1995, 26 years ago, while Italian cuisine was entirely aimed at following innovative paths, experimenting with new cooking methods and combinations, while trying to amaze an audience attentive to trying new sensations and contaminations, in Milan, a former barman discovered Chef by passion he opened a restaurant to which he gave an unusual name – in times of exoticisms and anglicisms of all kinds – which, however, was a whole program: “Tano pass me the oil”. This is Tano Simonato, Lombard up to his neck, son of restaurateurs and a mother cook whose footsteps he did not follow, however, attracted by mixology to the point of opening his own bar, the Tanus Bar.
Slowly, however, under the ashes a sacred fire for oil was nourished and developed, for a natural cuisine, attentive to raw materials exalted in their originality in parallel with an idiosyncrasy developed over time against butter (used forcibly sparingly and limited to creaming of some cold dishes), sautéed onions, sautéed garlic, even sautéed shallots and, of course, cream.
While all this was happening around Italy Gaetano Simonato had electively founded his own religion that of a Mediterranean spirit which was meant to translate into light, delicate, harmonious dish without edges that give the sense of nature.
It is with this gastronomic gospel that it was born “Tano pass me the oil” a courageous choice forerunner of healthy conversion which decades later and especially recently after the serious effects of the pandemic would have made many followers among his colleagues. A choice that the Michelin Guide immediately appreciated assigning the Milanese Chef a prestigious star which has continued to remain pinned to my chest all these years.
“Forget the trendy and noisy atmosphere of the Navigli – reads again in the Red Guide – here you eat in hushed rooms where the classic elegance of the rooms makes room for a decidedly more original cuisine that stands out for its unusual combinations and refined presentation as well as naturally for the excellent oils that garnish the dishes during dinner”.
And yes, because the Chef of extra virgin olive oils from all over Italy will flood you throughout the course of the dinner from the aperitifs onwards. And it is no coincidence that in 2016, AIRO (International Association of Oil Restaurateurs) awarded Tano pass me the oil as best restaurant for the use of extra virgin olive oil
Obviously the oil on the sign is not only a celebration of the purest olive extract, it is also the synthesis of his culinary philosophy, the result of passionate research and studies on the importance of naturalness in gastronomy, on raw materials that must be interpreted and valued without never altering its flavor and meaning, on the well-being that is built at the table by eating with balance without sacrificing flavour, what the season passes. It seems easy to say, much less to implement it, putting this philosophy into practice requires time, commitment and willingness to sacrifice.
But, as Tano Simonato always likes to repeat: there are two ways to eat. One for feeding and the other for entertainment. The nice thing is that the second does not eliminate the first.
Mondo Food asked chef Simonato a recipe that represents autumn flavors. The answer could only fall on the mushrooms, which dominate the kitchens of all the great starred and not-starred chefs at the moment, which bring with them the flavor and scent of the woods, of unspoiled nature, of walks in the mountains. And above all the most widespread, the porcini mushroom, which satisfies the palate but also the body due to its nutraceutical properties and for this reason much loved by the chef.
The ancient Romans called these mushrooms Suillus due to their generally squat and massive appearance, and the term porcini is the exact translation.
Some say it is called that because it is highly appreciated by pigs. Others say it's because young individuals look so much like plump little pigs.
In ancient Rome they were consumed in large quantities, especially dry: they were dried over a fire after having been cut into slices and skewered with rush branches in large garlands, which were then sold at the market.
They were therefore loved, but also feared, because even then they caused dangerous intoxications that led to death, the most famous of which was that of the emperor Tiberius Claudius, poisoned with poisonous boletes by his wife Agrippina.
The first author who described the characteristics and qualities of mushrooms in detail was Pliny the Elder, in his great work Naturalis historia (Natural History) of 77-78 AD and his contemporary Marco Gavio Apicius codified a long series of recipes in De re coquinaria.
But already many centuries before, in China, mushrooms were called “food of the godsi” and had a place of honor on the tables of the ancient Egyptians and Babylonians.
For a long time it was believed that mushrooms were a food poor in nutrients but scientific studies have conversely ascertained that they have numerous properties: they are rich in selenium and therefore their nutritional intake is considered important for strengthening the immune system.
I am also one source of carbohydrates, proteins, mineral salts and vitamins. Among the mineral salts present in mushrooms we find calcium, iron, manganese and selenium. Mushrooms also contain B vitamins, B2 essential for the production of red blood cells, B3 which contribute to the proper functioning of the nervous system and furthermore they are also one source of antioxidants useful for the prevention of aging and damage caused to our body by free radicals.
Tano Simonato offers a very original caramelized version, or rather two: his classic and the other embellished, since we are in autumn, with black truffles. And he explains it like this: “Let's start from the fact that there must always be six things in my dish: Consistency, softness, crunchiness, flavour, acidity and sweetness. And that they all have a balance anyway. This porcini mushroom comes from the idea of a cut like a steak, the fact that it is caramelized is the above, and for those who are vegan, don't put lard in it, eat well just the same…”
Recipe no. 1: Baked caramelized porcini mushrooms with endive smoked goose lard and apple confit with its Caldiff caramel.
Ingredients for 4 people
8 porcini mushrooms
Smoked goose lard or white lard with speck cubes
2 bunches of endive salad
2 granny smith apples
Caldiff or Calvados
Medium Evo Oil (Marche, Campania)
sugar
Salt and pepper.
Preparation:
Peel the apples, remove the core, cut into ½ cm wedges and boil, keeping the apple wedges al dente. Make a sugar glaze with the apple scraps. Once the desired density has been reached, turn off the heat and leave to cool.
Put a pan on the heat with 3 ounces of sugar, brown slightly and add 100 ml. of water, reduce a little and add 100 ml. of Caldiff, narrow again to desired density.
Now, after having thoroughly cleaned the porcini mushrooms, cut them into slices 1 ½ cm thick, sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and cover them with sugar, salt to taste. Place in the oven at 250° for 7-8 min. about.
Wash and cut the endive very fine, season it lightly.
Presentation:
Place the endive in the center of the serving dish, around the apple confit place the caramelized porcini mushrooms on top, cut thin slices of smoked goose lard and place them on top of the mushrooms, sprinkle some strands of Caldiff caramel and finally a medium drizzle of oil.
Recipe n.2: Baked caramelized porcini mushrooms with smoked goose lard, balsamic vinegar and black truffle.
Ingredients for 4 people.
8 porcini mushrooms
Smoked goose lard or white lard with speck cubes
Balsamic vinegar 12 years
Black Truffle
Medium Evo Oil (Marche, Campania)
Sugar, salt and pepper.
Preparation:
Clean the porcini mushrooms well, cut them into 1 ½ cm thick slices, sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil and cover them with sugar, salt to taste.
Place in the oven at 250° for 7-8 min. about.
Place on a serving plate and cover with smoked goose lard or white lard with speck cubes (brunoise), add the balsamic vinegar and finally plane the black truffle.
