On 26 June we attended to “The Flying Ceff” an itinerant food event hosted by the Executive Chef Giorgio Trovato on his restaurant, Il Convito di Curina, located in Castelnuovo Berardegna, near Siena in the Chianti area. The Flying Ceff format comes from an idea of the Duo composed by Fausto Arrighi (culinary critic and ex managing director of the Italian Michelin Guide) and Davide Di Corato (well known Italian author of books, culinary critic, journalist and managing director of many magazine, for the wine and food industry). It has many distinctive traits. First of all it is a six-handed dinner where Chef Giorgio Trovato and the two unexpected Chefs worked together to create a gourmet menu.
Photo Credits: Micaela Scapin Comunicazione
Both Giorgio Trovato and the duo who invented the Flying Ceff (Arrighi and Di Corato), are united for having fun in kitchen. And to let people discover the pleasure of the good eating, enjoying precious moment with friends. And it is exactly what happened during the dinner. The participants were all Italians foodies, but a significant group of likeable Norwegian tourists joined us. They were enjoying their Tuscan holidays celebrating the birthday of one of their good friends. They seemed really involved by Tuscany and the event.
The dinner
The menu was ideated by the three Chefs, which also directed the cuisine brigade for the preparation. We were invited to play a game, guessing the chef who managed the course. Our table won the game, tie with another table of participants and we won a bottle a champagne!
An interesting selection of finger foods, under the Giorgio Trovato re-interpretation of the typical Tuscan entrees and with the introduction of an ancient ingredients, the hemp, had given the start to the dinner.
Caprese to drink: an explosion of taste that delight the palate and make you travel through all the intense memories of your life, and take out from you self-awareness about what it means being Italian.
Carpaccio of salted codfish and sorbet of red onions of Tropea: excellent proposal to revisit an ingredient such as red onion of Tropea in the form of sorbet to clean out the palate after the intensity of the codfish.
Jerusalem artichoke cream with crudités of Caramote prawn and Calvisius caviar: the freshness of crustacean combined with the delicacy of Jerusalem artichokes make this dish ideal for summer appetizers.
Tuscan Tomato Bread Soup: a great and creative revisitation of a classical of the Tuscan kitchen, the Pappa al Pomodoro, made with hemp flour, Burrata mozzarella cream and cherry tomatoes confit.
Ricotta cheese with hulled hemp: the delicacy of a sweet ricotta, made important by the characteristic taste of hulled hemp.
As entrée we had a classical of the Italian cuisine such as tasty Rabbit meat pie with pistachios, typical of the important event, made by The Flying Ceff.
After this we had an excellence of the Chianti and one of our favorite dish, the Tuna of Chianti with cannellini beans and raspberry sauce, made by Giorgio Trovato. It has been impossible not asking for a second portion. This is not tuna fish as anyone could think, but unexpectedly is leg pork. The recipe is dated back to the rural and poor culinary tradition of Tuscany. Nowadays it is internationally known for its taste and his way of preparing, practically unchanged over the centuries, which includes boiling the meat in white wine for several hours with the spices, and its preservation in extra virgin olive oil.
Rabbit meat pie with Pistachios
Photo Credits Micaela Scapin Comunicazione
Tuna of Chianti with Cannellini beans and raspberry sauce
Photo Credits Micaela Scapin Comunicazione
The first course gifted us a journey over the time with a Chickpeas puree with red prawns, made by The Flying Ceff, followed by a Hemp flour box filled with Chianina meat stew and organic zolfini beans of San Gimignano, made by Trovato. Both have been applauded for their taste and creamy.
Chickpeas puree with red prawns
Photo Credits Micaela Scapin Comunicazione
Hemp flour box filled with Chianina meat stew and organic zolfini beans of San Gimignano
The second course was a brick-shaped baked pork, made by Giorgio Trovato, and even in that case, we have seen some participants receiving the second portion as well.
Brick-shaped baked pork
Photo Credits Giovanbattista Latorella
Soup of fresh vegetables and fruit seasoned with passionfruit and raspberry sorbet
The predessert was an unexpected surprise. A joyful and refreshing soup of fresh vegetables and fruit seasoned with passionfruit and raspberry sorbet, made by Giorgio Trovato. This course cleaned and prepared the mouth for the dessert, after a such important dish as the second course.
And then an intense explosion of taste given by the Giorgio Trovato dessert, a delicious Cioccolatissimo with hemp flour and a carrot cream. It’s a chocolate cake that hide a chocolate fudge. At this point the terrace where we all were sitting, just felt in a total silence. Some one trying to resist to the sensation of this heavenly delicious, some other just let themselves go with the sound of their pleasure.
Cioccolatissimo with hemp flour and carrot cream
Photo Credits Giovanbattista Latorella
Wine card
The wine selection has been really accurate and appropriate, in order to match with any course.
- Rosé Amor Osa, produced by Principe Ibleo in Sicily
- Champagne “Il Convito di Curina”, produced in France by Alain Bernard in exclusive for the restaurant, accompanied both the entrées and Chickpeas puree with red prawns.
- Malvasia 2013, produced by Conte d’Attimis of Maniago (near Udine, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, north eastern of Italy), accompanied the Hemp flour box filled with Chianina meat stew and organic zolfini beans of San Gimignano.
- Merlot IGT 2003 – produced by Castello delle Regine, accompanied the second course.
- San Giovese Grosso, produced by Conte d’Attimis of Maniago
- Intellighenzia, produced by Principe Ibleo
The happy ending of the evening
At the end of the dinner, it was really pleasing meeting the three special Chefs and the cuisine brigade, that joined us in the terrace for a round of drinks, and was greeted with a sincere, long and warming applause.
We then noticed the informal and warming approach of these special Chefs to the participants and the cuisine brigade, and we all concluded drinking and socially talking about wine, food and travel around Tuscany, underneath the starry vault of heaven.
Giorgio Trovato
The Chef Giorgio Trovato, 44 years old has Calabrian origins. He lives in Tuscany since he was 18 to study in Siena. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Law but right after it, he chose to follow his passion for cooking enrolling at Boscolo Etoile Academy in Sottomarina, Venice. He considers himself as a “free spirit”. This is a perfect definition that reflects his professional life and his personal concept of taste. Trovato spent many time abroad driven by the will and the need to compare himself with different cultures.
His dishes are made with fresh ingredients that you won’t find at the supermarket. He uses to study the history and culture of the territory to know which are the materials and culinary traditions, and then he personally finds the niche local producer to choose the best raw materials. Giorgio Trovato started the use of hemp (without the THC excipient) in the kitchen. He is one of the few in Italy. He grows a plantation of hemp in a plot in Chianti close the restaurant. The hemp is an excellent ingredient on nutritional level and for the respect of the nature.
Il Convito di Curina Restaurant
Once we arrived in Castelnuovo Berardenga it was impossible not enjoy the beautiful location where the restaurant is located. Il Convito di Curina Restaurant is in the heart of Chianti area, where the kitchen holds the taste and history of the Tuscan gastronomic tradition. Il Convito di Curina is located in an 16th century old hamlet, full of history and charm, surrounded by the beautiful rolling hills of Chianti. The panoramic terrace with the stunning view of the Sienese countryside is breathtaking and at night it’s amazing to see into the darkness the lights of Siena and its Duomo. The word Convito means a solemn plentiful lunch or dinner shared with many tablemates. Since the time you enter the restaurant you feel to be in the right place to consume an important dinner made of excellent food matched with selected wines. Il Convito di Curina has two Michelin Guide Forks thanks to “the wide selection of local Wines and champagne made by small producers”.
Soon an interview with Giorgio Trovato with a “special surprise” for our readers.
