There was a dish at Osteria Francescana in 2011, the year before receiving its famous 3 Michelin Stars, called Faraona a 360°. This dish even included an ice cream made with the animal's liver. Truly delicious, but decidedly less refined and visionary than what was awarded last autumn as “Plate of the Year” by the Espresso Restaurant Guide, the Italy's answer to Michelin: La faraona in tre servizi (meaning guineafowl in three services in English).
This plate is further confirmation of Massimo Bottura's ever-growing passion for the meat of this precious bird and, as always, the brilliant and very personal vision behind the chef’s cuisine. "On the one hand, it represents what is critical to me: it is not nostalgic, but coming from a place of tradition – to guarantee a future. While on the other hand, I recreate the feeling of family in the kitchen," he explained.
From broth to panettone
Bottura has always had fun with the guineafowl theme, alternating historical references (the recipe is, in fact, inspired by Trimalcione's dinner in “Satyricon,” where the guineafowl's filling was game and the sauce was a garum) is paired with funny provocations (guineafowl served in a panettone crust, for example). He made it a strong point of the most famous version of Italian tortellini, using it both for broth and stuffing. He exalted it in the unroasted version, chosen as a recognized dish of 2012 by Identità Golose. And now the masterpiece of the new season, where the chef has succeeded in uniting the cuisine of Emilia and the Far East, as only Bottura can invent and bring into fruition – going even so far as to give the triptych of dishes a very modern imprint on rigorous classicism.
Homage to Cantarelli
Emilia is a dish of Peppino and Mirella Cantarelli, two pioneers at the forefront of haute cuisine in the region. One of their most famous dishes in the ‘70s was Faraona cotta nella creta (meaning guineafowl cooked in clay in English), a specialty that Bottura brought back to life later in Trattoria del Campazzo. "It wasn't roasted; it was kept inside the clay for four hours. Once the shell cracked, super juicy meat was extracted,” recalls the chef. The Far East is a dish co-created at Osteria Francescana with chef Choi from Korea, who Bottura asked to make a raviolo as the first course of the triptych "between the two continents.” The result is the Chinese Raviolo, stuffed with roasted potatoes, between a bisque and crispy Parmigiano Reggiano while the stuffed pasta, completed with a surrounding juice of boiled and roasted guineafowl carcass, is processed only with water.
The secret is in the jelly
The second servizio recalls one of the most famous signature dishes at Osteria Francescana – because the most gelatinous parts of an unboiled bollito misto are used as a filling for guinea fowl like a Peking duck. "Finished with herbs, it is cooked and roasted with the gelatinous part that helps the weak point of this recipe,” continues Bottura. "When the thighs are ready, the breast is not ready; when the breast is ready, the thigh is absolutely raw. But our guineafowl is protected by the gelatin that melts inside...". The stuffed breast is completed with a celery purée, a cream of herbs and apple mustard. Above, chestnut chips and black truffle that recall the aforementioned clay of Cantarelli, with the difference being that this meat is edible while theirs wasn’t. The name of the dish? Easy: Faraona ripiena di bollito non bollito (Guineafowl stuffed with unboiled boiled meat in English).
Just like the Renaissance
The third dish has a longer name: Pella di faraona con patè di fegatini e cioccolato, savor di mela cotogna e tartufo nero (in English? Guineafowl skin with liver paté and chocolate, quince savor and black truffle). Technically wild in its invention, just think of the crunchy skin – a total of 3 cm in diameter – is brushed obsessively until it becomes transparent. On top, a liver paté worked with a fine Criollo; Bottura has a flair for the Renaissance theme – just think of his "game desserts" such as the delicious 2018 Chocolate and Beccacia. To close, the contrast between fruit and truffle. "With this recipe, we also used the skin and innards of the guineafowl, the only elements usually left out," concludes the Modenese chef, “We are always careful not to waste food in the kitchen.” But beyond his meticulous attention for detail, what a dish!