dun-deret, cursetin, supa barbeta,

and typical ingredients include

mushrooms, bilberries and

raspberries.

Finally we come to the

Piemonte desserts.

Besides the chocolate for

which Turin is without doubt

the historical capital, we find

the Garessio chestnut, the

round and noble hazelnut of the

Langhe and the corn flour of

Pamparato.

25

A long time ago, because of the

particular territorial conforma-

tion (and in part the continental

climate) a particular breed of

cattle called the Piemontese

was introduced to the region

starting the tradition of dishes

such as the vitello della coscia(leg of veal) from Alba and the

bue (beef) from Carrù, both of

which appear in many recipes.

Equally important are the ranedelle risaie (rice field frog) of

Vercelli, the asino (donkey) of

Borgomanero, the agnello alpi-no (alpine lamb) of Sambuco

and many farmyard animals

such as rabbit and cockerel.

Among the game and other

animals of the hunt are the

classic lepre in civet (hare),

fagiano in salmì (pheasant)

and cinghiale cotto nel vino(wild boar cooked in wine).

One of the most important

ingredients of the plains inclu-

de the rice that comes from

Vercelli, Biella and Novara,

which is used in risottos and

timbales. Other characteristic

dishes include dried sweets

and spoon desserts. Among

24

P I E M O N T E P I E M O N T E

From the alpine valleys

to the Po plainsArmando Gambera

Tounderstand the Piemonte cuisine you need to

study the geography of the region, because

the cuisine is profoundly influenced by the landsca-

pe. This territory is vast: it includes the Alpine range

that surrounds the north and west, the Apennines to

the south with the spurs of the Langhe and

Monferrato hills, and the Po plain in the centre and

to the east. The cuisine is therefore the expression of

various cultures and economies, resulting from its

basic products and a variety of culinary techniques.The Municipal Administration of Jesi provided theIstituto Superiore di Gastronomia (GastronomyHigh School) with a High Cuisine Cooking Systeminside the prestigious Palazzo Balleani, choosingZANUSSI PROFESSIONAL appliances.ZANUSSI PROFESSIONAL is a world-known trademark born at the beginning of the past century and specialised in professional appliancesfor preparation, cooking, refrigeration, distributionand washing processes. ZANUSSI, one of themost important company in the italian householdand industrial appliances market since its beginning,had its maximum growth and worldwideexpansion entering the Swedish Group ELEC-TROLUX in 1984. Today ZANUSSI PROFESSIO-NAL boasts of a wide distribution network of 200

sales and assistance agencies assuring a costant effective presence. Its programmes, strategies andinstruments makes it professional, skilled and reliable trademark. ZANUSSI’s entire process,from production to sales, is certified according toISO 9001 and ISO 14001 standard. More than3200 professional people in the food field,everywhere in the world, take part to the profes-sional stages organised by ZANUSSI every year.ZANUSSI PROFESSIONAL sales agenciesGIANNI MANZONI S.r.l. and SCIPILLITI S.n.c.sale agencies in Ancona and Falconara areas,gave their important technical and consulting contribution to the installation of the High CousineCooking System, making it suitable to differentcooking needs of any International Chef.

Gianni Manzoni S.r.l.

Via del Consorzio, 33

60015 Falconara M.ma (AN)

Ph. +39 071 9188478

Fax +39 071 9188675

Web Site: www.giannimanzoni.it

E.mail: info@giannimanzoni.it

Scipilliti S.n.c.

Via Achille Grandi, 7

60131 Ancona

Ph.+39 071 2865033 – 2865038

Fax +39 071 2865033

Web Site: www.scipilliti.com

E.mail: info@scipilliti.com

2726

Our expertcooks

Onthe following

pages we intro-

duce the cooks that will

teach at our school, rep-

resenting every region of

Italy, all with many years

of experience and above

all cultured in the food

and drink of their own

region. Slow Food signi-

fies the rediscovery of a

particular territory, the

richness and variety of

each region, tasting with

awareness and attention,

the pleasure of a good

spread and the defence of

biodiversity.

We have selected about

50 cooks from every cor-

ner of Italy, from the

north and south, some of

whom are experts in

pasta, others meat or

fish, but all of them love

presenting the cuisine of

their own region,

researching and collect-

ing the best of what has

been created over the

centuries.

ANTONIO TUBELLI

Antonio is a gastronomicresearcher, with a deep knowl-edge of the traditions of Naples.In 1987 he founded the restaurant‘Il Pozzo’ which is linked to theSlow Food circuit. For some timehe has promoted and followed anew initiative: to represent the oldcuisine of the streets, remember-ing Naples traditions of the “man-giamaccheroni” and the “friggi-tore”. His dishes: spume di pesceazzurro, timpano di scammaro,filetto di pesce al culìs di legumi.

MARCELLA CIGOGNETTI

Her first training as a cook tookplace in the kitchen at home.In 1989 she founded the OchinaBianca, a restaurant in the centreof Mantova with all the traditionaldishes of the Po Valley. In 2002 she left Ochina Bianca todedicate herself completely to therunning of Operaghiotta (theatre of taste) an organisationin which cooking and gastronomyare represented as a show.Operaghiotta is also the headoffice of the Convivium Slow Foodof Mantova. At Operaghiotta onecan participate in themed dinners,cookery courses, tasting sessionsand meetings where Marcella canbe seen working in person.

FRANCESCO SULTANO

Francesco has worked in hisrestaurant in Ragusa for 3 years.However, before stopping here,he trained step by step, includingsome lengthy periods abroad.Although open to innovation, hestill focuses on protecting the tra-ditions of his region.He loves to dig into the Bourbontraditions of the 1800’s, finding particular prime ingredients andchoosing the most appropriate oilfor each dish.

GALDINO ZARA

Galdino has always been anenthusiast of the wine and gastronomic history of his region,he has had experience in a vintage wine stockist at the beginning of the 80’s before starting work with the ovens.He is a versatile cook, who aboveall loves expressing himself withthe traditional dishes of theVeneto and Venice.He has participated in the SlowFood movement since its beginning and is a teacher in the Master of Food course.

PEPPE ZULLO

Peppe Zullo has always dreamt ofowning a restaurant and celebra-ting the dishes of his region. He loves aromatic herbs, selectswines and cheeses, looks for themost natural meats and prefershome-made pasta.Among the dishes he is noted forare his involtini di melanzana,orecchiette al sugo di cinghialeand capretto.The region of Puglia offers vegetables, meats, fish and highquality cheeses.

NINO FIGUS

Nino knows the Sardegna cuisineas few else do, how to interpret itand present it in an excellent way.He is a television presenter, runscourses and participates in com-petitions.He currently works at the restaurant Hibiscus diQuartu Sant’Elena.The dishes he prepares are verysimple but have intense flavours.They include: Sea fish soup, ravioli with red onion and goatcheese, bocconcini with lamb,seadas in an orange sauce andformaggelle of ricotta.

ANTONIO SANNA

Nino is not yet 40 years old andhas already accumulated a lot ofexperience in the kitchen and notonly at his home on the island.He knows his part of the country,Oristanese, very well and all ofthe traditional Sardinian cooking.He is frequently called upon torepresent and teach his cookingskills abroad as well as at home.A few of his dishes: zuppa dipesce e crostacei (fish and crustacean soup), macarones debusa, il capretto cotto a “pilau”(goat), tortino al formaggio earanzada (cheese cake andorange peel and honey).

GIUSEPPE BARBERO

In 1977 Giuseppe started on atour of Italian restaurants for newexperiences. In 1985 he returnedto Boccondivino (Bra). Here hededicates himself to the discoveryof Piemonte cuisine and in particular of the Langhe. Thereare certain characteristics toBarbero’s work: his search for thebest ingredients of the area, hisrespect for traditions and the cre-ation of menus connected to theseasons. The dishes are preparedin a rigorous and simple way.

ANTONIO GRAZIANO

Just outside of Palermo, on theroad to Agrigento, there is a prestigious restaurant calledMulinazzo. It is here that we findAntonio at work in the kitchen,deep in thought and study. Hehas many creations to offer, all ofan extremely high standard. Fishplay a big part in his repertoire,but all the Sicilian traditions find aplace on his menu: cuscus,macco di fava, minestra di aragosta (lobster soup), andthe best fish from the island. He also prepares delicious homemade desserts.

Ristorante Osteria dell’ArcoPiemonteThis restaurant is found in thecentral square of Alba, PiazzaSavona and is run by FirminiButtignol. In the kitchen we findDaniele Sandri who has workedfor many years and by his sidetwo other cooks: MaurizioDellapiana and Paola Pellegrino.Traditional dishes of the Langheare prepared with particularattention to the choice of rawingredients: il vitello piemonteseai tajaran (veal), agnolotti (typeof ravioli) lamb, panna cotta andbonet. It is frequented by thecream of the producers ofBarolo and the Barbaresco, aswell as foreign clientele.Theyhave an impressive wine-list.

Locanda San LorenzoVenetoA warm and welcoming restaurantThis is a restaurant and inn thatfor three generations hasbelonged to the Dal Farra family.It is located in a part of the mostbeautiful mountains, far fromtraffic, with a simple and sponta-neous welcome and a warmand familiar atmosphere.The cuisine is one of the best inthe region, based on the region-al traditions with an input ofinnovation and undertaken withgreat care.Among the dishes worth noting,we have the “Bagozia” soup,asparagus and sweetbread ravi-oli, perch, carré di agnello alrosmarino (lamb and rosemary)and semifreddo alle nocciole (anicecream cake with nuts)

Già sotto l’ArcoPugliaTeodosio and Teresa are themain characters of this restau-rant. They have taken it andmade it grow, day by day, withcontinuous research, from dish-es of wholesome regional rootsto more evolved and personal offerings.In the kitchen they work withextreme care while paying greatattention to their guests in thedining area.Here are some of their dishes:polenta di ceci (chick-peaspolenta), purea di fave e cicotia(bean and chicory puree), tortinodi coniglio (rabbit tart), barchettadi melanzana, (small boats ofaubergine/egg-plant), fagottinicon marmellata di fichi (smallsacks with fig marmalade).They also preparefish dishes.

Carpe DiemToscanaMontaione is a small town onthe hills of central Tuscany. Therestaurant ,attached to a smallhotel, faces onto the Elsa valleyin a beautiful panoramic posi-tion.The cuisine, characterised by

the pure Tuscan tradition, isundertaken with the greatest ofcare and with some innovation.Pasta and desserts are home-made and the meat andgame is typical of the region.Dishes that can be tried hereinclude: pappa al pomodoro epanzerotti, fagianella e carnechianina, funghi porcini e tartufo.They have a well-stocked winecellar.

Ristorante Al BorgoTrentinoSituated in the centre ofRovereto, in a building that wasonce a theatre, the restaurantowned by Dal Sasso is today atemple to cuisine of an extreme-ly high standard- Here it is pos-sible to find dishes that are typi-cal of the Trentino, interpretedwith great mastery: home-madebread and pasta, cernia incarpaccio, crostone di pane conporcini, lasagne con ragù dicervo, tortelli con animelle, con-trofiletto di cervo al ginepro, lin-gua di vitello tiepida con aceto dilampone.It has a good selection of wines.

La Bona UsanzaMarcheThis restaurant, attached to theHotel de’ Conti, is found on thepanoramic hills in the heart ofthe Marche. It is managed byGianfranco Mancini, preserverand popularizer of the mostauthentic traditions of theMarche cuisine and official rep-resentative since its beginning of the Slow Food movement.The restaurant entrusts the workin the kitchen to MarcoGiacomelli who cooks accordingto the best of traditions. Thisrestaurant is visited by expertsof gastronomy, by sommelier, by associates of Slow Food and by journalists.

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Those who attend the School of Italian Regional

Cooking, once finishing the 10-week course in Jesi,

have the possibility of taking part in work placements and

training at associated restaurants of Slow Food from all

over Italy.

All the restaurants are of a high quality where local cui-

sine is prepared, using only the freshest and most genuine

ingredients and where one can really learn the truest

Italian cuisine.

We hope to avoid cooking that puts priority on the appear-

ance of the food, where most attention is paid on its dec-

oration, neglecting natural flavours and aromas; those

who take part in these work placements will be able to

chose from various regions, meat or fish and the traditions

of the south or of the north.

In this edition we start to present to our readers some of

these restaurants.

Our work-placementrestaurants

MulinazzoSiciliaJust outside Palermo, Antonio and Sabinehave set up a wonderful restaurant.The cuisine found here is based on the greattraditions of the island. Starting with the fishone passes from classic traditional dishes torefined and researched dishes.The end of the meal is very well-cared forwith home-made desserts and has a large selection of wine.

L’Orcio InterratoToscanaMontopoli is a small town located on the hillsthat dominate the valley of the river Arno.In a small hotel here some of the cellarshave been converted into a restaurant, whereyou can soak up the ancient atmosphere andtaste the historic cuisine of renaissancerecipes and regional dishes. Luigi and Fulviaresearch and experiment with rigour and passion, selecting the best Pecorino, truffles,wines and extra Virgin olive oil.

Dear friends,We are delighted to send you

our newsletter to communicate

that on the 8th of January

2003 our school will start its

activities with the Slow Food

Master Italian Cooking course

at Jesi, in the Marches region.

With this new initiative, Slow

Food Italy aims to give valid

support to professional chefs

from abroad who wish to learn

about Italian cuisine in a

thorough way, focusing on

each region.

Italy is a country in which the

cuisine is strongly linked to the

traditions, history and people.

It is because of the differences

between regions that Italian

cuisine is so rich in variety.

This Slow Food cookery

course in Italy will also allow

new contacts to be made at

an international level and will

expand further in the future at

the University of Pollenzo.

In this edition of our newsletter

you can find further information

on the cooking programme, its

organisation and the didactic

methods that are inspired by

the Slow Food philosophy.

To all of you, dear

Convivium Leaders, we send

you this message along with

the names and addresses of

those who represent and

follow our organisational

activities and who can be

contacted for further

information.

30

Japan:Tokyo OfficeHIDE UCHIYAMA Ltd (Ms. Rieko Uchiyama)2-13-22 Shìmouma, Setagaya-kuTokyo-JAPAN

Florence OfficeJAPAN PROMO SERVICE (Mr. Aldo Fallani and Ms. RiekoUchiyama)Via C.Bianchi,1850134-Firenzeinfo@ios.it

United States:Francesco Tonelli (AssociateProfessor, The Culinary Instituteof America)46 Riverview- port Ewen12466-5104 New York- UnitedStatesfrancesco@francescotonelli.com

Australia:Michele Usci (President of theFederation for Italian Cooks of Australia)P.O. Box 211 Bullen3105 Victoria- Australiausci@primus.com.au

To our Convivium Leaders in Japan, United States of America and Australia

Vineyards have existed in

the Marche for centuries,

The Piceni, Estruschi and the

Greek colonies cultivated them

here. But on the hills of the

central part of the region

around Jesi the principle wine

is called Verdicchio.

This name appeared for the

first time in a document dated

1569: Verdicchio is the name

of the vines, Verdicchio is also

the name of the wine.

Its commercialisation in Italy

and the whole world started in

the 50’s and all those who

drank it then remember its

characteristic bottle in the

shape of an amphora.

Since then everything has

changed, as in the other wine-

producing areas of the world:

in those days the wine was

rough, acidic and with a very

bitter finish.

The Verdicchio of today main-

tains its natural characteristics

(full-bodied, almost like a red,

with subtle acidic veins, nota-

ble alcoholic content and a

pleasant, somewhat bitter

finish) and every vine dresser

on the basis of this has

notable space to work on

improvements, presenting

elegant and refined wines,

among themselves very

different, also because another

characteristic of this vine is its

versatility.

From the Verdicchio we can

obtain splendid spumanti brut,

a pleasing white wine to

accompany fish dishes and

well-structured wines which

can be harmoniously coupled

with rich and flavoursome

dishes as well as with white

meats. There are white wines

to drink in their year of

production and white wines

that can be left to refine for

some years and finally, from

the Verdicchio grapes left to

dry on the vines, a sumptuous

sweet wine that in recent years

has caused great interest

among enthusiasts.

Everybody knows that

Verdicchio is not just any

ordinary white wine and in this

region the vine dressers are

proud to continue working

these splendid grapes; on

these hills you won’t find a

chardonnay or sauvignon, here

the Verdicchio is cultivated.

In recent years Verdicchio wine

has had many opportunities to

compete at an international

level against other whites and

has since held a high rank.

Such success has boosted the

enthusiasm of the producers,

already used to work requiring

tremendous patience, a virtue

of those who for centuries

have worked the land in this

region. Anyone enjoying the

hospitality of a producer’s

wine-cellar will be able to taste

highly-esteemed wines and

recognise the producer’s

determination to continue

experimenting and improving.

In this way Verdicchio has

become by far the most

well-known Marche wine on

the international market and

everyday demonstrates with its

best productions, whether the

Castelli di Jesi or in the

Matelica zone, to rival the top

wines of the world, often

surpassing other more

celebrated white wines.

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Verdicchio:a white wine of excellence

A course designed to know Italian cuisine, region for region.

Reserved for professionals from all over the world who cook Italian food.

A course that looks at the historical roots of the regional cooking of Italy:

from the North to the South and from the Alps to the Mediterranean.

A course to know the producers of quality food (pasta, wine, cheese, olive oil,

meat products...) and the gastronomic culture of each region.

A diploma that requires hard work and studyng, with the possibility of work experience

in each region of Italy at the end of the year.