It was to be sworn to. When Lorenzo Cogo, enfant prodige of the starred cuisine of Italy, he closed his refined in Vicenza El Coq in the luxurious Piazza dei Signori, heir to Marano Vicentino's El Coq which had given him fame and honors as a star of innovative and creative Italian cuisine, he said he had to concentrate in Marano's family restaurant on new paths and new food projects for well-being. Obviously no one had believed him.
His historical restlessness proved to be true, that of a young man who has burned all the imaginable schools of haute cuisine always managing to question himself as if it were the first day. AND the Michelin star won at the age of 25, a real record pinned on the chest, hasn't changed it in the slightest. Today, at 35, Lorenzo Cogo feels that he still has a whole world to explore in the kitchen, letting himself be guided by his instinct as a mental navigator but also indulging in a strong desire for harmony, like two cerebral hemispheres interacting in his creations that always know surprise you.
Instinct yes, all right, but also great, very great, school that led him to zigzag around the world with a ravenous frenzy at the court of the most famous chefs of world cuisine. In fact, his long journey unfolds from Melbourne where he starts working in the Vue de Monde kitchens of Shennon Bennett, the enfant terrible and fantastic, judged the best restaurant in Australia in Sydney in the famous Marque restaurant by Mark Best. From there it continues to London in the famous The Fat Duck by Heston Blumenthal and then extends to Japan to deepen cooking methods and study of treatment of raw materials at Ryugin in Tokyo with three Michelin stars, led by the great chef Seji Yamamoto. From Japan with a long ocean leap he moves to the Basque Country at Victor Arguinzioniz's Etxebarri, the largest asadoor in the world, several times at the top of the rankings of the Restaurant Top 50 Awards. Then again in the East in Singapore next to Ryan Clift of the tipping club and in Denmark in the top of the mouse, Noma by Rene' Redzepi, four times the best restaurant in the world according to The World's 50 Best Restaurants ranking.
The new adventure on the Grand Canal of Venice: the Dama at Ca' Bonfadini
All this world now looks in surprise, and with great noise, on the Grand Canal of Venice where Lorenzo Cogo arrived at Dama, the restaurant of the charming hotel Ca' Bonfadini, housed in the five-star Ca' Bonfadini – part of the “I Palazzi – Historic Experience Hotels” group in the historic Cannaregio district. Al Dama, whose name recalls the typical Venetian structures supported by briccole - the characteristic wooden posts used to signal the waterways, the Chef from Vicenza heralds an innovative gustatory journey through unexpected ingredients and techniques, an expression of local excellence on the one hand and, on the other, of his international training path. “It is a great honor for me – he declares – to have had the opportunity to take part in this project and to be able to give an innovative turning point in the gastronomic panorama of Venice. My choice to offer fish cuisine goes against the tide of the average restaurant in the Lagoon which tends to offer traditional, land-based cuisine”
And it is already clear that Cogo intends to move according to an idea of cuisine halfway between tradition and contamination, in which typical elements of the territory blend with raw materials rigorously supplied by local fishmongers and shops contaminated by oriental techniques, a mirror of the experience gained 'abroad. The Dama menu includes two menus, one for breakfast - with sweet and savory options - and one for lunch and dinner - seasonal, with a section entirely dedicated to vegetarian dishes, which tells of the chef's desire for a provocative approach and experimental cuisine with a Venetian imprint, but with an international flavor. Like, for example, the Carpaccio of amberjack, purple cabbage, horseradish and rose water, the Risotto with dashi, red prawn, “rabioso” and pomegranate and the Monkfish fillet roll with cardamom and XO pepper sauce. “I have always created instinctive, often provocative dishes, but here – Lorenzo Cogo points out – I want to create a harmony of flavors that makes one feel good and allows guests to feel at home. At Dama I offer dishes that are placed in the place where they were conceived, comfortable, but with a well-defined identity, able to offer an all-round quality taste experience”.
Cuttlefish stuffed with sea peverada recipe
Ingredients for 4 people:
300g of fresh dirty cuttlefish
For the peverada:
20g extra virgin olive oil
10g parsley stalks
1 garlic clove
10g white wine
100g cuttlefish
35g onion
50g lemon slices
5g black pepper
25g cuttlefish liver
For the parsley oil:
50g rice oil
50g parsley
Procedure:
Clean the cuttlefish, separate the ink bag and recover it for other preparations, the livers, the head and the body. Make oblique cuts on the body of the cuttlefish on one side and then on the other, being careful not to cut it completely. This technique is used to make the meat softer in the bite, smoke and lightly marinate with fine salt, lemon peel, plenty of black pepper and extra virgin olive oil.
Prepare the peverada by heating the oil in a saucepan and flavoring it with a clove of garlic together with the parsley stalks. Once fragrant, remove the garlic and parsley and add the chopped onion and brown over low heat until golden brown.
In the meantime cut the cuttlefish heads into brunoise and blend the livers with a drop of water. As soon as the onion is ready, stew the heads and livers, deglaze with white wine and cook, adding water if necessary for a total of about 30 minutes. Once the peverada is ready, season it with plenty of salt and black pepper, then let it cool in a container covered with lemon slices. When cold, taste the flavor and adjust to taste if needed.
For the parsley oil, put everything in a bimby and blend for 7min to sixtieth, filter and season with white balsamic vinegar to taste. Serve: Stuff the cuttlefish with peverada and close it in itself to recreate its original shape. Arrange it on the plate and finish off with a spoonful of parsley vinaigrette.
