Exuding charm, charisma and eloquence, Raschella is dressed casually but smartly in a blazer, jeans and T-shirt when he arrives to discuss Italian food, the reasons behind IDIC and how to truly impress a woman with spaghetti and tomatoes.
Each year, the Gruppo Virtuale Cuochi Italiani (Virtual Group of Italian Chefs, comprising over 1,200 Italian culinary professionals from around the world) votes for a dish to form the centerpiece of the occasion. This year, the GVCI chose ossobuco, a tender veal shank dish usually served with risotto.
It appears to be a popular choice with Raschella when asked whether he was looking forward to cooking this dish. “Certainly,” he said. “It is one of the most succulent and popular Italian dishes and a seductive symbol of Italian cuisine.”
Raschella, a journeyman whose travels have taken in teaching stints in far-flung locations such as the Instituto General de Gastronomia cooking academy in Buenos Aires as well as assignments in the likes of Sydney and Liege, said IDIC was not just an occasion to celebrate Italian cooking.
“You have Italian restaurants all over the world that cook these dishes, but they are different from the original recipes,” he said. “For example, in America, fettuccine alfredo is cooked using mushrooms, and sometimes, chicken. But in the original recipe, it’s only tagliatelle, butter and a bit of Parmesan cheese. That is it. This international day of Italian food is an opportunity for people around the world, for one day, to taste the original recipes.”
Raschella was at pains to stress that in line with this goal, his ossobuco, which will be cooked in a Milanese style and flavored using chopped garlic, lemon and spices, is the original recipe. He added it was this openness of chefs in sharing how they cook particular Italian dishes that has contributed to the popularity of Italian food worldwide. Other factors were the simplicity of making such dishes and the fact they were generally not too spicy.
In line with this spirit, he was more than happy to share how a man can impress the special lady in his life using the power of Italian cuisine.
“The important thing is to cook in front of her,” he said. “You should cook spaghetti, and cook it al dente (firm but not hard). I would then get some Pachino cherry tomatoes from Italy, very sweet and not so watery inside. With some extra virgin olive oil and some garlic, make a sauce using the tomatoes. When you’ve made the sauce, add the cooked spaghetti. Once the spaghetti has absorbed the sauce, take it off the heat, sprinkle some fresh basil leaves and Parmesan cheese over it and serve.”
He added that checking the quality of the ingredients when cooking Italian food was also of paramount importance to ensure that authentic taste. “You need know your products, because that is the only way to make sure they are made in the right way,” he said.
Raschella added that he was not surprised by how popular Italian food has become in Saudi Arabia. “Arabic people have a taste for good food. I feel this country wants to open up a bit more to people from outside and this is reflected in the numerous restaurants offering different cuisines,” he said.
“I came here because I wanted to discover the culture. I am open-minded. Because people talk a lot about Muslims, I wanted to see them with my own eyes. The funny thing is, I searched on the Internet for chef work in the Middle East and the first thing that came up was an advert from an Arabic restaurant searching for an Italian master chef.”
He said he responded and it only took a five-minute call from the manager of Il Villaggio to convince him to up sticks and come to Jeddah, especially as his role would be to hone the existing chefs’ techniques further.
“It is easy to cook in an Italian way, but you also need to learn to cook better. And I like to teach; it is my passion,” he concludes with a smile.
To celebrate the International Day of Italian Cuisine, Il Villaggio (Al-Andalus Road, next to Chili’s on the intersection with Palestine Road) is offering a special three-course meal for SR160 per person until Jan. 31.
The menu includes sprout salad, ossobuco in gremolata alla Milanese and grapefruit sorbet. Prior reservation required.
4 hind veal shank cut 4 to 5 cm thick and 9 to 10 cm large
100 g finely diced celery
100 g finely diced carrot
100 g chopped onions
200 g butter
800 ml veal broth
300 ml grape juice
120 g air-dried beef
200 g tomato, peeled, chopped
150 ml extra virgin olive oil
3 g finely diced lemon rinds
6 g sprigs of parsley, Italian, chopped
3 g cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Salt and white pepper
Place half of the oil and butter in a casserole and heat over a medium flame, season the veal and place in the hot casserole, brown for 5 minutes per side till they are nicely seared and golden brown.
Remove the veal and set aside.
Pour off the excess fat, add the rest of the butter and the olive oil in the same casserole and add the carrots, dried beef, celery and onion.
Sauté at low heat until they are wilted.
Turn up the heat.
Add the grape juice and reduce till almost evaporated.
Add the tomato and the veal broth and bring to a boil.
Carefully arrange the veal in the casserole and spoon some of the vegetables and broth over it. The liquid should cover the surface of the veal, if not, add some more broth.
The casserole should contain the veal just right, however make sure your casserole is not too big or you will end up with too much sauce in the casserole.
Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and place in a pre-heated oven at 180° Celsius, continue cooking for 2 hours.
Remove the foil for the last 30 minutes so the surface of the veal will caramelize nicely.
In the meantime prepare the gremolata by mixing the lemon peel with the chopped parsley and garlic.
At this point the veal will be tender enough that you can eat it with the fork. The marrow, well cooked, will develop its characteristic unctuous texture and incomparable flavor.
To serve, remove the veal from the casserole and place it on a hot dish.
Remove the excessive oil from the sauce, add some veal broth if needed, bring to a boil, adjust the flavor and spoon it over the veal.
Sprinkle the gremolata on top and serve immediately.
