Chefs play with Italian classics
Contemporary ingredients bring new life to old-world dishes
September 8, 2017
When it comes to Italian cuisine, Ashley Shelton isn’t afraid to play with tradition.
“It’s kind of already been perfected,” said Shelton, who is executive chef at Sardella in St. Louis, a seasonal restaurant with a nod to Italy.
“I look at old-world Italian recipes, find out what’s [at the] core … what can I do with it, what can I take and add, to tell our own story.”
Currently on the menu at Sardella is brisket agnolotti, a surf-and-turf riff on the stuffed pasta. The dish is made with beef brisket cooked lobster broth spiced with hot sauce and Old Bay seasoning.
Shelton’s newest addition to the menu is circular ravioli filled with beet and goat cheese and served with pistachio-mint pesto, the Egyptian spice blend dukkah, and tahini.
“Modern Italian is not changing everything or conforming to certain rules,” Shelton said. “[We take a] traditional pairing that we know works and twist it up a bit.”
Paolo Marchi, founder of Identità Golose, an international culinary organization based in Milan, shares a similar philosophy.
Chef Tony Conte breaks tradition with his Burrata with watermelon, maple vinegar and candied watermelon rind.
“While Italian cuisine is deeply rooted in Italian tradition, its branches extend in every direction. The new/modern Italian chef does not view traditions as dogmas, but more like stories that can and should be enriched by personal experiences from different regions of Italy and nations of the world,” Marchi said. “And most of all, he adds something personal to all of his dishes.”
In October, Identità Golose will explore modern Italian cuisine, highlight current food topics and showcase dishes from renowned local and national chefs during its annual events in New York, Chicago and Boston.
Also offering unique takes on Italian classics is Tony Conte, chef and owner of Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana in Darnestown, Md.
For instance, while an authentic prosciutto pizza at a pizzeria certified by the True Neapolitan Pizza Association might have Parmesan cheese, arugula and prosciutto, Conte uses sweet roasted corn and baby cherry tomatoes to add a sweet kick.
He also serves burrata, a rich and creamy ball of mozzarella filled with cream, with unexpected ingredients such as watermelon, maple vinegar and candied watermelon rind.
“Subbing out an ingredient for something else with a similar texture or color, but an entirely different flavor, is unexpected and exciting to patrons of our restaurants,” Conte said. “These breaks in tradition are what keep our customers coming back for more. They want to experience something new, and we’re always going to give it to them.”
At Le Farfalle in Charleston, Chef Michael Toscano replaces semolina with local buckwheat, a Low Country ingredient, in the pasta for his Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe.
Similarly, at Le Farfalle, a regional Italian restaurant in Charleston, S.C., chef Michael Toscano uses Low Country ingredients combined with Italian classics and techniques to create singular dishes.
The spaghetti for his cacio e pepe replaces semolina with local buckwheat to add a nutty aroma. And his sorghum pappardelle is made with the southern grain.