With Osteria Francescana winning the top restaurant in the world I thought I would give you an inside look into the menu and this revolutionary chef’s new-ish book “Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef” and no this is not a dig at Claire Allen of short chef skinny chef.
Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef is a tribute to three-michelin star restaurant, Osteria Francescana and the twenty-five year career of its chef, Massimo Bottura, ‘the Jimi Hendrix of Italian chefs’.
Osteria Francescana is Italy’s most celebrated restaurant. At Osteria Francescana, chef Massimo Bottura (as featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table- my newest binge watch series) takes inspiration from contemporary art to create highly innovative dishes that play with Italian culinary traditions. It’s an approach that has won him three Michelin stars and a top ten place on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list.
Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef is a tribute to Bottura’s twenty-five year career and the evolution of Osteria Francescana. Divided into four chapters, each one dealing with a different period, the book features 50 recipes and accompanying texts explaining Bottura’s inspiration, ingredients and techniques. Illustrated with photography by Stefano Graziani and Carlo Benvenuto, Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef is the first book from Bottura – the leading figure in modern Italian gastronomy.
Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef is available for purchase online here TakeAlot.com has the book retailing at R1089.00 which still cheaper than Osteria Francescana’s tasting menu and a flight to Italy!
Osteria Francescana’s tasting menu (R 3060 a head)
- Memory of a mortadella sandwich
- Croccantino of foie gras
- An eel swimming up the Po river
- Pasta and beans
- Five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in different textures and temperatures
- The crunchy part of the lasagna
- Beautiful, psychedelic spin-painted veal, not flame grilled
- Caesar salad in Emilia
- Sweet potato ravioli from Parma to Mantova
- Oops! I dropped the lemon tart
See more about the book in the video below. You’ll see just a glimpse of the beautiful cinematography that is in the Chef’s Table series, a must watch for any foodie!
Images Courtsey of Fine Dining Explorers
