Alciati and Vetri: milk is the superstar

This lesson is a focus on milk. And who better than Ugo Alciati, Expo Ambassador for milk, could share his opinion? At Identità we know very well the splendid liquid he uses for the fiordilatte served at his Guido in the Langhe, the same sold to Eataly’s ice cream shops around the world, Lait, and the same that charmed the guests the previous night here in New York inside the Birreria. As the American public doesn’t know this, however, here’s his short summary: «This milk comes from a white Piedmontese cow, which grazes in the mountains: it produces very little but very good milk».

The dish for his lesson is Risotto with Grana Padano Dop Riserva 24 months («A longer maturation than usual») which is later seasoned with three sauces: pumpkin, ricotta (made with the above mentioned milk) and anchovies. The uniqueness is given by the fact the rice grains are toasted adding nothing else: «No butter, no onion, no oil and no wine», the chef says assertively showing an empty pot, «because we need to evolve by making even the recipes for more established dishes lighter». Fats, therefore, are reduced to the minimum and the rice is cooked by adding not meat or vegetable broth but large ladles of water. Grana Padano (alone) will take care of the creaming. Roughly ground black pepper hydrated with a genepì style herb liqueur will add the final touch to enrich the strong character of the three sauces, an emblem of the chef’s territory. After Migliaccio’s and Cracco’s risottos, another (very different) risotto to be enjoyed in large quantities.

Marc Vetri, his grandparents were from Enna but he was born in Philadelphia, debuted on the stage of Identità Golose by praising Alciati himself: when he recently visited him in the Langhe he was charmed by his fiordilatte. Vetri, who leads a small empire in Philly (gourmet, meat and fish restaurants and soon a pizzeria in Austin, a 3 hours flight from home) chose an aggressive dish for his debut: Veal breast “with milk” with fried sage. He made a brave choice with a very tough and very neglected cut of meat.

Large slices of lard are blended in the food processor with rosemary and garlic. This cream becomes the filling for a monolithic yet elastic piece of veal breast, rolled and tied with string as with a large roll. He cuts 1 cm thick slices, puts them in a pan with olive oil, the same in which he fries the sage leaves. And he then adds an emulsion made with milk and a little lemon juice. He then explains how «Milk has many uses: with meat, seafood…». But most of all, the basic concept is important: «You can innovate also with a stew, if you cook tradition and strong flavours in the right way».