Last night I attended a Christmas cook off courtesy of the consorzio del formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano (www.parmigianoreggiano.com), the organisation which specifies and protects the making of traditional Parmesan cheese.

Our host for the evening was the wonderful Chef Valentina (www.valentinaharris.com), an Italian food expert, author and tutor.

We started the evening as all good ones should with a glass of festive fizz (Italian of course!) with some delicious nibbles laid on – spicy Parmesan lollipops, dates stuffed with Parmesan and wrapped in prosciutto and mouthwatering chunks of our guest cheese with a balsamic vinegar dip.

That was the easy bit!

Now it was our turn to create some of Chef Valentina’s dishes in a cook off between two teams of food bloggers and writers. I was handed captaincy of a team which included the very charming Aggie MacKenzie, yes her of “How clean is your house?” fame!

We first prepared stuffed Venetian duck (Anatra col pien), chopping and mixing a most fragrant stuffing which included amaretti biscuits soaked in Marsala wine, chicken livers, bacon, chopped mostarda fruit, Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh parsley. Our ducks where then filled with the stuffing and I took the challenge of sewing the duck back up.

It’s been a while but my training as a boy scout came to the fore…I definitely deserve my sewing badge now.

The duck was then rubbed all over with olive oil, rosemary and chopped bacon and was ready for the oven.

We, however, were ready for the next dish. I recommend you try this one, it’s simple and everyone raved about it – Fennel gratin. Brush a baking dish with melted butter and pull apart blanched, quartered fennel bulbs making a layer to cover the bottom of the dish, then brush with butter, season and sprinkle on a layer of finely grated Parmesan. Repeat this step so you have 3-4 layers and finished with a thick layer of Parmesan on top for a crispy, cheesy crust. Bake until golden. A sumptuous side dish and perfect for Christmas.

Our final dish in the cook off was Parmesan risotto with red wine (risotto alla Parmigiana con il vino rosso). Risotto is a signature dish of Chef Valentina and she talked with such passion around the techniques in creating this Italian classic. When adding the rice after softening onion in butter she asked us to think of it like foreplay, teasing the rice in the pan until it goes translucent and starts to beg for stock to be added. When you have teased the charmed rice to the point of frenzy you add stock and the sound is like “waves hitting a pebble beach”, è meraviglioso!

Finished with more butter and fine grated Parmesan, we went to the table to eat immediately. Interestingly a shot of warm red wine was at the side of the plate so we could add it to the risotto to our own taste. A really great way to serve the dish and it certainly was a talking point.

We continued on eating through the dishes we had made earlier with some excellent Italian wines.

The real star of the show was the Parmigiano Reggiano, it’s such a versatile cheese with a great deal of flavour and particularly umami (that zingy, savoury taste), it is a must for me on spaghetti Bolognese! The different ages of the cheese we tried 18, 24 and 36 months really showed off how the flavours develop and how the younger cheese is great for cooking but the older cheese is simply incredible served on it’s own with traditional cheese board accompaniments.

I may not have the Ferrari yet, but you will always find a little piece of Italy in my fridge.

Michael Robinson

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The Food Curator

The Food Curator (AKA Michael Robinson) is an aficionado of all things food and bon viveur based in London. A passion for cooking and dining has driven him to put fingers to keyboard to bring you his thoughts on the world of food. When not writing, eating or cooking he has a love of American muscle cars. Pop on over to my Facebook page and let's start a Facebook food revolution together: http://tinyurl.com/thefoodcurator

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