The Italian Food Lovers Chef Network keeps growing, and today we are proud to introduce a new Guest Chef: Chef John Franchetti from Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar in Santa Rosa, California.

We had an email chat with John in California and learned a few things about hisChef experience and insight, that started in 1981, when John met the American celebrity Chef, restaurateur, television personality and cookbook author Chef Emeril Lagasse, really liked what he was doing, and decided he was going to follow the same path into a gourmet Chef career.

As he wrote about his Chef experience in an email:

My experience started with Commanders Palace, and Emerils in NOLA, from there I worked doing catering in Rhode Island.

Then I moved to Alaska where I hooked up with my bride to be and I got involved in her restaurant and became a perfect match for us.

Years later we moved back to my home town and started the process of finding a another person that has the same vision that we have to begin the restaurant building together. We found Kevin Cronin who we felt has the same ideals and passion that we do and he was too looking, from that Rosso Pizzeria was born.

For Chef Franchetti, recipient of the Anchorage Alaska Best Chef and Best Restaurant, Santa Rosa Best New Restaurant and San Francisco top 100 Restaurants awards, his secret ingredient in being a top Chef is “doing what you want or believe in with the food, not tring to be something or someone else“.

Chef Franchetti’s favorite food is seafood, his favorite cookbook is The Meat cookbook, by Bruce Ideal, and his favorite cooking style is, according to his own definition, regional cooking with Italian influence.

About Italian cuisine Chef Franchetti says “I believe that Italian cooking is regional and traditional with a whole lot of opinions about its true origin, but with a strong focus on seasonality“. We also like his definition of Italian gourmet: “crafted and harvested regional items and products“, pretty much like the Academia Barilla gourmet food products, which Chef Franchetti uses every day at Rosso Pizzeria.

His experience with Academia Barilla products from a Chef standpoint is, as he told us:

I currently use pecorino cheese, balsamics, and salamis. These gourmet products create a uniqueness to what we are doing here at Rosso Pizzeria. The flavor profile on all products are balanced to go on their own or combined with other products, which is what we keeping doing at Rosso Pizzeria.

The address to Rosso Pizzeria and Wine Bar is Creekside Center, 53 Montgomery Drive, Santa Rosa, California 95404.

You can reach John and the Rosso Pizzeria crew also through the restaurant website Rossopizzeria.com or calling Rosso Pizzeria’s +1 707 544 3221 phone contact for info and reservations.

View a larger map on Google Maps

Thank you to John for joining our Italian Food Lovers Chef Network. We will publish Chef Franchetti’s first Chef Network gourmet recipe tomorrow, keep following our blog!

Too small to read? We’ll read it for you! In an issue mostly dedicated to gourmet topics, The Food and Wine Issue (with articles about South America culinary, wine auctions, and worldwide culinary trends), the CL editorial team recommends (right side of the image) three top gourmet choices.

After introducing the Hotel Marques de Riscal as a luxury destination in Rioja, Spain, the Spanish Wine Valley, and the two 4-star colonial hotels in Puebla, Mexico, Mesón Sacristía de las Compañías and Mesón Sacristía de Capuchinas, CL Magazine introduces Parma, Italy and Academia Barilla.

The article goes like this (we read it for you):

PARMA - Neighbor to Tuscany, the Emilia-Romagna province is locally considered the culinary capo in Italy. Why? Because it’s home to three of the nation’s best products: Prosciutto di Parma, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and aged Balsamic Vinegar.

The new Academia Barilla (866-722-2233, www.academiabarilla.com) from the Parma-based Barilla pasta company, allows visitors to explore the local wonders, combining tours of cheese factories and vinegar aging houses with cooking classes.

Thank you CL Magazine for quoting our cooking school and the gastronomy and culinary tours we organize in Parma and around Emilia-Romagna.

This press mention comes after the recent one from Gourmet Magazine, who listed the Academia Barilla Culinary Center among the top 5 luxury cooking schools in the world, as you might remember from a previous post here on Italian Food Lovers.

The Academia Barilla Culinary Center and the cultural, gastronomy and culinary tours offered by Academia Barilla, as well as the cooking classes at the Academia, are a luxury experience indeed. But this doesn’t really means our courses are expensive or way too exclusive.

With a range of cooking courses, gastronomy and cultural tours, and culinary initiatives that go from individual to group classes, from week-long to short, half-day immersive classes, to internship programs for Chef students, the Academia Barilla Culinary Center can be affordable at many levels, yet retaining that luxury treat profile that you will start experiencing as soon as you will walk through the Academia’s doors.

Enquire with Academia Barilla about the culinary learning experiences offered in Parma, Italy; we’ll be happy to design for you and your party the perfect formula that fits your culinary skills and needs, your permanence in Italy and your budget!

You can reach us in Parma calling +39 0521 264060 (toll-free number from Italy 800 376-116), or through the US toll free number also kindly provided by the CL Magazine (866-722-2233).

As you have noticed, this week we celebrated Turkey Day proposing a lot of gourmet recipes from our Italian Food Lovers Chef Network, but none of them with turkey! Well, we published a recipe for the tratitional Thanksgiving roasted turkey, but we left our guest Chef free to propose alternative, innovative Thanksgiving recipes.

Today we have with us Chef Doug D’Avico of Trattoria n. 10 in Chicago with a new Thanksgiving gourmet creation: Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Cinnamon and Orange Zest. Ready? let’s go to the kitchen!

SWEET POTATO GNOCCHI WITH CINNAMON AND ORANGE ZEST
A recipe by Chef Doug D’Avico
(serves 4-6)

INGREDIENTS

- 3 lbs light fleshed Sweet Potatoes
- 1/8 cup good quality ricotta, drained
- 1/8 cup Academia Barilla Pecorino Gran Cru, grated
- 1 ea large egg
- 1/2 tablespoon Academia Barilla Sicilian Sea Salt with Orange Zest
- 1/4 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon nutmeg
- 3-4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 orange
- 1 medium size leek, white part only
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar mixture
- 3 tablespoon european style butter
- 2-3 tablespoon Academia Barilla Riviera Ligure Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- some fresh herbs for plate garnishing

PREPARATION

Take the 3 sweet potato, wash the outside well and bake in a 375 degree F oven till soft to the touch, remove from the oven and let cool. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle remove the skins and put the flesh though a potato ricer to break up any large clumps and place into a large enough bowl to mix all the ingredients in.

Mix all the ingredients, except for the flour, into the sweet potato and combine well with your hand.
Take 2 cups of the flour and fold into the sweet potato mix half a cup at a time, making sure the flour is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next 1/2 cup. Check the dough it should be a little sticky, if it is too wet add a 1/4 cup more flour and mix. Wrap and let rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

After resting take the remaining flour and use some to dust the work surface. Take the dough out of the bowl and place on the floured surface, sprinkle a little more flour over top and knead a few times so you can handle the dough.

Flatten the dough out to about 3/4 of an inch and cut strips every 3/4 of an inch and then roll each strip a little bit to round out the corners, set a side and finish the rest of the dough. Use a little more flour if the dough starts to stick to the table. Use a damp towel to cover the dough strips while you work.

Have a corn meal coated tray ready to store the gnocchi’s on after they are cut. Using a small knife cut the strips into 3/4 inch pieces and you can use either the back of a fork or a gnocchi board to roll the gnocchi off of or just take your finger and poke a little indentation into each one and then place on the corn meal coated tray.

Finish the batch and then freeze the gnocchi or cook and serve.

To serve bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. In the mean time while you are waiting for the water to boil, remove the root end of the leek and cut the leek on a bias about 1/4 of an inch thick until you get to the green part, discard or use for homemade stock. Separate the layers of the leek and wash under cold water to remove any sand set aside.

Using a zester, zest 1 orange and set a side. Preheat a 12 inch sauté pan and warm over medium heat, when hot add 1/2 the butter and add the washed leeks to the melted butter, do not let the butter burn, and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until the leeks are tender season with a little salt and pepper and remove from the pan set aside. Remove the pan from the heat.

Check the seasoning in the pot of boiling water and adjust with the salt to taste. When the water is at a rolling boil add the gnocchi and stir well so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. They will take about 5-8 minutes and are usually done about 30 seconds after they start floating. Just before they are done put the large sauté and back on the fire over medium high heat.

Drain the gnocchi and add to the sauté pan with the remaining butter. The pan should be nice and hot as you will want to add a little bit of color to the gnocchi. Cook for about 3 minutes then add the cooked leeks and cook for 2-4 more minutes and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and add the orange zest and mix well, pour into a serving bowl and garnish the plate with fresh herbs, just before serving drizzle the Academia Barilla olive oil over the whole dish. Serve immediately. You can serve some extra Academia Barilla Pecorino Gran Cru on the side.

Thank you Chef D’Avico for this yummy Thanksgiving recipe. Thanks again also to Chef Tony Mantuano and Chef Mark Grimes for the gourmet recipe shared with us this week. Thank you also to our friends at BIGAB, the Academia Barilla Gastronomic Library, for providing us with the traditional Thanksgiving roasted turkey recipe!

And again, Happy Thanksgiving to all Italian food lovers from Academia Barilla and our Italian Food Lovers blog team!

Be ready, this is not a very easy recipe, as there are several preparation steps and several items to assemble during the preparation of this gourmet recipe. Let’s see all all preparation steps one by one, as suggested by Chef Mark Grimes.

ROASTED PUMPKIN RAVIOLI WITH BALSAMIC BROWN BUTTER
A recipe by Chef Mark Grimes
(serves 6 to 8)

PASTA DOUGH - Ingredients

- 33.6 oz flour (Farina di grano tenero Tipo “00” if possible, or any type 00)
- 1 tablespoon Academia Barilla Natural Sea Salt with Orange Zest
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 oz Academia Barilla Monti Iblei Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 7 oz water

PASTA DOUGH - Preparation

In your mixing bowl, combine flour and kosher salt and mix on speed #1 for 30 seconds. Add egg yolks, olive oil and water and continue to mix on speed #1 for approximately 4 minutes. As the dough begins to form, turn your mixer up to speed #2 and continue for an additional 5-7 minutes.

Once the dough has formed a ball and the inside of the mixing bowl is clean, the dough is ready. Remove the dough and wrap tightly in plastic and allow to rest 30-45 minutes at room temperature before use.

ROASTED PUMPKIN - Ingredients

- 6 pie pumpkins
- 4 oz butter
- 2 oz honey
- 1 oz maple syrup
- 1/4 tablespoon Academia Barilla Sapori Italiani Herb Mix
- 1/4 tablespoon nutmeg
- 1/4 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon Academia Barilla Natural Sea Salt with Orange Zest
- 4 thyme sprig – fresh and cleaned
- 1 qt water

ROASTED PUMPKIN - Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Carefully split squash in half, end to end with a French knife. Remove meat and seeds from the insides and place in to water. Cube butter into 12 pieces and rub generously on the flesh side of the pumpkins and place any excess in the center (1 cube per half pumpkin).

In a small mixing bowl combine honey, maple syrup, herb mix, nutmeg, cinnamon, natural salt and thyme and mix together. Place pumpkins flesh side up on a sheet tray and with a large spoon, drizzle mixture evenly on each half pumpkin.

Roast the pumpkins at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until fork tender. While the pumpkins are roasting, separate the seeds from the meat of the pumpkin and lay out on a sheet tray to dry. Once the pumpkins are roasted let them cool for 15 minutes and then extract the pumpkin from the skins, process through a food mill, cool and reserve.

ROASTED PUMPKIN AN MASCARPONE FILLING - Ingredients

- 8 roasted pumpkin, pureed (or organic pumpkin filling)
- 1/2 pound mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 pound cream cheese (room temperature)
- 1/2 pound goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- 1/4 tablespoon Academia Barilla Sapori Italiani Herb Mix
- 1/4 tablespoon nutmeg
- 1/4 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/4 tablespoon Academia Barilla Natural Sea Salt with Orange Zest
- 4 thyme sprig – fresh and cleaned
- 1/2 pound honey
- 1/2 pound maple syrup

ROASTED PUMPKIN AN MASCARPONE FILLING - Preparation

Before you begin ensure that all components are room temperature. Combine all dry ingredients in a small mixing bowl. In a large mixing add the roasted pumpkin puree and gently fold in marscapone cheese, cream cheese, goat cheese and white balsamic vinegar, the maple syrup, the herb mix and the honey.

Add dry ingredients and mix until all is completely incorporated. Cover with plastic and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour.

EGG WASH - Ingredients and preparation

- 4 egg whites
- 4 oz heavy whipping cream
- 1 oz water

Whisk together in small mixing bowl and reserve until ready to assemble the ravioli.

SPICED PUMPKIN SEEDS - Preparation

Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Lay out seeds from pumpkins on a sheet tray and place in the oven for 30 minutes. While the seeds dry, combine 1 tablespoon all spice, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 tablespoon nutmeg, !/2 tablespoon Cayenne pepper and 3 tablespoon natural salt salt.

Once the seeds are out of the oven, heat oven to 375 F degrees, toss seeds with spice mixture and bake for 15-20 minutes.

ROASTED PUMPKIN RAVIOLI

Remove pasta dough from the plastic and cut in to 4 oz piece. Start at the biggest setting on your pasta roller and move the dough through 2 times. Now move down one setting and repeat the process.

Continue to roll out the dough until it is your desired thickness for the ravioli, however do not go past #3 or the dough will become too thin and tear as you assemble the ravioli. Roll out all the dough in to sheets and sprinkle each with a little bit of flour and spread so that as you stack the sheets they do not stick.

Remove your pumpkin marscapone filling from the refrigerator. Sprinkle and spread some flour on your work surface and lay down 1 sheet of pasta dough.

Place 1 oz of pumpkin marscapone filling on the sheet about 2 inches apart the entire length of the sheet. This will give you room to assemble and cut the ravioli. Brush each edge of the sheet with egg wash and fold the top over the filling to the bottom.

Cup your hands around each spoon of filling to rid the ravioli of air. This will eliminate tearing and splitting the dough while cooking. Once the dough is secure around the filling and the top and bottom together, cut your ravioli with desired shape cutter. Place the ravioli on a floured sheet tray and reserve until ready for cooking.

Bring 1 gallon of water and 2 tablespoon salt to a rolling boil. Only place as many ravioli in the boiling water as to not change the temperature and ensure even cooking speed. Once the ravioli have floated to the surface and remained there for 20-30 seconds they are ready to serve.

BALSAMIC BROWN BUTTER - Ingredents and preparation

- 1 oz butter
- 2 oz Academia Barilla Balsamic Must aged 8 year
- 2 oz honey
- 2 tablespoon fresh sage julienne
- 1 tablespoon Academia Barilla Natural Sea Salt with Orange Zest

Cube butter in to 32 even pieces and place in a medium sized sauté pan on medium flame. Let the butter melt and skim impurities from the surface with a spoon. Once the butter has melted, continue to leave over medium heat while it begins to brown.

Add the balsamic, honey and kosher salt and whisk in to butter. Once the butter has the aroma of toasted nuts it is done. Remove from the heat and add fresh sage julienne. Be careful with the butter in that it is extremely hot. Reserve for service.

FINAL PREPARATION

Toss ravioli with balsamic brown butter. Garnish with shaved pecorino and spiced pumpkin seeds, micro arugula.

This has been easy but very long in terms of preparation, as all good things it took a lot of attention. Thank you Chef Mark Grimes for sharing with us this Thanksgiving pasta creation. More gourmet recipes for Turkey Day coming up tomorrow, stay tuned!

The recipe is included in Tony and Cathy Mantuano’s cookbook “The Spiaggia Cookbook – Eleganza Italiana in Cucina“, which is available online at Amazon and Barnes&Noble. Chef Mantuano customized this recipe for us adding a few gourmet products from the Academia Barilla Italian food specialty collection, as you can see from the ingredients’ list below.

As described by Chef Mantuano in the Spiaggia cookbook:

This dish may well become a family favorite, especially at Thanksgiving, when pumpkins are in season. The filling has a sweet-and-savory flavor that pairs well with turkey, goose, or duck. Whenever we serve this dish to customers and friends who have never tried it, the raves are loud and clear. This stuffed pasta yields hearty portions, and we suggest serving it with a robust red wine.

CAPPELLACCI DI ZUCCA CON SALVIA – PASTA HATS WITH PUMPKIN AND SAGE
A recipe by Chef Tony Mantuano
(serves 6 to 8)

INGREDIENTS

- 1 pie pumpkin, about 2 pounds (about 2 cups purée after roasting)
- 1/3 cup mostarda, coarsely chopped (see notes)
- 1 1/4 cups dried bread crumbs
- 1 1/4 cups grated Academia Barilla Parmigiano Reggiano
- 1 cup amaretti cookies, finely ground
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- Academia Barilla Natural Sicilian Sea Salt with Orange Zest and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- basic pasta dough (you can also use premade pasta sheets from your local grocery store)
- 2 cups unsalted butter
- 16 fresh sage leaves
- more grated Academia Barilla Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving

PREPARATION

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To make the filling: Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds.

Arrange, cut sides down, on an aluminum foil-lined or nonstick baking sheet roast until very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and place in a blender or food processor. Add the mostarda and process to a purée.

Transfer to a bowl and add the bread crumbs, cheese, cookie crumbs, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Roll out the pasta dough into thin sheets. Working with one sheet at a time, cut the pasta into 3-inch squares. Place each square on a lightly floured board or cloth and let dry 5 minutes.

To fill, place a dough square in front of you on the diagonal, so you are facing a diamond shape. Place a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the diamond. Lightly spray the pasta with water and bring the bottom point of the diamond to the top point.

Press the pasta together to form a triangle, working out from the filling. Trim the 2 unfolded sides of the pasta triangle with a crimped pastry wheel, and then fold the side points of the pasta forward and press to join them together in a “bishop’s hat” shape. Repeat with the remaining dough and filing.

Stand the finished cappellacci to dry for about 5 minutes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat; do not let the butter brown. Stir in the sage leaves. Set aside and keep warm over very low heat.

Add the cappellacci to the boiling water and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), 3 to 5 minutes after they rise to the top.

Remove with a slotted spoon and carefully transfer to the warm butter and sage sauce. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes to allow the pasta to marry with the sauce and absorb some of it.

To serve, divide the cappellacci among 8 warmed plates and top with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve immediately.

CHEF TIPS

Mostarda is a candied fruit, such as pears, apricots, and cherries, mixed with white mustard and sugar syrup. More sweet than piquant, mostarda adds dimension to the pumpkin filling. It is also used with boiled meats and in confections. You can find mostarda in Italian specialty stores or online.

The cappellacci can be assembled in advance and frozen. Arrange them, not touching, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and dusted with flour. Freeze until hard, about 20 minutes. Transfer to zippered plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month.

Thank you Chef Mantuano for your delicious recipe and for the precious Chef tips. We know Chef Tony Mantuano is getting a Christmas recipe ready to be served to our Italian food lovers next month, and we look forward to it!

Don’t forget to stay with us all week for daily gourmet Thanksgiving recipes from our Chef Network!