A Virtual Group of Italian Chefs Dines at Testaccio

The title of this post may seem cryptic, as you might think to yourself, "what's a Virtual Group of Italian Chefs?"  I thought the same until I actually met the group (in reality) and had the pleasure of dining with them, courtesy of my friends at Fabbri. The dinner, held earlier this week at LIC's Testaccio was a great way for chefs from this organization to network, exchange ideas and interact with others in the culinary industry.  Given that Ivan Beacco, Testaccio's executive chef is a member of this organization enhanced the evening, inserting into it his own culinary point of view, showcased through his thoughtful and generous dinner.

Since the evening was all about making connections, I had the pleasure of meeting and making new friends.  From Fabbri's owner, Nicola, who runs the business in Italy to their charming Marketing Director, Donna to my friend and Fabbri North America owner, Bob, and the Italian chefs, the evening was filled with interesting people who made it truly memorable. 

I've dined at Testaccio on several occasions, and while I've tried most of their signature dishes, some were still new to me, and I'd love to tell you about them.

1st Course - Consisting of a variety of antipasti and starter dishes, Testaccio did a great job of exciting our palates right from the beginning.  My favorites out of this medley included the pasta e fagioli soup, a thick almost chili-like broth with hearty cannellini beans and fresh maltagliati pasta, which had a nice firmness to it.  While the portion was too generous to finish, I kept dipping my spoon into this warm, comforting liquid of goodness.

Another stand-out, which was new to me here was the antipasto platter, which was presented on a beautifully rustic wooden board.  Decked with an impressive assortment of cured meats, cheeses, crostini and some sweet spreads (including honey), it was a fabulous dish for sharing and pairing.

2nd Course - I liked the pasta course, as it wasn't overly indulgent, presented on a compartmentalized plate with three sections.  Testaccio also uses these platters for their gnocchi, as I've seen this summer, and in this instance, I thought it worked well with pasta. 

We received three pasta varieties including a classic spaghetti alla carbonara, seared polenta and rigatoni with braised short ribs.  Out of the three, I enjoyed the latter pasta the most, loving the tenderness of the meat with an almost stew-like consistency.  The pasta did a great job of holding the meat with its ridges and I could've had a full serving, even though I was already getting full.

3rd Course - The meat offering was also plentiful, with a platter of steak pieces, embellished with creamy pesto sauce, served on a bed of fresh tomatoes.  Despite tomatoes being out of season, these were pretty good and almost sweet - they added a nice freshness to the heavier steak and pesto.

The piece-de-resistance of the evening was Testaccio's tripe, which was served Roman-style, swimming in a slightly spicy tomato sauce and shaved pecorino on top.  I loved the texture of the tripe, which was braised to perfection.  My dining companion Donna remarked that it tasted deliciously authentic and reminded her of her Nonna's tripe, which in my opinion is the highest of compliments.

Other meat/fish dishes in this course included a rare tuna, wrapped in pork belly and also braised pork with cannellini beans.  Both were delicious and very different from what you'd expect to see at an Italian restaurant.  I was especially fascinated by the tuna because at times you couldn't tell if you were eating meat or fish - the combination of pork and tuna played tricks on your senses but not to the point of frustration.  It was more about intrigue.

Dessert - While I couldn't stay to enjoy dessert and nor did I have room for it, I managed to snag a simple vanilla sandwich cookie with Nutella in the middle.  Those of you who read this blog on a regular basis know that's one of my all-time dessert musts.

Thanks again Testaccio and Fabbri - I couldn't have walked out with a fuller belly and an even bigger smile.

Testaccio Ristorante - 47-30 Vernon Blvd, Long Island City NY 11101
718.937.2900
7 Train to Vernon Blvd/Jackson Avenue
http://testacciony.com

Fabbri - A Scoop of Sweet Heaven Right in Queens

This past weekend, I had the distinguished honor of doing something really special that involved one of my culinary loves, gelato.  Cordially invited to tour and make gelato at Fabbri of North America, an Italian gelato ingredient supplier with an American branch located right here in Maspeth Queens, I was intrigued and excited about the prospect.  Accompanied by my mom and my brother's girlfriend Fiana, we indulged in a delicious afternoon filled with delectable treats, as well as the company of the most passionate of teachers. 

About Fabbri:
Founded in 1905, the Fabbri family have been in the specialty foods business for over 105 years.  Impressed by its longevity, I was by no means surprised to find out about Fabbri's quality products including their signature trademark, amarena cherries, floating in a sea of deeply rich sweet syrup. 

But aside from liqueur-flavored fruit, Fabbri's product arsenal is fully stocked with every kind of ingredient you'd ever need for making a flavorful, artisan gelato.  From neutral bases that help enrich a gelato's texture to almost 60 different pastes that bring out each flavor's uniqueness, Fabbri's products are tapped by both large-scale distributors and small, more personalized producers.

As hinted above, Fabbri's North American division is located in Queens.  "What an amazing gem to add to our already culinarily vibrant borough," I thought.  Its location is pretty discreet, situated in a residential neighborhood in Maspeth, well hidden by other industrial buildings in the vicinity.  Actually, I think it's what makes Fabbri so special - a well-kept secret that I hope stays just between us friends.

Our Teachers:
The Fabbri experience was no doubt made wonderful by our knowledgeable and enthusiastic teachers, Bob and Michelle.  Bob, Fabbri's co-owner is the ambassador for gelato, specialty foods and really food in general.  Just chat with him for a few seconds and you'll quickly see that he knows everything there is to know about good food in Queens, Manhattan and overseas. 

Michelle, who's a gelato extraordinaire of her own is a Fabbri employee for half the year.  For the other half, she's the proud owner of a specialty gelato shop in Provincetown, Massachusetts called I Dream of Gelato.  There, she cranks out exorbitant amounts of gelato to hungry vacationers, students and Cape Cod residents.  During the winter months, she comes to Fabbri to experiment and create new flavors - a much needed preparation for the busy summer season.

The Gelato-Making Experience:
During our experience, we made a traditional gelato and a sorbet.  Our efforts were closely supervised by Bob and Michelle, and with their help, we learned about the ingredients and the processes that go into making these sweet treats.  The basic ingredients consist of milk, a little bit of cream, lots of sugar and Fabbri's products such as classic gelato and sorbet bases and flavoring pastes.

First we made the sorbet, which used water instead of the aforementioned milk, thus making it a much lighter dessert.  We mixed all the ingredients together with an industrial sized immersion blender, which was a definite workout for the biceps.  After everything was fully incorporated, we poured it into an industrial sized machine that formed it into a thick-creamy consistency.  The three of us took turns working with the ingredients, and in the end it was me who was quickly scooping the freshly made sorbet into a large tray - not unlike what you'd do in a real gelateria.

In terms of the gelato, we made a classic Nocciola (hazelnut), which included milk and cream in place of water and a Fabbri Nocciola deli paste, made of toasted hazelnuts.  The mixture smelled so divine even before completed, that we had to try it several times before putting it into the machine to solidify. 

After our finished products came out of the freezer, we were free to taste them.  Wowza - were they delicious!  The lemon sorbet was light and fresh and absolutely what I'd like to have after any hearty meal.  I can also see it being a nice palate cleanser between courses.

The nocciola was something else entirely and definitely more up my alley. It was thick, delicious and so intensely flavored that I couldn't get enough.  While I've seen some nocciolas incorporate add-ons such as chocolate syrup or nuts, Fabbri's version didn't need it at all. It was perfect, uncomplicated and refreshing - just like a good gelato should be.

Additionally to hazelnut and lemon, we also tasted flavors such as dark chocolate, cappuccino, passion fruit, mango, vanilla rum raisin and yogurt.  They were all excellent in their own way but I had a strong preference for the dark chocolate, which was more custardy than the others--and to top that off, it was also gluten free.

If you're further intrigued about Fabbri's products and where to find them (they distribute in Queens!), you can contact them at the info below.  Thank you Fabbri for making our weekend so sweet!

Fabbri of North America - 57-01 49th Place, Maspeth NY 11378
718.764.8311 Extension 114
www.fabbrinorthamerica.com