Chef Massimo Bottura Fed Us a Giant Wheel of Old Cheese and We Couldn't Be Happier
When we heard Italian chef Massimo Bottura of three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana in Modena was going to be in town showing off his new book Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef, we just had to have him over for dinner—with him cooking, of course. So we asked him to host a night in the BA Night Kitchen. Nothing too crazy, we said. Maybe just a few simple pasta dishes and a dessert. He agreed, and the date was set.
A week before Bottura was scheduled to arrive, we received an email from his team asking for a few things they’d need for service: four siphons, one Pacojet micro-purée machine, one plastic box for hermetic sealing, and a vacuum machine. That's when we knew we probably weren’t in for something as simple as we’d originally thought.
Alex Lau1/19A Drizzle Here...
Chef Bottura adds a finishing touch to his 39-pound wheel of 36-month-old Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
Alex Lau2/19Let Us Be Frank
Chefs Frank Falcinelli and Frank Castronovo of Frankies Spuntino chat up other guests.
Alex Lau3/19All Hail Caesar!
“Any Caesar salad must have four elements: mustard, egg yolk, anchovy, and Parmesan,” Bottura says. His take on the classic is lettuce hearts stuffed with fresh herbs, balsamic-vinegar-emulsified yolk, mustard seeds, anchovy water, crunchy Parmesan, and a quick spritz of herb water. Eating it with your hands is recommended.
Alex Lau5/19She Was in the Neighborhood
Agatha Kulaga of Brooklyn’s Ovenly stops by and chats with party guests.
Alex Lau6/19Chunk E. Cheese
Chunks of Parm are piled high for the taking with Bottura's award-winning vinegar (more about this amazing combo here).
Alex Lau7/19Just Add Wine
Writer, editor, and Top Chef Masters judge Francis Lam enjoys a glass of sparkling rosé.
Alex Lau8/19Not Your Average Cappuccino
Savory "cappuccino" is a playful take of the Italian classic—smooth potato-and-onion soup, with ciccioli-stuffed brioche, and another drizzle of balsamic. “You’re thinking sweet, but you’re eating savory,” says Bottura.
Alex Lau9/19Conductor at His Stand
Bottura animatedly addresses the crowd.
Alex Lau10/19Catching Up
Bon Appétit deputy editor Scott DeSimon and chef Fredrik Berselius chat.
Alex Lau11/19Pure Simplicity
The richest risotto cacio e pepe is an exercise in simplicity: Toasted rice is slowly cooked in Parmesan-dashi stock, mixed with thick Parmesan cream, and finished with a spritz of pepper water made from a distillation of six different peppercorns.
Alex Lau12/19Better Than Green Juice
Chef Davide Di Fabio stirs a verdant bowl of basil water for the forthcoming spaghetti alla Genovese.
Alex Lau13/19Melissa Makes the Rounds
Bottura and New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark have a friendly word.
Alex Lau14/19Pop Art
This balsamic-filled croccantini of foie gras is covered in a mix of sweet and salty toasted hazelnuts and almonds.
Alex Lau15/19A Double-Sharpie Situation
Bottura signs cookbooks for guests; 3-D glasses not provided.
Alex Lau16/19And the Star of the Night...
Remember that wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano? It later became the serving bowl for a big ol’ pot of spaghetti pesto.
Alex Lau17/19Pesto Pasta
A classic spaghetti alla Genovese, one step further: Extra starchy pasta is par-cooked in water, finished in a blend of basil and Parmesan water, then tossed with a thick pesto alla Genovese.
18/19Tiramisu, Reinvented
“Tiramisu is all about the coffee,” Di Fabio says. “We start with a base of coffee jelly, add crushed amaretti biscuits—because we are from Modena—coffee ice cream, and coffee meringue. We top it with mascarpone foam and cocoa.”
Alex Lau19/19Never Trust a Skinny Italian Chef
Unless it’s Massimo Bottura, of course.
