#renzini

Ravioli all’Umbriaco – sapore di nostalgia

I ravioli all’Umbriaco

nascono a seguito del tour “Vedi il sapore”, organizzato in Umbria dall’azienda Renzini SpA, al quale ho partecipato, insieme ai colleghi dei blog “Un cuoco d’a.MARE” e “La Masca in cucina“.

Durante il tour abbiamo visitato luoghi bellissimi, abbiamo imparato tutto, o quasi, sull’Alta Norcineria, ma, soprattutto, abbiamo degustato dei prodotti assolutamente squisiti. Tra…

On top of Chef Renzo Pinillos' catering company, he hosts an occasional underground dinner in his own home in Southbay area of L.A. After stints at restaurants such as JiRaffe, Chef Renzo pepares modern Peruvian cuisine, influenced with Asian touches. The food reminded me of Mo-Chica, but perhaps a bit lighter, reflecting local California style.

I'm a huge fan of underground dinners as my previous posts show, but this one really stood out to me. I loved to see his wife in the kitchen as sous chef and his adorable daughter, Francesca, playing in her room then  mingling a bit.

The general vibe transported me to Latin America. The room was peppered with Peruvian guests who not only contributed to a festive ambiance, they helped answer questions about the ingredients.

They even managed to provide live music in the fully packed room.

While they completed finishing touches in the kitchen, we perused the printed menu and enjoyed a couple of pours of Pisco, Peru's national drink.

The amuse bouche came out family style - crab meat, shrimp and fish nuggets with Saigon style tamarindo sauce. Our table devoured these warm, crunchy seafood nuggets. The herbs and sauce complemented them well. The table also contained bread, a Peruvian chili sauce and a bowl of toasted white corn, another Peruvian staple.

The 1st course started off with a bang - tuna tiradito with aji amarillo tiger milk, peruvian beans and canchita salad with arugula. The freshness, tart pickled red onions, crunch from the toasted corn and hit of chile sauce worked like a symphony in the mouth.

Mini Pisco Sours were passed from a tray at this point. This Peruvian cocktail contains Pisco, the national grape brandy along with a lime-frothy consistency. It's a very refreshing drink.

In the kitchen, they didn't miss a beat as several of us watched them and shot several photos of the food in progress. Chef Renzo explained some ingredients and techniques as he cooked.

The 2nd course of wild peruvian perico (mahi-mahi) with chemichurri from Los Andes, nativas potatoes oxzitel and peruvian purple, corn and peas with llantan also displayed the chef's love of seafood.

Like the other courses, it contained a variety of flavors and textures. The potatoes at the base of the dish were flavored by the fish. I enjoyed the addition of the green elements with the peas and sauces.

The pacing of the meal worked so well. I saw some blender action starting up and found they were making another Pisco variation, this time a Lucuma Sour with the fruit Peruvian tropical fruit, lucuma.

One of the guests at our table suggested we try the lucuma ice cream, which I definitely plan to do.

By the time the 3rd course arrived, I could barely eat another bite.  The huatia (beef cooked in a terracotta pot with herbs and spices), sweet potato puree and Ica asparagus was so good, I managed to eat most of it. I loved the pops of color on the plate with the vibrant orange of the sweet potato puree and the bright green asparagus.

My expectations for dessert usually are low, mainly because of being full, but also since I am more a fan of savory foods than sweet. The 4th course of almond cake layers with zaya rum stuffed with pallares (Peruvian Faba beans) dulce de leche, banana ice cream and blackberries compote totally wowed me and I finished every drop on the plate. The sheer creativity of baking this nutty cake with those intricate layers of beans and dulce de leche blew me away. It did not taste as heavy as one would think when hearing high protein ingredients like almonds and beans. I could not detect anything but cream between the layers. Once again the accompanying fruity ice cream and the tart compote added the creaminess and sour touch to balance the rich cake. Chef Renzo nailed the dessert.

When reflecting back on this whole experience, I still marvel at how beautifully they put it all together. It's not only an amazing value for such high quality and exotic food, but the atmosphere truly transports the diner. I always love learning about new ingredients in meals and this one taught me many new things, even though I am not a stranger to Peruvian cuisine. If you would like to experience this type of meal, you can contact them at this form. Whether it's a catering engagement, where they provide everything from start to finish, or experiencing one of the underground dinners, it surely will amount to a culinary experience you will not regret.