Buon Appetito shares savory creations
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Mino Gilberti, right, owner of Buon Appetito prepares Chicken Rollatini with his assistant Anthony Truoiolo. Reminder Publications photo by G. Michael Dobbs
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By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
WESTFIELD Have you ever sat in a favorite restaurant, savored a bite and wished you had the recipe?
Mino Gilberti of Buon Appetito is making that happen. The chef and owner of the Italian restaurant is having special evenings in which people can come into the kitchen with him and see how some of his dishes are made to try them at home.
Gilberti presented one of these evenings last week and showed a group of a dozen people how to make an appetizer, two entrees and his house salad dressing. Each course was brought to the table so the participants not only had a cooking class, but a dinner as well. Each course is served with an appropriate wine.
The dinner was topped off with dessert imported from Italy.
This reporter was armed not only with his appetite, but also with paper and pen to capture Gilberti's instructions. The cheerful chef insisted that what he was going to show us was "easy," and that we should worry less about measurements and more about making the dish to our taste.
Although I'm not as confident I could repeat the flavors Gilberti achieves, I did come away with many tips that would help me in the kitchen.
As a former line cook, I was fascinated to see how Gilberti organized his kitchen.
Since each meal is prepared to order, the secret to efficiency is having the fresh ingredients ready to go. Staples of his kitchen include a large container of homemade chicken stock and another container of melted butter.
Another distinctive item was a jar full of spoons, the chef used for checking the taste of the entrees.
First up, was an artichoke appetizer in a lemon and white wine sauce. After cutting and coring artichoke hearts packaged in water, Gilberti lightly dusted them in flour and then soaked it in beaten eggs.
From there it went into a frying pan with melted butter but don't ask him how much, Gilberti simply showed us the pan to see the bottom lightly coated. After putting the pieces into fry, he added dry Chablis about half a cup and then several large ladles of chicken broth.
The first tip of the night was if you're not up to making your own broth, then use Knorr chicken bouillon, rather than canned stock.
With a squirt of fresh lemon juice, a quick taste and some fresh chopped Italian parsley, the dish was ready to be plated. If the dish has too much lemon flavor, add some more broth. Too salty? Add some cold water and cook a little longer.
The dish was finished with a slice of mozzarella cheese which melted when he poured a little of the sauce over it.
I don't like artichokes, but I love this dish.
"Easy, right?" Gilberti asked.
It was now time to eat and receive a second tip. Every Italian kitchen should have three constant ingredients: olive oil, fresh garlic and flat Italian parsley.
With a supermarket shelf full of olive oil, I asked which one. He said he had no real preference other than to buy oil from Italy. Regular oil is good for cooking and one should save extra virgin olive oil for salads and to eat with bread.
Gilberti has extensive training in wine and served the appetizer with a sparkling pink wine called Prosecco. He offered another tip when you pair wine with a dish, it's your taste that counts. Don't go for the most expensive bottle; go for the one you like best with the food.
Next was Boscaiola, a rustic dish that combines chopped prosciutto, onions, peas, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts in a cream sauce over bowtie pasta. Gilberti said that one should buy a good prosciutto that costs at least $14 a pound.
After saut ing the onions, he added the prosciutto, a handful of peas, the artichoke hearts (packed in water). He then poured in enough cream to cover everything while his assistant Anthony Truoiolo of Springfield started the pasta.
Gilberti's pasta tip was to look for pasta made from Durham semolina wheat. It doesn't matter if it's 50 cents a pound or $2 a pound, it's the flour that counts, he explained.
As he cooked the combination the cream began to thicken and he used grated Parmesan cheese as a thickening agent rather than flour.
The dish was delicious and I thought, well, maybe I can do this.
The next dish was Chicken Rollatini. It started simply enough as Gilberti rolled thinly butterflied chicken breast with a slice of prosciutto, several pieces of fresh spinach and a slice of provolone cheese. Secured with toothpicks, and rolled lightly in flour, these were then transferred to a hot cooking pan and lightly saut ed on both sides.
Now came the challenge. After adding some Portuguese port wine, Gilberti set flame to it to burn it off. He then added chicken broth and covered it to cook some more. Toward the end of the cooking, he added slices mushrooms. He sliced each piece four times, had poured the mushrooms and the sauce over it.
It was wonderful.
Throughout the evening Gilberti emphasized how easy these dishes are to make. I think he makes them look easy, but I'm going to try them anyway.
"Food is supposed to be simple, fresh and good," he said.
Those are words every cook should live by.
For the next cooking class, call Gilberti at 568-0002.
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