The mother of all Western cuisine

The day dawned dark and stormy. A discouraging start to any day but particularly when one has to leave the comfort of one’s home and face the strong winds, heavy downpours and the inevitable traffic jams that plague the metropolis in the wake of flooding streets. Little did I know at the time that the antidote to the gloom lay in the very reason I had braved the inclement weather in the first place.

Italian cookery is not seen as the stuff of legend as French cuisine is. Yet Italy’s cooking is the mother lode of Western gastronomy. The French would not be known for their culinary prowess now had King Henri II, then France’s crown prince, not married the Florentine heiress Catherine de’ Medici in 1533. Catherine and her kinswoman Marie de’ Medici, who married King Henri IV 67 years later, brought with them from Italy teams of expert cooks to serve their husbands’ courts and thus introduced to the French the culinary secrets of the first fully developed cuisine of Europe. Is it any wonder that serious food lovers rhapsodize over this inarguably hearty yet stunningly sophisticated cuisine?

If only for the promise of a bite of said cuisine I made my way to Italianni’s Restaurant in SM Megamall. Happily, I got more than a bite and the convivial company and good food made me forget the storm outside at least for the length of a memorable lunch. A pre-meal chat with Italianni’s personable new executive chef Junjun de Ocampo along with operations director Paul Manuud and marketing director Lisa Ronquillo was the icing on the figurative cake. While we talked, I had the highly recommended apple guava juice. An unusual fruit combination, it is an altogether refreshing concoction.

Graduating from the University of the Philippines with a BS in home economics, De Ocampo began his culinary career in the kitchen of the Tamarind Grill, working his way up the ranks. He then went on to complete the rigorous two-year course of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in New York, aka "the other CIA." He humorously recounted how he and his fellow students had to butcher an entire cow carcass and identify each cut of meat only to have their instructor mix up the parts and then be told to reassemble the cow! Chef Junjun gained more experience at Mandarin Hotel, was the executive chef for Megaworld’s Executive Dining Room in Makati City, and became the opening executive chef for the Richmond Hotel in Ortigas Center. He also took on various consultancy projects such as the operations management and menu development of Chef and Brewer Coffee Bar and Restaurant. His love of his craft is shown through his young children’s keen interest in things culinary despite their tender years. Not to mention that even after a full day at the stove, his idea of relaxation is to go home and whip up something in his own kitchen.

He was invited to join Italianni’s in December 2005 after a chance meeting and several meals with Paul Manuud. Aside from overseeing kitchen operations and further developing Italianni’s already impressive repertoire of Italian-American dishes, chef Junjun is also conceptualizing healthier meals for clients with special dietary needs or simply to answer the demands of today’s fitness-conscious guests. To date, he has introduced a number of appetizers, salads and main dishes to the roster of such established favorites as the spinach and artichoke formaggio, the Romano Chicken Caesar Salad and the ever-popular spaghetti with meatballs, salmon oreganato and Chicken Italianni’s.

We started off with creamy mushroom crostinis, crisp bread slices topped with a trio of fresh mushrooms – oyster, button and shiitake – in a truffle cream sauce with gorgonzola cheese. Chopped tomatoes and sour capers helped cut the richness of the sauce. Yet for all its creamy opulence, the crostinis were light and enticing rather than heavy and prematurely filling.

The fish filet with tomatoes, capers and Olives is based on an old family recipe. Consisting of lightly coated pan-fried dory topped with tomatoes, capers, ripe olives and fresh basil, it bears an influence from the cooking of French Provence which borders northern Italy. It was served with garlicky mashed potatoes, a fitting complement to this intensely flavored yet light dish.

An even lighter but no less flavorful option is the poached salmon filet. Cooked in an herb and seafood broth, the filet was poached for exactly two minutes on its own and another two minutes with its accompanying vegetables for a grand total of four minutes, no more, no less. It’s often said that fish should be cooked until its flesh flakes but in truth this often results in a dried-out product. The precise timing of the cooking length of this dish produced succulent salmon with a still slightly rare center that remained moist, delicate, and pure in flavor throughout.

Chef Junjun decided on this restrained approach in order to "showcase the natural flavors of the fish rather than mask them with heavy cream or butter."

A crisp Ruffino Orvietto Classico was served with the seafood dishes. But chef Junjun pointed out that there was no reason not to experiment and have them with a light red wine like the slightly fruity Ruffino Chianti and likewise drink white wine with the meat dishes.

He was right, for some of us opted to take white wine with the hearty beef tenderloin with three mushrooms sauce and discovered that the combination was just as good. Composed of pan-seared tenderloin and sautéed fresh mushrooms and topped with fried spinach, this towering dish rested on a base of herbed potato slices and creamy marsala sauce. It is probably one of Italianni’s most substantial offerings and a meat lover’s dream come true.

The stuffed chicken parmigiana presented a twist on the time-honored dish. Chef Junjun stuffed boneless chicken breasts marinated in basil pesto with bacon and cheddar cheese before pan-frying them and topping them with a spicy marinara sauce and mozzarella and parmesan cheese. In lieu of the more traditional pasta in tomato sauce, Italianni’s version of chicken parmigiana is served with the restaurant’s classic spaghetti carbonara which provided a balanced contrast to the tangy flavor of the chicken.

Perhaps the most interesting adaptation of a classic was the chicken cacciatore. Italianni’s version of this rich and rustic hunter’s stew has been considerably lightened to good effect. Boneless chicken breasts were sliced and sautéed piccata style and simmered in a spicy marinara-marsala sauce with mushrooms, basil, and roasted garlic. Boneless cuts cook faster and therefore do not need lengthy stewing as with bone-in pieces and, as chef Junjun explained, when thick sauces are served in air-conditioned surroundings they often thicken unappetizingly which is why he opted for a thinner, less heavy sauce. Whatever the science behind the process, I found this version of the classic dish as flavorsome as and easier to eat than its traditional older sibling.

For a change, these new dishes will not be served abbondanza style, as Italianni’s family-sized servings are called. But being as American in their portion sizes as they are Italian in taste, they can be shared and, indeed, it is advisable to do so. An Italianni’s regular renowned for his trencherman’s abilities was defeated by a single serving of the stuffed chicken parmigiana.

There shouldn’t have been room for anything else after such a plethora of culinary goodness. Yet when dessert and coffee were served, no one declined, not even those who complained of feeling stuffed to the gills. But how could anyone resist when dessert consisted of more than a dozen flavors of Italianni’s gelato? The restaurant offers an array of some 20 different flavors ranging from the classics like dark chocolate, pistachio, caramel, and mint to more exotic creations such as their take on the perennial kids’ favorite, cookies-and-cream: Peanut Oreo gelato. Picture rich Choc-Nut ice cream liberally laced with crushed Oreos and you’ll get an idea of the scrumptiousness of this gelato. Currently in the works is a peanut butter cheesecake flavor.

Throughout, a mood of bonhomie prevailed as we let the hearty fare and genial company soothe our senses. By the time we pushed ourselves back from the table, we had completely forgotten about the weather. But that is the magic of western Europe’s mother cuisine. No matter its permutations as it crosses oceans and cultures, if done well, Italian cooking will evoke images and feelings of the land of its origins: of warmth and hospitality and food that is as nourishing for the soul as it is for the body.