We had the pleasure to interview Chef Pasquale Martinelli and to chat with him about his history, experience and love for Italian heritage and cuisine. He has shared with us not only his vision, but also a mouthwatering recipe to try at home. Yes, because cooking is more than putting ingredients together.
Chef Martinelli's point of view on food and tradition is very important to him and we cannot agree more: "The most important thing about Italian cuisine, the quintessence, is carrying its tradition and history into the millennial culture. This makes us stand out from the rest of the world and this is why it is important to learn not only how to cook and follow a recipe but also how to tell stories and transmit the message that might be behind a certain dish or recipe. I think when people come to see us, we want to make sure they leave happier and richer in terms of having learned a piece of our immense culture through food."
You can see how important is Italy to him also when he speaks about Alloro**, **his private dining catering service in New York City: "I decided to name my company Alloro because after living in New York for twenty years, I miss home sometimes. So I always wanted a name that reminded me of my roots back in Italy and had some history with it as well as something that I often use in my recipes. Alloro, often found wild in the countryside of Puglia, is often used for cooking with legumes and for slow, low temperature recipes."
Scroll down to discover Chef Martinel li's recipe for you and... buon appetito!
Strascinate Baresi with Primitivo braised lamb, chickpeas and lobster mushrooms
For the Strascinate Baresi (serves 4)
*Ingredients:*
4 cups of semola rimacinata flour
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 cups of slightly warm tap water plus more if needed
Method:
Mound semola, salt in 3 separate piles on a large, clean work surface. Using your fingers, swirl ingredients together until combined. Get the semola into a pile, and create a well in center. Pour slowly water into well until complete absorption. Once all the water is absorbed, continue adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until mixture begins to form a dough. Let it rest in the fridge for half an hour.
Divide dough into 16 equal portions, and cover them with a clean, damp kitchen towel. Roll 1 portion of dough into an 18-inch-long rope. Use a knife to cut and drag a 1/3-inch piece of dough from end of rope facing you--a grainy wooden cutting board helps grip the dough.
Holding knife at a 45-degree angle to work surface, press and roll dough toward you. Unfurl each piece of dough over your thumb in the opposite direction to form a concave shape, sprinkled with semola rimacinata and move it to a side. Repeat with remaining dough.
nota bene: Strascinate must dry outside in open air to dry for at least 24 hours before cooking
For the recipe:
Ingredients
2 lamb shanks or 2 lbs. of lamb shoulder
1 bottle Primitivo
400 g lobster mushrooms, cut in half
400 ml freshly made lamb stock
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, cut 5-10mm thick
2 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 spoon fresh chickpeas
1 tsp tomato paste
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp butter\
Flour for dusting\
Fresh Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
Let lamb shanks marinate in red wine for at least one hour, remove from wine and dust with flour.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
Place an oven-proof casserole on the stove over medium-heat and add extra-virgin olive oil.
Add lamb shanks or lamb shoulder, salt and pepper to taste.
Pan-fry lamb shanks until all sides are browned, roughly 5 minutes and remove from casserole and set aside.
Add butter and onions to casserole and caramelize onions until translucent and golden.
Add fresh Mediterranean herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage).
Return meat to the casserole and leave it on medium heat for about 5 more minutes, covered.
Add wine and cook for about 7 minutes.
Add carrots, chopped tomato, tomato paste and lamb stock.
Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat.
Remove casserole from stove and place in oven.
After about 30 minutes, add the mushrooms and place the casserole back in the oven for another 45 minutes.
Before serving, add 4 or 5 fresh chickpeas for a little crunch, freshness and a bright, green color.
\