Pasta and pizza are sometimes the essentials in our cupboards, the comforting dish in all seasons, the pleasure we treat ourselves to in a restaurant, or the gourmet lazy meal we have delivered to our home. . Between the French and Italian cuisine, it’s a great love story.
But when it comes to transalpine gastronomy, when the French take to the stove, the liberties they take with traditional transalpine recipes are enough to drive the Italians crazy. Crème fraîche in carbonara, fondant pasta rather than al dente or even Camembert pizza: what do Italians think of these Gauls who dare to revisit their emblematic dishes? Homage or sacrilege? On the occasion of International Italian Cuisine Day this Wednesday, 20 minutes asked Federico Schiavon, Italian chef at the Italian restaurant Darocoin Paris, who agreed to correct the errors most often made.
The pasta is al dente!
The French are fans of pasta, with an average of 8 kg of pasta per person per year (far behind the Italians, who eat 25 kg each!). However, it is not because they eat them often that the French know how to cook them. Moreover, while on packages of pasta from Italian brands, only one cooking time – al dente – is indicated, on pasta from French brands, two times are indicated on the packaging: al dente cooking and melting cooking. “French brands are adapted to the taste of French customers, but in Italy, pasta is al dente,” insists Federico Schiavon. Besides, when I buy good dry Italian pasta, which has for example a cooking time of 9 minutes, I always take it out before, at 7 and a half minutes, to have a good firm dough in the mouth, because the time to take them out and combine them with the sauce, cooking continues. Fondant pastes don’t exist! “.
A sacred approach to this emblematic Italian dish. “Eating pasta is part of our DNA: we eat it al dente, and without cutting it. Often, the French cut their pasta with a knife to make it easier to eat, but an Italian dies to see that! And we don’t eat either long pasta with a spoon: we use the edge of the plate to roll our pasta.”
Carbonara is without crème fraîche or bacon!
Among the French’s favorite pasta dishes, carbonara ranks high, and many gourmets are looking for a good recipe on the internet. And on Marmiton, there is no shortage of carbonara pasta recipes. Among them, the recipe for “French carbonara pasta”. In terms of key ingredients, we give you a thousand: crème fraîche and bacon. Enough to delight ignorant taste buds, and arouse the ire of any self-respecting Italian, and who respects the recipe for carbonara della mamma to the letter!
So, French carbon, homage or audacity that pushes the envelope a little too far? “I would say it’s French audacity,” replies Federico Schiavon with a laugh. A little over a year ago, in front of one of our establishments, there was a billboard displaying a campaign for a French cream brand, which touted a cream carbonara recipe. It was fun, but it was a bit of a task! And we can say what we want, it’s not a carbonara! » So can we revisit an Italian dish with its own sauce? “Yes of course,” assures the chef. But everything has its name. When I was little, my mother made pasta with cream, ham and mushrooms, but she didn’t call it carbonara! And when I make beef bourguignon, I follow the real recipe. Same for semi-cooked foie gras, it’s not with calf’s liver! You have to call things by their name! If a customer asks me for a carbonara, I make them a “real” carbonara.”
And to make it “real”, “we use guanciale, a charcuterie made from pork cheek, and especially no cream! We obtain a creamy sauce by mixing the egg yolk with a little pasta cooking water, rich in starch: this is mantecatura, a technique which emulsifies the sauce and gives it flavor. creaminess. That’s carbonara! »
No pineapple or camembert on the pizza!
The third favorite dish of the French, pizza can be devoured in every way. There are the Neapolitans who love pizzas with thin, crispy dough, or the Romans who like to treat themselves to a piece of pizza al taglio, bought by the slice. Those who are more daring on a spree in Naples (and who are not afraid of cholesterol) can even opt for fried pizza, a sort of calzone immersed in an oil bath.
On the other hand, for any self-respecting Italian, Hawaiian pizza with pineapple, or four cheese with Camembert, is out of the question! “In France, I noticed that fior di latte mozzarella was often replaced by Gruyere or Emmental,” notes Federico Schiavon, “because they are stringy cheeses. But for us, the margherita is almost a brand: it must be made with tomato sauce, fior di latte, a high quality flower mozzarella.” A classic elevated to the rank of emblem in the colors of the Italian flag: the red of the tomato, the white of the mozzarella and the green of the basil.
You can express your inventiveness on a pizza, “and even add fruit, but not just any fruit,” he continues. For example, Daroco has already offered pizzas with pear or quince, but you have to choose the right ones: pineapple is sweet and acidic, it doesn’t go well at all with tomato sauce, so a margherita with pineapple, never before! No more than a four cheese with Camembert,” says the chef.
Cappuccino, never after 11 a.m.!
After all these delicious dishes, some will happily finish the meal with a little coffee. But beware of those who have the impudence to ask for a cappuccino after a hearty pasta dish! “Cappuccino for us is only in the morning, for breakfast, accompanied by a cornetto, an Italian croissant filled with custard or chocolate,” says Federico Schiavon. In Italy, after a certain time, you can’t order it. We’ll have a coffee instead, a real one, a ristretto, very strong! »