Chef Nadia Santini – Sustaining a Culinary Heritage

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There are many popular restaurants in Italy. Every town has its own special restaurant to share. For instance, visiting Mantova will not be complete unless you sit down for a good meal at Dal Pescatore.

Experiencing Italy at Dal Pescatore

It is not surprising why this small restaurant in Mantova is included in S. Pellegrino’s 50 World’s Best Restaurants list. The owners of this restaurant have long followed established Italian cooking techniques, style and principles. Still, the Santini family can never be accused of being too stubborn. Their restaurant is practically a historical site in Mantova for it has stood there for more than 80 years. Still, the family has managed to keep it afloat by playing with both traditional and modern cooking. They have found a certain balance between these two and they have been quite successful in keeping up with their customers’ expectations. A dinner at Dal Pescatore will leave you groping for the right adjectives. You will likely find that no words would suffice to describe the gustatory experience.

The restaurant’s atmosphere is completely relaxing. A log fire burns while the staff serves table after table in a smooth manner. You will be made to choose between two seven-course menus. The minute you bite into one of those famous dishes, you will practically forget that you weren’t eating at – say, El Bulli. You will also forget that you are eating at a supposedly simple family restaurant. Dal Pescatore is far from being simple. The Santini family will not allow it to be so.

The Chef Behind the Santini Wheel

Chef Nadia Santini is without a doubt the boss of Dal Pescatore’s kitchen. She is the queen of Italian cuisine. She is also recognized by the French as the best chef in the world. With her around, the French would likely say, “Ferran Adria who?”

She is actually from the Veneto region of Italy. She met Antonio Santini, the love of her life, when she was studying at the University of Milan. Even as a young man, Nadia’s, Antonio knew that he was bound to return to his hometown and run a restaurant. Nadia fits the Santini family like a lost piece of a puzzle. Like her in-laws, she has a deep respect for traditions. She helped Antonio transformed a small family inn into the world-class restaurant that Del Pescatore is now known for. She is the heart of Del Pescatore and she is the driving force behind the kitchens.

Nadia Santini’s Spaghetti with Porcini Mushrooms and Foie Gras Recipe

Recipe via World Wide Gourmet

Total time: 15 to 30 minutes

Preparation and cooking time: 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy

Chef’s Note

This is a perfect dish to stimulate the appetite, featuring noble products such as porcini mushrooms and foie gras.

Ingredients for 4 servings

250 g (9 oz.) spaghetti (see Pasta)

150 g (5 oz.) porcini Mushrooms

150 g (10 tbsp.) extra virgin olive oil

100 g (3 1/2 oz.) Foie gras or goose liver

80 g (5 tbsp.) vegetable broth

20 g (2 tbsp.) green onions

20 g (4 tsp.) butter

20 g (4 tsp.) celery

1 sprig of rosemary

1 clove of garlic

Salt and pepper

Basil flowers and leaves

Method

1. Pour some of the extra virgin olive oil into a saucepan; add the sliced green onions and chopped celery. Add the vegetable broth and cook gently for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

2. In a hot non-stick skillet, sauté the foie gras in pieces with the butter and rosemary. Cook the foie gras for two minutes so that a nice crust is formed on the outside, while the inside remains soft and creamy. Remove from the pan and keep warm on paper towels.

3. Combine the spaghetti with the vegetable sauce, mix in the porcini and foie gras and serve very hot. Garnish with basil florets or small basil leaves.

4. Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water for 5 minutes, until “al dente.” Drain the spaghetti. (The spaghetti will finish cooking in the sauce.) While the pasta is cooking, heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet. When very hot, add the sliced porcini stems, and then the sliced porcini caps with a little rosemary, salt, pepper, and the whole garlic clove. Remove the garlic clove after a brief time.

Image credit : Flickr.com