In the field they called him "Speedy Gonzales" for his burning shot with which he detached everyone in his role as a right winger who gave his best when he had space to restart on the counterattack. But that nickname doesn't apply only to football fields. Why Roberto Scarnecchia, 1,90 in height and 85 in weight, a physicist who, despite his 63 years, still makes you understand what he's made of, in his life he was "Speedy” in everything: footballer, coach, teacher, writer, economist and finally Chef, but not just any, one who has won a Michelin star. As if to say that normality does not belong to him, in the sense that if one were to consider the world as a stave, well, he would undoubtedly be a high C, an octave above the normal C.
The relationship with food was the first thing that illuminated his childhood, he already promised to drink it when – as he recalls – he went to the kitchen and removed the raw fettuccine from the homemade pasta made by his mother and left to rest under a cloth to taste the flavor of the raw material, flour, egg. And at the age of 13 she began to try her hand at cooking with excellent family success. Passion that also stuck to him when he embarked on the sport.
A route that obviously only at the beginning passes through the D series with Almas Roma. Because Scarnecchia is not a man from … behind the lines. And in fact he burns all the landing stagesor in Serie A in which he played consecutively from 1977 to 1985 alongside great champions such as Paulo Roberto Falcão, Bruno Conti, Agostino Di Bartolomei, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Pruzzo, Franco Baresi with the shirts of Rome, Naples, Pisa and Milan: 110 appearances and 4 goals in the top flight, two consecutive editions of the Coppa Italia (1979-1980 and 1980-1981) with Roma, and above all his masterpiece, the decisive goal in the Milan-Inter derby, in the semi-final of the Coppa Italia an exciting race at breakneck speed across the pitch, to get to the net: "Scoring in a 'derby' was fantastic: I took the ball from the goalkeeper and did a 'coast to coast' all the way to the box of Inter, there I made a “one-two” with Hateley and on the return ball I beat Walter Zenga with a low shot”. Thanks to his goal, the match ended in a draw, and the team moved on to the next round of the Italian Cup final
Great successes that never made him forget the pleasure of cooking. “I continued for pleasure – he recalls – when I arrived in the first team in Rome. I enjoyed inviting my teammates to dinner: Pruzzo and Ancelotti were at home, Carlo often came to us and even spent a Christmas and a New Year's with my family. They really appreciated my cooking. I was often the one who did the cooking even when we were all on retreat”.
Then comes the moment when he has to say goodbye to the games, but it is far from a retirement to private life. From a footballer he became a coach with Seregno, Merate, Voghera and Derthona.
Speedy Gonzales understands at this point that life requires opening new chapters. In the 1990s he enrolled in Communication Sciences and Techniques at Bocconi University, becomes a teacher trainer and holds training courses for training credits. So she goes to America and certainly not for tourism because there follows a master's degree to teach at the Business School at Harvard, specializing in the "School education human development marketing and communication" and... as he has more free time, he also finds a way to follow a master's degree for chefs. Meanwhile, in Miami he also takes care of a commercial firm in the clothing field.
But the love for cooking, always cultivated, calls him back to the kitchen and in 1999 he is assistant chef of a restaurant opened by his father in Romanina. That's not enough for him: he moved to Milan where he worked in some restaurants, constantly refining his knowledge and processing and cooking techniques, from there he moved to Genoa where he worked at the MarinaPlace restaurant, a 4-star boutique hotel which stands in front of one of the three large docks for yachts and megayachts in the western area of the city frequented by an elite public, and from here takes flight for the 'Vino di Ismaro', near Alexandria, where he scores the most important goal of his culinary life: the Michelin star.
And if you think that with this he has satisfied all his vitality needs, you are very wrong because he also finds time for write an essay on economics, «The egg of Columbus», and to become a familiar face on TV participating as a columnist and commentator at 'Misterchef' program, broadcast by 'Sky' on the 'Roma TV' channel, which has already passed four editions.
In all this, moving on to the plan of his private life, he was married to Parvin Tadjk, now wife of Beppe Grillo, with whom he had two sons, Matthew and Valentina who, since good blood doesn't lie, has become a chef, food blogger and TV personality (he hosted the show «Piatto forte» on the Alice channel and participated in «Cuochi e flames») and recently also wrote a book: «You and I a meter away», a novel about love and human relationships Covid times.
And they had two other children from their new partner, Ozana: Arianna, who participated in the selections for Miss Italy in 2017 and 2018, and Camilla.
In short, there is no denying a beautiful full life always with one foot on the accelerator. Today Roberto Scarnecchia is owner in Rome of two restaurants frequented by football players, and friends of the show 'Trattoria della Stampa from 1956′ in the center of Rome, a stone's throw from the Trevi Fountain and the 'All in One' restaurant in the EUR area. His cuisine yesterday as today remains firmly linked to Mediterranean and Roman vein, conceptually traditional but revisited in a modern key, constantly evolving, with the raw material always at the center. His philosophy? “He eats with everyone and five senses. I think of how much poetry, how many memories there can be in a carbonara or a cacio e pepe, one of my specialties”.
For the readers of Mondo Food, Roberto Scarnecchia proposes a savory brioche crouton with smoked provola from Agerola and smoked salmon Kodiak Wildlachs on citronette and chives.
The recipe: Savory brioche croutons with smoked Agerola provola cheese and Kodiak Wildlachs smoked salmon on citronette and chives
A dish that wants to force the concept of food diversity by exaggerating the impossible pairing of fish & cheese. The exasperation is given by not being satisfied with the "odd couple" but also by the two processes of smoking.
“The balance between cheese and fish – explains Scarnecchia – is balanced by the acidity of the citronette which is nothing more than lemon 1/3 extra virgin olive oil 2/3 salt and pepper, an unstable emulsion and therefore also unpredictable”.
A recipe of simple execution. The crouton is cooked in the oven covered with a layer of provola which melts when heated, covering it. Then, as soon as it comes out of the oven, the cold Salmon is spread out…all this accompanied by the citronette. “The contrast not only of tastes but also of temperature – assures the Chef – is an incredible fantasy for the palate. I bring you my philosophy of cooking "Magic with all 5 senses".
For the Pan brioche we provide a recipe here easy to perform
Pan brioche is one of the most versatile basic preparations of French cuisine, both in the sweet and in the savory version. Its origins seem to date back to the Middle Ages. However, her story is linked to the dramatic one of Marie Antoinette who, observing the tumults of the hungry commoners, would have advised them to give them pan brioche. In reality it would be a fake news circulated against the wife of Louis XVI, who ended up on the guillotine like him, never loved by the people but not even by the aristocracy who nicknamed her the Austrian.
Ingredients:
300 g of 00 flour
200 g of Manitoba flour
5 grams of dry brewer's yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar,
250 g of milk
1 egg
50 g of olive oil
10 g salt
Method
Mix the flours, baking powder, sugar and slightly tepid milk in a bowl (important detail) continue with the other ingredients so when the mixture begins to have a certain consistency continue to knead firmly on a lightly floured work surface until the dough becomes very smooth and no longer sticks to the hands. Give it the shape of a ball and place it in a tray which must be sealed with kitchen paper and left to rest for 2 hours in a warm place in the house sheltered from drafts.
When the dough has almost doubled its volume, make strips from which to make the traditional braids or small loaves which are placed on a baking tray covered with a sheet of parchment paper. Brush the surface with a new mixture mixed with half a glass of milk then place in a non-ventilated oven (important detail) for 30 minutes
