Irresistibly Italian!

Everyone loves Italian food! Whether it’s a classic Aglio e Olio, a cherry gelato or an impeccably thin crust pizza, we have a lot to thank Italy for — but there’s more! Even though it’s been over a century since Italy became the nation that we know today, Italians still identify more with the county they belong to than with the nation as a whole.

For example, Alessandro Persico, the Italian chef of Celini at the Grand Hyatt Mumbai Hotel & Residences was born in the beautiful port city of Genoa, also the birthplace of Christopher Columbus who discovered America. Basil Pesto and Focaccia di Recco, a cheese-filled Italian bread are voted as the finest from his region.

With 20 regions and even more provinces, a culinary map of Italy swiftly turns into an elaborate collage of gastronomic fortes and ingredients.

“Italian cuisine is the most famous and most loved cuisine in the world. It is all because of the traditional way of cooking with select herbs, fresh olives and handpicked tomatoes,” says Alessandro, adding, “Tomatoes are the most important ingredient in any Italian delicacy. They differ in taste and colour and infuse a unique flavour altogether when used in a dish. Thus, it is one of the most important and favourite ingredients while handcrafting any dish.”

OCTOPUS SALAD WITH LEMON PARSLEY
Ingredients:
Cooked octopus: 60 gms
Potato: 40 gms
Salt to taste
Italian lemon jus: 20 ml
Pepper: 10 gms
Olive oil: 15 ml
Green peas: 20 gms
Parsley: 10 gms
Boiled sweet potato: 35 gms
Italian lemon: 1 Nos

Method
Take boiled potatoes and boiled octopus and marinate both together with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
As a base, layer and add green peas mash to marinated boiled potatoes on serving plate.
Add boiled sweet potatoes over the layer of green peas mash.
Further add boiled marinated octopus over both. Top it up with lemon and parsley garnish

TRADITIONAL BRUSCHETTA WITH SUNDRIED TOMATO AND BASIL
Ingredients:

Bread Ciabatta: 1 Nos
Cherry mozzarella cheese: 20 gms    
Sundried tomato paste: 20 gms
Truffle oil: 2 gms
Kalamata olive: 30 gms     
Parmesan cheese: 30 gms
Salt to taste
Pepper: 5 gms
Olive oil: 10 gms
Basil: 50 gms
Tomato: 100 gms  
  Fresh basil leaves: 10 gms                                          

Method:
Boil tomatoes, cut into small cubes without seeds and add salt, pepper, parmesan cheese and truffle oil in it and make basil paste along with sundried tomatoes.
For the Bruschetta: Slice the bread into 22 mm pieces and toast. Arrange the bread slice on the chopping board and apply sundried tomato paste and basil pesto on it.
Spread the cheese and sundried tomato paste and also put truffle oil and parmesan cheese. Garnish with fresh basil and olive oil before serving.

SWORD FISH UCCELLETTO WITH MUSHROOM
Ingredients:

Sword fish: 160 gms
Mushroom: 80 gms
Salt to taste
Pepper: 5 gms
Olive oil: 10 ml
Chopped parsley: 10 gms
Lime: 10 gms    
Onions: 6 gms
Garlic: 8 gms
White wine: 25 ml
Butter: 30 gms     
Capers: 12 gms

Method
Take a Sword Fish fillet, cut into 1 inch slices and season it nicely.  
Pan cook the onion, garlic and fish.
Sauté mushrooms in another pan over a slow flame and add some white wine.
After about 5 minutes, add butter and capers for sauce and some lime juice and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
Take a round plate, pour some sauce, arrange the fish and top with the mushrooms.

CHARCOAL AND SMOKED SALMON RISOTTO
Ingredients:

Risotto rice: 120 gms
Charcoal powder: 5 gms
Smoked salmon: 50 gms
Parmesan cheese: 30 gms
Unsalted butter: 20 gms
Onions: 10 gms
Olive oil: 30 ml    
Salt to taste
Chives: 5 gms
Deep fried basil leaves: 5 gms
Charcoal Tulle: 12 gms
White wine: 30 ml

Method:

In a hot pan, pour olive oil, then add onion and chives. Add risotto and toss together.
Deglaze with white wine and charcoal powder and also add some smoked salmon to it while adding stock and allow it to cook for 12 minutes.
Add some parmesan cheese and finish it with butter and parmesan.    
Garnish with charcoal tuile and deep fried basil.

CHEF’s GRANDMOTHER’S TIRAMISU

Ingredients:

For Tiramisu Cream
Egg yolks: 8 Nos
Egg whites: 4 Nos
Cream: 100 ml
Mascarpone cheese: 500 gms
Sugar for egg white: 4 tbsp
Sugar for egg yolk: 8 tbsp
        
For Coffee Syrup
Coffee espresso: 400 ml       
Sugar: 40 gms
Marsala wine: 30 ml
Vecenzovo classic finger biscuits: 2 packets

Method:
For Tiramisu Cream
Make sabayon with egg yolk and sugar syrup.
Then slowly add in mascarpone cheese to the sabayon and set it aside. Whip cream and fold in along with the sabayon.
On the other hand, make Italian meringue and fold it along with the sabayon mix.
Tiramisu cream is ready.

For coffee syrup
Mix coffee, Marsala wine and sugar and keep it aside.

For Assembly:

Take a flat ceramic container. Soak the finger biscuits in coffee syrup and arrange it on the bottom of the container vertically.
Then put a layer of tiramisu cream and spread it evenly. Repeat the same process one more time.
This time arrange the fingers horizontally.

CHOUX PASTRY/CHOUX BUNS/ECLAIRS
Ingredients:

Water: 500 ml
Butter: 200 gms
Salt to taste
Flour: 300 gms
Whole eggs: 9 Nos

Method:
Mix water, sugar, salt together and boil the mixture.
Once it starts boiling, add in the flour off the flame. (Make sure you use a wooden spoon to mix this). Try to avoid getting any lumps of flour.
Put this mixture back on the cooking range and cook it until it leaves the side of the pan.
Make a nice homogenised mixture and beat using a machine.
When the mixture starts to cool down, start to add eggs gradually till all the eggs have been incorporated.
Pipe this mixture accordingly as per choux bun and eclairs.
Bake at 210 degree centigrade.