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Posts by Chef Harvey

Aug 24

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Wine dinner: white wines and Tuscan seafood August 25

Above: Castiglione della Pescaia in the province of Grosseto (Tuscany) is one of Italy’s most beautiful seaside towns and one of the top summer destinations for Europe’s glitterati.

Siena Goes to The Beach

Wednesday, August 25, 2010, 7:00pm

five courses, five wines

PLEASE CALL (512) 349-7667 TO RESERVE.

Italian food and wine author Jeremy Parzen, Ph.D. will be on hand to discuss the wines.

$59 per person (not including tax and gratuity)

With its long coastline and many sea ports, Tuscany is known for its beaches and abundant supply of fresh seafood.

Come join us as we present the lighter side of Tuscan cuisine paired with the fine white wines of Italy.

Aperitivi
Crostini di Polenta con Granchio
Polenta canapés with lump crab salad
(wine pairing: Ruffino Orvieto Classico ’08)

Antipasto
Calamari Grigliata con Ceci
Grilled calamari and shrimp with chickpeas, lemon zest, Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil, Italian parsley and red chili flakes
(wine pairing: Inama Soave Classico ’08)

Primo Piatto
Linguine all’Aragosta
Hand-cut fresh pasta with lobster, roasted corn, creamed leeks and Umbrian black truffle
(wine pairing: Ruffino Libaio Chardonnay ’08)

Secondi Piatti
Tagliata di Tonno con Fagioli
Herb-grilled Yellowfin Tuna with pancetta, fresh sage, red onion, nepitella, cannellini beans, and Tuscan extra-virgin olive oil
(wine pairing: Teruzzi & Puthod Vernaccia di San Gimignano Terre di Tufo ’06)

Dolce
Panna Cotta con Gelatina di Ananas
Flan of Water Oak Farms goat’s milk yogurt with pineapple gelée and almond crisp
(wine pairing: Moscato d’Asti)

Above: The Gambero Rosso restaurant in San Vincenzo, province of Livorno (Tuscany) is one of the greatest seafood restaurants in the world. I had the opportunity to eat there when I was living and cooking in San Gimignano. The food I ate there is one of the inspirations for our Tuscan Riviera menu, August 25.

Aug 23

Cooking school in Italy

Spots are filling up quickly for our “Siena Goes to the Beach” Tuscan riviera dinner, August 25, featuring the seafood of Tuscany. For more info and to view the menu,
please click here.

Above: The “playground” at the culinary school I attended in Italy, the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. You can see the town of Costigliole d’Asti in the background.

Before I headed to San Gimignano for my externship at Ristorante il Pino more than ten years ago, I completed a course of study at the prestigious Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners, the “I C I F” as it is known, in Costigliole d’Asti, Piedmont, in the heart of wine country. The school was created in 1991 by the regional government of Piedmont and the government of Italy to offer first-rate instruction for foreigners.

The school’s mission statement:

To convey to the whole world the prestige and traditions that make the cuisine of the Italian regions the heritage that everyone envies us, giving a highly qualified image of the Italian food service industry, exporting its richness to all Countries: this is ICIF’s philosophy.

ICIF, Institute of Cuisine, Culture and Oenology of the Regions of Italy, is an association established to safeguard and improve the image of Italian cuisine and products among professionals operating in the food service industry abroad. The objective of ICIF is to train professionals who can assimilate the Italian taste and food culture and “export” them back to their Countries of origin, being aware of the value and quality of Italian typical products, in order to spread and promote the real Italian taste. The courses are mainly held in Italy to favor the direct knowledge of the local reality, its traditions, history and enogastronomic literature.

While studying at the ICIF, I had the opportunity to meet a lot of great chefs — Italian and foreign — and I interacted with some of the most talented experts of Italian cuisine in the world. Even though I already knew my passion was for Tuscan cuisine, I also had the chance to learn about traditional dishes and recipes from all over Italy.

I hope you’ll come visit us soon at Siena Ristorante Toscano so that I can share my joy for Italian cuisine with you!

Buon appetito!

—Chef Harvey

Aug 10

Wine dinner August 25: Siena Goes to the Beach!

Above: The seafood in Tuscany is abundant. I took this photo at the local fish monger where I used to shop when I lived, studied, and worked as a chef in Italy.

Siena Goes to the Beach
Wednesday, August 25, 7 p.m.
$59 per person

Come join us as we present the lighter side of Tuscan cuisine. Five courses prepared especially by Chef Harvey and paired with five white wines.

TO RSVP, PLEASE CALL (512) 349-7667.

When we think of Tuscan cuisine, images of bistecca alla fiorentina (Tuscan porterhouse steak), wild boar, Tuscan Prosciutto, sheep’s milk Pecorino cheese, and red wine come to mind. But Tuscany is also a seafood lover’s dream: from Livorno to Orbetello along the Tuscan Mediterranean coastline (known as the Maremma), the seafood is abundant and DELICIOUS!

In August, the Tuscans head to the beach for their summer vacation. Just like in Toscana, the heat of our Texas summer calls for lighter foods, including seafood paired with crisp, fresh white wines. We are pleased to announce the next event in our series of wine dinners, “Siena Goes to the Beach.”

Stay tuned for menu details!

Aug 6

The lighter side of Tuscan cuisine: greens, mushrooms, and tagliata

Above: Bistecca Tagliata, wood-grilled sirloin steak, sliced and served warm over a potato and arugula salad in white truffle oil and lemon vinaigrette, topped with balsamic roasted portabello mushrooms and shaved Grana Padano cheese.

Man cannot live by bistecca alla fiorentina (Tuscan porterhouse steak) alone!

When I lived and worked in Tuscany, cooking at the Ristorante Il Pino, my daily lunch consisted of greens and chicory, topped with grilled fresh porcini mushrooms thinly sliced grilled sirloin steak, known as tagliata (tah-LEE-ah-tah) in Italian. The difference between the tagliata and the bistecca is that the bistecca is always served on the bone, while the tagliata (in this case, the sirloin cut) is served boneless.

Even though dishes like pappardelle al ragù di cinghiale (long, broad pasta noodles topped with wild boar sauce) and bistecca alla fiorentina are among those that first come to mind when it comes great Tuscan cuisine, the toscani (Tuscans) also eat a lot of greens and mushrooms at lunch and dinner.

The above dish was inspired but what my fellow chefs and I would eat on a daily basis in Tuscany for lunch, the only difference being portobello mushrooms instead of fresh porcini.

Today, this is still one of my favorite things to eat for lunch.

Jul 28

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Banfi Brunello dinner TONIGHT!

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)

Jul 22

Wood-grilled Wild King Salmon with grilled baby artichokes

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

Jul 16

The Caterina de’ Medici Salad at Siena

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.

Jul 13

Find us on Facebook!

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

A presto, Chef Harvey

Jul 1

Dall’Italia con amore: we have a new email newsletter!

We have a new email newsletter! Please sign up by clicking here.

Thank you for your continued support!

Siena Ristorante Toscano ama Austin, Texas! (Siena loves Austin!)

We hope to see you soon…

Jun 26

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Fricassea di Granchio e Porri

Featured dish: Chef Harvey’s Fricassea di Granchio e Porri (FREE-kah-SEH-ah dee GRAHN-kee-oh eh POHR-ree), a fricassee of finely chopped fresh crab meat and leeks, served over a bed of seasonal greens.

Recommended wine pairing: Fèlsina 2007 Chardonnay.

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