In 1985, Marchesi shattered the sacred aura of pasta by serving cold spaghetti with caviar and chives.
What it means today to imagine (and reinvent) a masterpiece of Italian cuisine.
Writing about Gualtiero Marchesi makes a Chef like me shake in my shoes. Marchesi succeeded in rocking the foundations of Italian cuisine, revolutionising it and transforming it into something new. Carlo Cracco is just one of many big names who trained at Marchesi’s court, just to give you an idea of how instrumental Marchesi was to Italy’s culinary scene and subsequent generations of chefs.
Among the many intuitions of the Milanese chef, there is one in particular that raised a few eyebrows among the most intransigent pasta lovers: cold spaghetti with caviar and chives, in 1985. Being the true iconoclast that he was, Marchesi lifted the ban on dry pasta (rejected by the chefs of the time for some reason in favour of the fresh version), played with the popular concept of pasta salad by switching to a long type of pasta, never used for that type of dish, and allowed himself to be inspired by Japanese ramen noodles served cold.
A jewel of national gastronomy, without a doubt. Strong, enveloping, bold flavours combined with an unusual tasting experience. The serving temperature changes the consistency as well as the flavour: a successful gamble that only a master chef like Marchesi could have pulled off.
In the wake of this tradition of research and experimentation, I chose to accept the challenge and propose my own idea of cold spaghetti.
Without courage, without a sense of challenge, what creative pleasure would my cooking have?
First of all, I cast the idea of a pasta salad aside. I wanted a different dish, a pasta dish that respected territoriality and tradition while presenting them in a highly unusual way.
I started with the sauce. A tomato and meat sauce, like ragout: this is where the reflections of an education in taste matured entirely in the Roero region and Piedmontcome into play. Raw meat pairs with a cold tomato extraction, with seasoning and extra virgin olive oil, to create a sauce that harmoniously combines the perception of meat sauce with the freshness of the typical Piedmontese antipasto.
Spaghetti, cooked and cooled in water and ice, is enveloped in sauce and meat, becoming a refined and delicate pasta dish, balanced and full of suggestions.