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February is Mamma Mia Month at Four Seasons Hotel Prague

Michelin-Star Chef invites his mother to share traditional Italian recipes at Allegro.

ČESKY: Maminka michelinského šéfkuchaře vaří v restauraci Allegro   ve Four Seasons Hotel Prague 

During the month of February, Michelin Star awarded Allegro will be offering a special menu full of traditional Italian delicacies from the Veneto region created by Executive Chef Andrea Accordi and his mother, Teresa Accordi.

“I have three brothers and two sisters and I remember my mother spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking for the whole family.  Most of all I loved her risotto,” says Chef Accordi.  “Even today when I return home she prepares it for me and it still remains my favourite.  My colleagues and friends always ask about this special dish, so I decided to invite Mamma to cook for them and from there we decided to let her share her specialties with our guests in Allegro.  I truly believe they will love it as much as I do.”

Mamma, Teresa Accordi, will visit Allegro during the first week of February and present her menu to restaurant guests on the evenings of February 3, 4, 5, and 6, 2010.  Mamma’s special menu will be available for the entire month of February, with the possibility that dishes may become permanent menu choices.

“It will be the first time my mother and I will be cooking in one kitchen.  I am very much looking forward to this experience and I am a little nervous - maybe I will learn something new from her,” added Chef Accordi.
Here, Chef Accordi shares his memories of his mother’s cuisine from his childhood in Verona, Italy:

Starters

Calf liver, Venetian style: “To be honest, I didn’t like this dish as a child and my mother pushed me so hard to eat it.  Only now, I realize how delicious the combination of flavours really is.”

Tigelle and deep fried gnocco, with Culatello ham, salame, rolled pancetta and mountain lard:  “Tigelle and gnocco fritto are cooked a-la-minute and must be eaten immediately.  The best thing is that you can’t stop eating them.  My mother had to cook for 2 hours without a break because the plate was always empty.”

Stewed stock fish in milk, sautéed bitter herbs: “In the past Baccala alla vicentina was a dish of the poor, but very, very tasty.  Now it has become one of the most symbolic dishes of Vicenza.  You need to be an expert to choose the best quality fish stock in the market.  When I asked my mother for the recipe she said, ‘take all the ingredients, put them in a pot, cover it and then place the pot in the oven for 4 to 6 hours.’  If only it was that easy!

Primi piati

Potato gnocchi with tomato, red onion confit and guanciale:  “I can’t forget the wonderful homemade gnocchi that was waiting on the dining table when I came home from school - I could smell it at the front door.  She knew how to get us to come straight home from school.”

Risotto with tasta sal:  “This was the wish of all the Accordi brothers and sisters every Sunday.  I cannot remember a Sunday without risotto in my family.  We are from an area near the town of Verona where one of the most beautiful varieties of  rice is grown and my mother is very famous not only in our family but also in our village for her perfect risotto.  I promise you, it is the best!”

Tortellini in brood:  “Tedious to make.  While the chicken stock is simmering in a corner of the stove for several hours, my mother folds each cappelletti and shapes it passionately.  This kitchen ritual happened in silence and nobody was allowed to disturb her.”

Main dishes

Porchetta rolled suckling pig stuffed with herbs, sautéed beans with mountain lard:  “During late summer, when family and friends are invited to our house, porchetta is the perfect selection to make everyone happy.   It requires long preparation for 2 days followed by 7 hours of cooking on the spit in our garden.  I can still smell it!  This dish was unique in a sense that everybody in the family had a part in its preparation.”

Pigeon confit, stewed vegetables in salmi sauce, Trevisan radicchio compote:  “Few ingredients, but a very long preparation time.   Pigeon is very popular in my region.  During autumn season the farmers would come to our house to offer this game and my mother always checked the quality and said, ‘Make sure the pigeons are not too skinny, I have a big hungry family!’

Bollito misto, slowly poached beef, chicken, veal head, veal tongue and cotechino, served with Castelluccio lentils, bread and bone marrow sauce:  “Another traditional dish from my region and very much appreciated by my family.  When my mother prepares this dish she starts very early in the morning.  Most of the meat parts are cooked separately, lots of flavours are added, and the stove is full of steaming pots in the kitchen.  The sauce is prepared at the end with beef stock, bone marrow and bread crumbs.”

Dessert

Mamma Teresa’s sweets, including tiramisu, “rofioi” with amaretti and chocolate, raisin fritters with rum sabayon, bignolata, clementine panna cotta, Vanilla rice and fior di latte ice cream:  “My mother’s sweets instantly return me to my childhood”

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