angia bene with a salute to the foods of Italy Edena Sheidon 5 TA ‘Ciicina t italiana (Italian food), la moda italiana (italian style) aud the charis- -ma of Italy is the kick-off for 2 Joint celebration ‘of the Four Seasons Hotel and the ltalian Trade Commission in ‘a salute to Italy. It’s on from now until May 15, and IT urge you to go. Choose dining at Chartwell or the more casual ’ Garden Terrace. Executive chef ” Wolfgang von Wieser (North Vancouver's own) is playing host to . guest chef. Bruno Libralon and his - pastry chef Roberto Vai, both here. from Torino (heart of la-cucina "pi {a ontese) and Ristorante Antica Zs ; Last ‘Tuesday evening was the open ag night dinner. And-what an . :-event it was! Held in the lovely -. Pavilion Room, some one hundred “plus guests arrived to beserved generous flutes of sparkling Asti Moscato and appetizers (stuazzichini) i in the Garden Terrace. -: Then, onto the candlelit dining ‘ables bedecked with color- ful pep rs, bouquets of dried pasta,” grissini and lots of wine glasses! Interviews while they were working | back there was all part of id we could even fire back tions (‘what brand arborio rice - was ‘that for the risotto, chef?”) and - have them answered (or wanslated from’chef Libralon) subito! a OK, what did we dine on? Weil, the wines were magnificent ~ mh "selected by noted wine'journalist ° ~Anthony Gismandi (at my table), ’. and they flowed like the Fontana di ; Trevi all night long. Antipasto was a trio of veal Carpaccio, asparagus with a bal- samic dressing, and salmon trout TAOIST ‘TAICHI with aa agro-dolce sauce af currants and pine nuts. The primi piatté (first course) was another trio. A Risotto con quatira formagyi (with four cheeses), Penne with spring vegeta- bles, tomato and Parmesan and, the highlight of the evening, A gaulotti del plin (agnolott filled with four meats served with a butter and wal- nut sauce). On to the secondo piatti (second main course), a grand duo of filet of veal in a deep Barolo sauce, punctu- ated by a hit of balsamic vinegar and caramelized sugar at the finish. Then on to a plate of cheeses — some ambrosial chunks of real parmigiano reggiano, tallegio, gor- gonzola, slices of walnut bread, ‘crisp celery, and wedges of fresh pear and some toasted walnuts. Ahhhah, dessert was yet to come! Cameras turned on in the kitchen once again and a long shot reveals some 100 plates lined up with wedges of Torta di nocciola (Hazlenut meringue torte) waiting in place, Espresso to finish, and plates of amaretti and all kinds of Italian cookies that showed Vai's talents _ off, _ Libralon is president of the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners (ICIF) in Torino. I spoke with him, and he generously shared his original recipes with me. So ... andiamo! E buon appetito\— ZUPPA DI ZUCCA Libralon shared this magnificent squash, soup with me for you: a heavenly marriage of butternut squash, layered with onions, cheeses, stock, cream and milk baked to a no-fuss finish. A quick puree, a garnish with croutons and Parmesan,-and you "have a fabulous soup to serve fami-’ ly and friends. Serves 10. 4 Ib. (2 kg) fresh buiternut or hubbard squash 1 medium white onion, peeled and sliced . 5 oz. (150 g) coarsely grated Emmenthal cheese § oz. (150 g) grated imported Parmesan cheese % Ib. (250 g) rustic Tuscan- -style bread (crustless) in slices 4c. (1 L) vegetable stock/broth 2c. (4 L) heavy cream — =: oS -2 cs (4 L) homo milk (4 oz. (125 g) unsalted butter, cubed Salt and freshly. ground black pepper . Croutons Freshly grated Parmesan (gar- ,, Nish) EDGEMONT VILLAGE Cornet of Edgemont Blvd. + Queens Pee! the squash and remove seeds and fibrous threads, Cut inte quarters, tnt then into thinly sliced crescents. Select a heavy ovenproof wide pot (enameled steel, heavy porce- lain or crockery is ideal) with a light-Citting tid. Layer the ingredients into the pot in the following order: sliced squash, onions, Emmenthal, Parmesan, broken bread slices, stock/broth, cold heavy cream, cold milk, cubed butter. Cover pot with tight-fitting lid (or seal with two leyers heavy-duty toil). Place in a 350°F (180°C) oven and bake 60-90 minutes, or until all the ingredients have broken down and the squash is very soft. Remove from the oven. Using a hand-held immersion blender, puree the soup in the pot to a creamy con- sistency (or, puree in smaller batch- es in a food-processor, and return to pot). Add salt, and generous grindings _ of black peppercorns to the finished soup. To serve, serve piping hot with croutons and t Tbsp, (15 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese over each serving. Taste. Libralon serves this soup with baguettes cut into thin oval-shaped croutons. Toast the croutons until golden, brushing both sides of bread with olive oil first. Place three crouton-toasts into each soup bowl, ladle hot soup over, and top with a sprinkling of Parmesan. Run soup under the broiler for one minute to gratinee the soup before serving. HOMEMADE CROUTONS 2c. (500 mL) white, wheat, or Tuscan-style bread, cut into cubes Olive oil (about 4 c. or 75 mL) Toss bread cubes with olive oil to coat. Place in shallow baking pan. Toast in 2 325°F (160°C) oven about 10-12 minutes, stirring twice, until. golden brown and crisp. Remove, ‘set aside until ready to serve. ASPARAGUS TIPS WITH BALSAMIC VINEGAR A wonderful first course in cele- bration of asparagus (in scason now!) from Libralon’s Antica . Zecca Ristorante. in Torino, [taly.:-. Prepare up to 24 hours in advance. Store tightly capped and tefrigerat- ed. Makes 1 c. (250 mL). Serves 4- 6. ot ; 2 ibs. (1 kg) fresh asparagus (tough ends trimmed) Salied boiling water 1 large very fresh whole egg 983-9330 We reserve the right to limit quantities. Prices in effect fram We a, May {f-Tues., May 17/94 . NEWS photo Nei Lucents NORTH VANCOUVER’S Chef Wolfgang v von Wieser (centre) of The Four Seasons Hotel. hosits:a special salute to Italy with ‘guest chefs Bruno Librafon and ‘pastry chet Roberto. Vai. from Torino. % tsp. (J mi) salt 2 Tbsp. (30 mL) balsamic vinegar (no substitute) He. (150 mL) extra- ~virgin olive oil : Freshly ground black pepper’ Bring 6-8 qts. (6-8 L) water to a tolling boil: with 1 Tbsp. (15. mL) salt. Add the asparagus spears, in | two batches, and cook céch batch uncovered (very important so that spears stay bright green) 2-4: min- utes until just crisp-tender. - -. Remove asparagus, plunge at once into ice cold water to Stop the cooking: Drain.on towels until cool. Set aside until ready to serve, -To prepare the dressing, place “room-temperature egg and the salt in a food-precessor. Whisk until "creamy and light: Add the balsamic vinegar,. and whisk until creamy: smooth. With the motor running, add the olive oil in a thin, ‘slow, steady ~ stream. until dressing.is smooth and emulsified. Dressing will be like :4' thin mayonnaise and quite light It. will thicken up upon refrigeration: , Season ‘dressing with generous ‘grindings of black pepper, and whisk dressing to blend. Taste. Transfer toa glass. container. Store; tightly’ capped, in teftigerator, ~ until ready, to serve. If. dressing is too thick, bring to roon- tempera- ‘ture 15 minutes before serying. Te serve finished ‘dish: Place asparagus spears onto large serving - plates, Drizzle dressing (or spoon a dollop) over asparagus. Serve at. once, Pass the pepper grinder, :