A Visit to Piemonte

If eating homemade pasta and fresh local ingredients is of interest to you, keep reading.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to attend “Autumn in Piemonte,” an event held here in NYC highlighting the exquisite cuisine offered in Italy’s Piemonte region (“Piedmont” in English). The event was held at De Gustibus Cooking School, which is hidden in plain sight inside Macy’s Herald Square on the 8^th floor. The walls of the school were lined with photos of famous chefs who have cooked in this space over the years, including icons such as Julia Child and Anthony Bourdain.

“Autumn in Piemonte” was hosted by Kathy McCabe (you may recognize her from Dream of Italy on PBS), and featured a cooking demonstration from award-winning (and Chopped-winning) Chef Silvia Baldini. I had the chance to meet Baldini upon arrival at the event, and her love of Piemontese cuisine was immediately apparent.

You know that thing when you speak to someone you don’t know, but there’s something familiar about them so it feels like a warm hug? That’s what chatting with Silvia Baldini was like.

ITALY’S PIEMONTE REGION

Located in Northwestern Italy and bordering both France and Switzerland, Piemonte sits at the foot of the mountains (hence the name) and offers dishes that are quite different from what most Americans think of when they hear the words “Italian food.” For instance, you’re less likely to find tomato-based sauces in this region. According to Baldini, many traditional dishes in this region use butter and/or walnut oil as a base instead of olive oil, which is more common in southern Italian cuisine.

Torino (“Turin” in English) is the capital city of Piemonte and the only city in this region that I’ve personally traveled to. The pace in Torino was much slower than in other large Italian cities, and food and drinks in restaurants and bars were less expensive as well. It’s an under-the-radar destination in Italy that many American tourists are sleeping on.

In Italy, enjoying an aperitivo before dinner is quite common, but in Northern Italy it is very common for your aperitivo to include some small bites of food (in the south it may or may not include food). This concept is so popular in Torino that many places offer an expanded version of aperitivo called apericena, where the included food is now a much larger spread that can easily be your dinner for the evening (“cena” is the Italian word for dinner). I’m sure apericena exists outside of Torino, but this is still the only city in Italy where I’ve personally seen the term used.  

LOCAL CUISINE AND UNIQUE EXPERIENCES IN PIEMONTE

One of my favorite things I tried in Torino was a dessert called bicerin, a hot specialty drink made with espresso, chocolate, and cream. I don’t know how it’s done, but one of the tricks is for the drink to be served with distinct layers that somehow do not mix beforehand. There was a line to get into Al Bicerin, and once I tasted their specialty, I understood why. Al Bicerin has been a staple in Torino since 1763 and I hope to return to this cozy spot for another one in the future.

In the first restaurant we visited, Scannabue, I noticed a dish on the menu called vitello tonnato, which broke my Italian-speaking brain a little bit. I knew that vitello was veal and that tonno was tuna, but tonnato? Could that really mean… “tuna’d”? Turned out that yes that was exactly what that meant. Vitello Tonnato is a Piemontese dish made by thinly slicing cooked veal and serving it with a sauce made from (you guessed it) tuna, along with anchovies and capers. It’s served as a room-temperature appetizer and is packed full of flavor. I think we had vitello tonnato every day while in Torino, and whenever I see it on a menu now, I order it.   

A locally sourced ingredient that is unique to Piemonte—and among the most in-demand and expensive in the world—is the white truffle. White truffles are not as readily available as black truffles, have a much more delicate flavor, and are typically only harvested during the fall months. One of the most well-known pasta dishes served in Piemonte is called Tajarin al Tartufo, which is a thin egg noodle served with truffles (“tajarin” is how you say “tagliolini” in the Piemontese dialect), and yes my first meal in Torino was vitello tonnato followed by tajarin al tartufo.

Travelers visiting Piemonte from September to December can join a truffle hunting dog and its farmer (you read that correctly) on a search for truffles in the wild. Truffle hunting is usually followed by a visit to the farmhouse or a nearby restaurant where you can enjoy a meal made with the truffles collected during your excursion (this experience remains very high on my must-do list).

COOKING WITH CHEF SILVIA BALDINI

Okay, back to New York.

After enjoying some Piemontese wine and appetizers, Baldini began the cooking demonstration by making tajarin, excuse me, tagliolini with asparagus in a simple sauce made with butter, grated cheese (a combination of Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Romano), asparagus, lemon, and of course, that delicious freshly made pasta.

Here’s the very simple recipe (no measurements were mentioned but honestly you don’t need them):

TAGLIOLINI CON ASPARAGI

1. Prepare your cooking water for the pasta:
   • Boil a pot of water, which should be “salty like the ocean” (this is how you season the pasta)
     
     
2. Prepare the asparagus:
   • Snap off the woody bottom of each stalk (slowly bend your asparagus near the bottom; it’ll snap where it’s supposed to)
   • Remove the skin with a peeler, leaving the tips whole
   • Cut each stalk (on a bias) into 2-inch pieces, leaving the tips whole
   • Blanch the asparagus pieces (put them in boiling water for a minute or two and then move them to an ice bath)
     
     
3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta
   • Add your tagliolini to the pot of boiling water – fresh pasta will only need 1 or 2 minutes to cook. If you’re using boxed pasta like I do, follow cooking instructions on the box.
     
     
4. Make your sauce and add the pasta:
   • Add a few tablespoons of butter to a medium hot pan
   • Add the grated cheese as the butter melts
   • Add your asparagus pieces and stir slowly
   • Zest a lemon right into the pan, avoiding any pith. The lemon really wakes up the asparagus and gives the dish extra flavor.
   • Slowly add in some of the pasta water – this step is crucial and is what makes your sauce creamy without adding cream
   • When your pasta is cooked (taste it to know for sure!), drain it and add it directly to the pan with your sauce. Slowly add more pasta water until the sauce is nice and creamy
     
     
5. Enjoy!

After dinner, we were treated to a freshly made zabaglione, a simple dessert made from eggs and sugar and served with savoiardi, which are essentially Italian ladyfingers.  Savoiardi have been a favorite cookie of mine since childhood and I don’t see them served very often. The taste took me back to my grandparents’ house in Brooklyn in the 80s and yes, I had two.

I left the event full of delicious food and wine, and of course, now that I’m writing this out, am hungry and asking myself when am I going back to Piemonte?? Whenever that may be, it’s not soon enough.