Scenes from a Tuscan Feast

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Do Bianchi

bistecca alla fiorentina

We’d like to send out a heartfelt thanks to everyone who attended the sold-out Tuscan Feast featuring the wines of Banfi last night. Our signature dish, bistecca alla fiorentina (porterhouse steak, served Florentine style) paired beautifully with the 2000 Banfi single-vineyard Brunello di Montalcino “Poggio alle Mura” that we sourced especially for this wonderful event.

Chef Harvey carved the steaks himself in the dining room. Brunello di Montalcino and grilled, grass-fed steak is one of the great pairings of Tuscan cuisine. The polished tannin and sumptuous fruit flavor of the wine brings out the juicy savory flavors of the beef in a way that few other wines can.

We were thrilled to see some old friends as well as some new. If you’re not already signed up for our weekly e-letter, please click here to receive news about upcoming events like the Tuscan Feast.

We can’t tell you how much we appreciate your support in our quest to bring authentic Tuscan cuisine to Austin.

Italian wine experts Alfonso Cevola, C.S.W. (and Italian Wine Director for Glazer’s Distributors) and Jeremy Parzen, Ph.D. were also in attendance and shared their insights into what makes Italy’s Sangiovese grape such a wonderful, food-friendly wine.

It was a great group of Tuscan-food-and-wine-loving folks!

Dulcis in fundo: Chef Harvey’s Torta di Cioccolato paired with Banfi’s excellent Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui was a perfect culinary coda to a superb evening.

Thank you, again, to everyone who came out and helped to make our Tuscan Feast featuring the wines of Banfi a truly unforgettable event!

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Banfi Brunello dinner TONIGHT!

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Chef Harvey

Above: The Castello Banfi (Banfi Castle) offers one of the most picturesque views in the Orcia River Valley, a Unesco-protected heritage site, where Brunello di Montalcino is produced.

A CLASSIC TUSCAN FEAST
featuring the award-winning wines
of one of the greatest producers of Brunello di Montalcino
BANFI (Montalcino)

Where: Siena Ristorante Toscano (click here for location/directions)
When: Wednesday, July 28, 2010, 7:00 pm

$75 per person — RSVP 512-349-7667

Aperitivi
Fantasia di Crostini Toscani
An assortment of Tuscan style canapés that include: grilled mushrooms with goat cheese and white truffle oil, duck liver, black truffle pâté with fig conserve, polenta rounds with scallop mousse
(wine pairing: Maschio Prosecco Brut)

Antipasto
Terrina di Verdure
Warm terrine of grilled spring onions, locally grown squash, braised chard, fresh thyme and Pecorino Toscano
(wine pairing: Sant’Angelo Pinot Grigio)

Primo Piatto
Pappardelle al Cinghiale
Hand cut fresh ribbon pasta with Broken Arrow wild boar braised in Sangiovese
(wine pairing: Centine Toscana IGT Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot blend)

Secondi Piatti
Faraona Arrosto
Countryside Farms Guinea Fowl roasted with fresh bay, juniper berries, Sangiovese wine and black summer truffles
(wine pairing: Rosso di Montalcino)

Bistecca Fiorentina
Classic Tuscan Porterhouse Steak wood grilled with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, carved tableside and served with rosemary roasted potatoes
(wine pairing: Poggio Alle Mura Brunello di Montalcino DOCG)

Formaggio
Pecorino Stagionato Toscano con Tartufi
Aged Tuscan sheep’s milk cheese laced with black and white truffles
(wine pairing: Cum Laude Sant’Antimo DOC)

Dolce
Torta di Cioccolato
Rich chocolate tort with dark chocolate ganache
(wine pairing: Rosa Regale Brachetto d’Acqui DOCG)

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Travel to Tuscany with us on Wednesday!

Posted on July 26, 2010 by Do Bianchi

Brunello di Montalcino

Above: The City of Montalcino. “City of Wine, City of Honey, City of Olive Oil, City of Organic Farming.” Montalcino produces one of Italy’s most famous wines, Brunello di Montalcino. We’ll be tasting Banfi’s Brunello as well as its Super Tuscan on Wednesday evening, paired with classic Tuscan cuisine.

Please join us Wednesday, July 28, at 7 p.m. for an unforgettable evening of authentic Tuscan cuisine, the award-winning Brunello di Montalcino by Banfi.

TUSCAN FEAST
7 courses and 7 wines

Click here to view details and to reserve‎
or simply call (512) 349-7667

I will be on hand to talk about the featured dishes in our classic Tuscan feast and my experiences cooking and living in Toscana.

Austin-based Italian food and wine writer Jeremy Parzen, Ph.D. will also be in attendance to speak about the wines of Montalcino and what sets them apart as one of the most collected and coveted appellations of Europe.

We hope you’ll join us for this “voyage to Tuscany”!

Buon appetito!

—Chef Harvey

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A Texan in Toscana

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Chef Harvey

One of the reasons why we started this blog here at Siena Ristorante Toscano was so we could share our passion for Tuscan cooking and our experiences traveling, cooking, working, and living in this amazing region. Here, farm life and great food are interwoven in a truly unique way.

When I was studying Italian cuisine in Italy (in the north), I had the chance to meet many great people and learn about the traditions of their regions.

Then, when I went to work in Toscana, at the famous restaurant Il Pino in San Gimignano, I dived in head first and lived, ate, and drank the cuisine of this amazing place.

The photo to the left is of a lady picking olives in an olive grove not far from where I lived and worked. I think it’s such a great photo: except for the fact that I took the photo with a modern camera, you could have seen that same image, exactly as you see it here, 150 or even 200 years ago. That’s part of what is so special about this place.

And this is what I try to share with you every day at Siena Ristorante Toscano: a Texan in Toscana and a little bit of Toscana in Texas!

In upcoming weeks, I’ll be sharing photographs and stories about my life in Toscana. I hope that you’ll enjoy them as much as I did.

We hope to see you soon!

Buon weekend (happy weekend)!

—Chef Harvey

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Wood-grilled Wild King Salmon with grilled baby artichokes

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Chef Harvey

Above: This week’s “3 for 35 menu” features wood-grilled Wild King Salmon with grilled baby artichokes and lemon-thyme beurre blanc.

Every Thursday, we debut a new 3 for 35 Menu.

3 courses, $35 per person

Antipasti

Schiacciata di Pomodori Freschi

Grilled Tuscan flatbread with vine-ripe tomatoes, fresh basil and fresh mozzarella

Sformatino di Zucchini

Roasted potato, grilled zucchini and goat cheese flan, with lemon thyme butter

Primi Piatti

Pappa al Pomodoro

Tuscan tomato, basil soup over grilled bread, garnished with fresh basil, Grana Padano and extra virgin olive oil

Taglierini con Asparagi e Tartufi Neri

Fresh pasta with asparagus, Texas goat cheese, pignoli, Shallots, cream and black summer truffles

Secondi Piatti

Bistecca Tagliata

Wood-grilled sirloin sliced and served over assorted young greens in white truffle, lemon vinaigrette with balsamic roasted portabello mushrooms and Grana Padano

Salmone Selvaggio Grigliata

Wood-grilled Wild King Salmon with grilled baby artichokes and lemon-thyme beurre blanc

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Traditional Tuscan Crostini

Posted on July 20, 2010 by Do Bianchi

Above: Chef Harvey’s excellent Traditional Tuscan Crostini will play a starring role in the Tuscan Feast, July 28 (next Weds.) at Siena Ristorante Toscano. For more information and to reserve, please click here.

If you have ever traveled to Tuscany, you know that nearly every great meal begins with Traditional Tuscan Crostini (pronounced kroh-STEE-nee).

Crostini are grilled rounds of crusty bread topped with fresh ricotta cheese, chopped tomatoes (that have been tossed with a pinch of sea salt, minced garlic and flatleaf “Italian” parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, and a “kiss” of vinegar), and creamy pâté.

Chef Harvey mastered the art of true Tuscan crostini when he lived and worked in the medieval Tuscan town of San Gimignano (more on that later).

Above: Made from Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot grapes, Banfi’s Super Tuscan “Centine” is just one of the award-winning wines to be featured at the Tuscan Feast on July 28. Italian food and wine expert Dr. Jeremy Parzen, Ph.D. will also be in attendance and will be speaking to guests about the wines and pairings.

Crostini are just one of the fantastic traditional Tuscan dishes that will be paired with Banfi’s classic wines from Montalcino on July 28. Click here to view the entire menu.

Buon appetito! We hope to see you soon.

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The Caterina de’ Medici Salad at Siena

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Chef Harvey

The Caterina Salad (above) at Siena Ristorante Toscano is inspired by Caterina de’ Medici: grilled asparagus, vine ripe tomatoes, balsamic roasted portabello mushroom, Parmesan croutons and Texas goat cheese in a black summer truffle, balsamic vinaigrette.

According to legend, Caterina de’ Medici (below, left, 1519-1589) was one of the great food lovers of the Italian Renaissance. When she married King Henry II of France (in a political marriage that helped to align the Medici family of Florence with the Royal Court of France), she brought with her not only the political spoils of the rich and powerful Medici family but also the many culinary wonders of the Italian gastronomic Renaissance.

She has been credited with a number of innovations in French cuisine, including the use of the fork at the dinner table (previously, diners used their hands), the introduction of gelato, and — perhaps most significantly — the use of fresh greens and herbs.

For her now-famous salad, she would send the cooks out into the garden to pick “whatever herbs and vegetables” were fresh and ripe. Today, the “Insalata di Caterina” is still widely popular in Italy, where the ingredients vary according to the region and the season.

Here at Siena Ristorante Toscano, our Caterina Salad features some of the freshest ingredients available to us this time of year.

Come taste the Italian Renaissance at Siena Ristorante Toscano this weekend!

This just in: friend of Siena Ristorante Toscano, Italian food and wine writer Dr. Jeremy Parzen, Ph.D., will be speaking at our Tuscan Feast featuring the wines of Banfi on July 28. Click here for more information and to reserve.

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Find us on Facebook!

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Chef Harvey

Please join us on Facebook by clicking on the image above! We hope to see you soon.

A presto, Chef Harvey

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Bistecca alla Fiorentina: it’s what’s for dinner…

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Do Bianchi

In Tuscany AND Texas!

Any Texan who’s ever traveled to Tuscany will tell you that the Texans and Tuscans have a lot in common: like Texans, Tuscans are a ranching people who share the Texans’ love of the outdoors and their love of steak.

The Bistecca alla Fiorentina (bee-STEH-kah AHL-lah fee-OH-rehn-TEE-nah), the “Beef Steak of Florence” (above) is the same cut as our Porterhouse. Scored and seared over an open flame on either side and traditionally served rare, the Beef Steak of Florence is a quintessential dish of Tuscan cuisine and a favorite entrée at Siena Ristorante Toscano. It actually represents one of the best values on our menu: it serves 2 persons for just $49.

32oz Angus Porterhouse grilled with sea salt, black pepper and extra virgin olive oil, served with sautéed spinach and rosemary roasted potatoes (recommended for two)

Chef Harvey knows a little something about Bistecca alla Fiorentina. Let’s just say that he sampled one or two while he was working as a chef in San Gimignano, Tuscany. ;-)

Chef Harvey Harris

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Carpaccio diem

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Do Bianchi

Chef Harvey’s Carpaccio was AMAZING last night: Thin sliced raw Kobe beef with horseradish, white truffle aioli, Parmesan Frico, capers and grilled cremini mushrooms.

Paired beautifully with the Terruzzi & Puthod Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

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