Last December a group of American students from NY Universities (Monroe College and Paul Smith College, NY) spent some time in Parma to study Italian Cuisine at the Academia Barilla Culinary Center .

The group of students were headed by Giacomo Berselli, President of the Marco Polo Foundation, the organization who sponsored the students’ trip to Italy. After spending 7 weeks in Otranto (Puglia) and 3 weeks in Ferrara (Emilia-Romagna), the students attended cooking classes at the Academia Barilla Culinary School in Parma for additional 2 weeks.

During their Parma residency the US students of the Marco Polo project studied the typical products of the Parma region, and attended classes of olive oil tasting, Parmigiano Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma tasting, as well as Balsamic Vinegar of Modena and wine tasting. After theory and tasting classes in the morning the young Chefs spent some time researching Academia Barilla’s Gastronomic Library, with the support of the Library Curator Giancarlo Gonizzi and his team.
The afternoon were generally spent in the kitchen, trying dishes and recipes containing the ingredients the students have been working on all day, under the guidance of Academia Barilla Executive Chef Nicola Bindini and his Chef team.

To complete the students’ full immersion into the art of Italian gastronomy, Academia Barilla organized also culinary and gastronomy tours for the students, allowing them to discover the secrets of producers and farmers of authentic regional products, and to meet the countryside traditions and history of the Emilia-Romagna region, that certainly is a key ingredient of our traditional recipes.

At the end of the 2 weeks of classes the Academia Barilla Culinary School released to each student a certificate of completion of studies that, join with the other certificates awarded by the students at the other learning locations across Italy, would have grant them the formal recognition of the exams and classes by their respective original colleges (Monroe College and Paul Smith College, both in the NY State).

Here below a couple of testimonial notes from the Marco Polo students, as written on the Academia guest book, pictured here above with more Marco Polo testimonials:

“Thank you Barilla for such an informative 2 weeks. I enjoyed myself thoroughly would tell my family friends about this wonderful place. Thank you so much.”

“Ciao, this school has taught me that food to the Italian is religion and the kitchen is their church. Thank you Academia Barilla.”

To know more about the student program we interviewed Marco Polo Foundation President Giacomo Berselli who firmly says that “Academia Barilla is state-of-the-art of the Italian Cuisine“!

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Today we introduce the recipe for the Maserati Murcielago LP640 - no, you won’t be able to prepare in your kitchen the Italian car that turned into a legend, but you will be certainly able to cook an awesome main course for the New Year’s Eve dinner, that Barilla USA Executive Chef Lorenzo Boni designed getting inspiration by the Lamborghini line of vehicles to create the Academia Barilla - Lamborghini NYE gourmet menu.

After introducing the Lamborghinis of the last posts and their respective recipes, today Chef Lorenzo Boni proposes to celebrate the Lamborghini Murcielago with Pork Tenderloin “bocconcini” wrapped in Academia Barilla Prosciutto di Parma, drizzled with Academia Barilla Balsamic Must and accompanied with baby greens.

Yummy, let’s go immediately to the kitchen!

PORK TENDERLOIN BOCCONCINI WRAPPED IN PROSCIUTTO DI PARMA, DRIZZLED WITH BALSAMIC MUST, AND ACCOMPAINED WITH BABY GREENS
(a recipe by Chef Lorenzo Boni, inspired by Lamborghini Murcielago LP640)

INGREDIENTS

- 2 pork tenderloins
- 12 slices of Academia Barilla Prosciutto di Parma
- 1/2 bottle Academia Barilla Balsamic Must
- one sprig rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic
- baby green salad, 1/2 lb
- Academia Barilla Monti Iblei extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Academia Barilla Natural Sea Salt with Black Olives to taste
- black pepper to taste

PREPARATION

Cut pork tenderloin in small 2 oz pieces (bocconcini, in Italian), individually wrap them with prosciutto, securing with toothpicks.

Cook on both side until pink in the middle. Meanwhile reduce the balsamic with rosemary and garlic until it thickens up a little. Cool down.

Before serving the tenderloin on a bed of baby green salad, seasoned with natural sea salt, black pepper and olive oil, drizzle the balsamic reduction over the top.

WINE PAIRING TIPS

Red wines from Tuscany generally are a good choice with pork and red meats, try Lodola Nuova Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2003 for best gourmet results.