"Food and Wine Banquets": a review where Piedmontese tradition meets the great cuisine of Auguste Escoffier

Cocconato, nestled in the heart of Monferrato in the province of Asti, is preparing to rediscover and celebrate its food and wine roots with the “Banchetti Enogastronomici” dinner series.

Between the end of February and the beginning of April, the town will host a series of events that intertwine the history and tradition of the village with its great vocation for research and haute cuisine.

The initiative, the result of collaboration between the Consorzio Cocconato Riviera del Monferrato , the Discepoli di Escoffier Association and the Municipality of Cocconato , is enriched by a special element that acts as a common thread between the various menus: the preparation of the famous fricandò .

The fricandò and the historical link between Escoffier and Cavallito - The series of dinners develops along an itinerary that not only enhances the authentic flavours of the Piedmontese tradition, starting from the raw materials, but also pays homage to a historical connection with French cuisine.

Cocconato, in fact, boasts of being the birthplace of Auguste Escoffier's first Italian collaborator, Silvestro Cavallito , who inaugurated in 1924, in the ancient 'Bottiglieria della Pompa' premises (now Agriturismo Osteria della Pompa), a tradition that continues to enliven the area.

One of the recipes created by the great French chef, the fricandò (fricandeau) , will be at the center of the event. Each restaurant involved will take part in a sort of “culinary contest,” preparing the fricandò in an original way. The diners and an audience of experts will be asked to vote for the best fricandò, transforming each dinner into an opportunity for discussion and fun, which recalls an era in which the kitchen was the scene of experimentation, innovation and cultural exchanges.

An itinerary of flavors and encounters - The calendar of “Food and Wine Banquets” includes unmissable events.

On February 21st and 22nd, Osteria della Pompa offers a buffet of traditional Piedmontese appetizers, followed by a risotto with Bonarda reduction, veal sausage and Catalogna. The second course is the Maroero fricandò and for dessert Maroero cake is served. Marovè wines. For reservations, please call 0141 600075.

On March 7 and 8, the Osteria offers a stuffed onion with sausage and Cocconato robiola as an appetizer. Followed by a vegetable ratatouille with crispy polenta and agnolotti with roast sauce. The second course is fricandò, while for dessert they serve hazelnut cake with zabaglione. Benefizio di Cocconito wines. Reservations are available at 0141 1656565 .

Osteria Il Gheub presents a menu on March 21 and 22 that begins with duck breast with vermouth, caramelized onions and black cabbage. Followed by parmigiana flan with fior di latte and sheep ricotta and lemon ravioli with hazelnuts and honey. The second course is fricandò in a crock accompanied by taragna polenta chips. Dessert is a pear parfait with mulled wine syrup. Nicola wines. Reservations can be made at 349 6533687.

Cantina del Ponte will serve, on April 3 and 4, a menu that includes poached asparagus with hollandaise sauce as an appetizer, followed by free-range cockerel tuna and buttered cockerels, anchovies and marjoram. The second course is a fricandò of veal and vegetables in Barbera “465”. Dessert includes espresso zabaglione and cornmeal pastries. Maciot wines. To book, call 0141 907003.

Cannon d'Oro will serve a rabbit roll with Castelmagno and mushrooms as an appetizer on April 11 and 12, followed by a pumpkin soufflé on anchovy cream. The first course is the square agnolotto from Asti in gold sauce. The second course is fricandò with vegetables. The dessert is zuppa inglese. Poggio Ridente wines. Reservations are available at 0141 907794.

All dinners will take place at 8:00 PM.

Finally, on May 8th ,   an extraordinary final event of the review will involve all the chefs of Cocconato in a 10-handed dinner at the Cannon d'Oro .

Cuisine and Art - During the evenings, the restaurants will transform into temporary art galleries hosting works by Artemide Gallery (Samantha Lessio, Joy Moore, Ornella Manfron and Pasley) and Lara Valentino.

This is the comment of Luigi Dezzani , spokesperson for the Consorzio Cocconato Riviera del Monferrato :   "The Consortium works together with the Discepoli di Escoffier to tell and enhance the tradition of Monferrato cuisine, which in Cocconato finds one of its greatest expressions. Last year we presented the book "I menù ritrovati di Auguste Escoffier e Silvestro Cavallito" by Helen Scalisi and Claudio Barisone, published by Discepoli di Escoffier Piemonte e Val d'Aosta, and we assigned awards to the town's historic restaurateurs. This year we decided to bring this event to life, with young restaurateurs ready to get involved with this traditional dish by Escoffier, all accompanied by the wines of the new generation of Cocconato producers who have come together in our Consortium".

The regional and national president of the Escoffier Disciples Association, Claudio Barisone, adds: “ I am very happy to participate in the working group that is giving life to this original gastronomy: I have been working with Cocconato for some time, with the publication of the book and “Banchetti Enogastronomici” is the culmination of a long work that has finally done honour to Silvestro Cavallito, a great chef ”.

The Monferrato chef Beppe Sardi , one of Escoffier's Disciples, explains: "The dish "Fricandò", in French "Fricandeau", was conceived by Escoffier as a base of veal, larded, cooked with herbs, onion, celery, then served with its blended sauce. The fricandò is also prepared in other areas of Europe and over time it becomes a typical dish of Piedmontese, Lombardy and Aosta Valley cuisine. It also begins to be prepared with other types of meat and with the addition of vegetables, that is, with a ratatouille. It is a very tasty and nutritious dish, which can also be considered a single dish ".