Ivan Tronci, the globetrotting chef from Otranto, returns to his school, to the places where he learned as a student the first rudiments of cooking for a sensational showcooking.
In front of numerous students from the IPSSEOA in Otranto, Ivan Tronci, our chef ambassador, cooked an incredibly good fish dish. It could only be so for those who, like us, are accustomed to tasting his recipes.
Helping him in the kitchen was the young chef Antonio Blandolino, 22, a promise of Salento cuisine and a talented helper for the occasion. Also like our chef ambassador Ivan Tronci, he studied at Otranto’s hotel school.
If you want to learn about Otranto and its beauties, all you have to do is read this valuable “Guide to Otranto”
The students enraptured by his skill, listened with pleasure to the explanations Ivan Tronci gave regarding:
- to the knowledge and choice of local ingredients;
- to the balancing of different flavors and the organoleptic properties of raw materials in formulating a recipe that is healthy for our bodies;
- to the importance of implantation.
Salento saffron risotto with parmesan fondue, Otranto Channel cod confit, in friscous crust: Ivan Tronci’s recipe, step by step
The ingredients Ivan Tronci used to make this recipe are as follows:
- Cod from the Otranto Channel
- Celery
- White onion
- Spring onion (spunzale)
- Fennel
- Bay leaves
- Peppercorns
- White table wine
- Carnaroli rice
- Saffron of Salento
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh cream
- Thyme
- Dill
- Friscous
- Parsley
- Lemon Oil Tenore Farm
Preparing cod fillets: carefully gutting the fish
We gut the cod, stripping it of gills and eyes.
We use, for our recipe, bones and fillets: the former are the main ingredient for fish stew while the latter for confit cooking.
Preparation of fish stew: use only white and green vegetables
In a cooking rondon, we pour a drizzle of oil and introduce the mirepoix of vegetables: celery, fennel, white onion, spring onions (spunzali), which we will let brown and blanch.
We add the cod bones in the rondon and, after a few minutes, we deglaze everything with simple white wine.
As soon as the wine has evaporated, we add, in the pot, cold water to cover everything with 10 peppercorns, a bay leaf and five stalks of parsley.
Cooking the Cod confit: the temperature should not exceed 65 degrees Celsius.
Inside a small saucepan, we pour some seed oil, bringing it to a temperature of 56° C.
As soon as the ideal temperature for our cooking is reached, we place the cod fillets in the saucepan, which we will let cook for 4-5 minutes.
As soon as our cod is ready, we sprinkle it with friscous, previously marinated with lemon oil, chopped parsley and lime zest.
Preparing the parmesan cheese fondue: do not boil the cream
We introduce 100 g of fresh cream into a small saucepan, which we will bring to a temperature of 90° C and incorporate 100 g of Parmesan cheese. Away from the stove heat, we whisk the contents of the saucepan, using an immersion blender.
Preparation of Salento saffron risotto: the roasting temperature should not exceed 70° C
We put a knob of butter and some evo oil in a saucepan and toast the rice.
When the contents of our pot reach a temperature of 70°C, we cover its contents with prosecco.
After raising the flame of the stove to evaporate the alcohol, we incorporate the saffron in stigmas and, controlling its cooking, we let the rice cook by covering it with the fish stew.
Once it is cooked, we cream it with two nuts of butter and a drizzle of lemon-flavored evo oil.
Plating: remember to lay the risotto on the bottom of the plate.
The implantation stage is crucial for the success, from an aesthetic point of view, of our dish. We recommend ultilizzare a flat plate; on it we gently lay, in the following order, the risotto, the cod fillets and all other ingredients (such as celery leaves, dill and thyme) to garnish and embellish our dish .
Before serving the dish to your diners, finalize your dish with a sprinkling of lime zest.
