Stefano Bonafe of Hyatt Hotel in Warsaw was born in Bologna Italy on 5 September 1961.
The luck of being born in Italy gave him a passion for food and wine.
From a young age he’s been trying to discover the secret of homemade
food and the simplicity of combining basic but fresh seasonal
ingredients that make this cooking so famous around the world.
Stefano completed the Culinary Academy School and Sommelier training in
Bologna and afterwards gained some experience around the region of
Emilia Romagna in our family hotel business.
He then decided to hit the road and work abroad to expand his culinary
horizons, working in starred Michelin Restaurants in Milan, France and
New York, where he saw how deep the passion of famous chefs for this
very committed job could influence the way he dealt with different
styles of cooking and presentation. His travels brought him next to
Australia, Thailand, Turkey, England, Jordan, Russia and now Poland.
He learnt a lot from the local chefs who gave him the real recipes and
flavour of what he was cooking. His preferred food is: ‘Anything cooked
in simple sincere way.’
His favourite classic dishes: pierogi, roast chicken,
Caesar salad, pasta with tomato sauce and sushi. Five ingredients not
to be missed in the kitchen: pasta, basil, mozzarella, Parma ham,
virgin olive oil.
The best cooks he has worked with: Without a doubt the Polish ones.
Hobbies: Smoking a good cigar with friends; a watch maniac, bookstores bonanza.
His mission: to deliver his knowledge and passion for food and wine to
the people who work with and for him. Here he shares some of his
knowledge with BPCC Portal visotrs readers [note, this article first
appeared in Contact International Business Voice no. 5/05 (71)].
Some of Stefano’s culinary masterpieces were served to the guests of the 13 BPCC Annual BAll on 15 October 2005.
Try to follow.
Starter Symphony of Seafood
Serves 4:
Smoked tuna fillet 200g
smoked salmon 200g
Shrimps size 16/20 8 pcs
Wasabi
Balsamico reduction
Capers
horseradish
sour cream
Frisee salad
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper
The three sauces will give a different taste to the specific fishes on
the plate. For the tuna, mix the Wasabi (Japanese horseradish) powder
with the cream and add lemon juice.
For the sauce for the shrimps put the balsamico in a pan with sugar and reduce like a syrup on a very low heat.
For the salmon chop the capers and add the horseradish with cream and chopped spring onion.
Set the plate like a picture.
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Ricotta and minted zucchini raviolo, truffle oil
Serves 4:
Ricotta fresh 80g
Parmesan cheese 40g
Courgette (zucchini) 120g
Fresh pasta 2 colours 100g each
Onion white chopped 30g
Fresh mint 2g
Truffle oil 2cl
Butter 20g
Virgin olive oil 5cl
Chicken stock. 10cl
3 eggs
Salt and pepper
Chop the courgettes and fry till golden with the onion. Season to
taste. Pour in the wine and reduce. Work the ricotta with the chopped
mint and the cooked cold courgettes add the Parmesan cheese and the
chopped mint leaves. Season to taste again.
Make the fresh pasta, green with spinach and yellow. Cut the squares and fill them like in the picture.
Boil them in salted water and let them float for three minutes.
Put them on the pan with the butter and the truffle oil. Season for the last time and serve individually.
Oven baked New Zealand lamb rack served gratin potato and ratatouille
Serves 4:
Lamb rack NZ. 1200g
Olive oil 5cl
Red wine 20cl
Fresh rosemary
For gratin potato:
Potatoes sliced 300g
Garlic sliced 3g
UHT Cream 20cl
Gruyčre cheese 100g
Nutmeg powder
For ratatouille:
Courgette cubes 30g
Aubergine cubes 30g
Chopped onion 30g
Four whole tomatoes
Fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Season the lamb rack and sear both sides in a very hot pan with the
olive oil and rosemary. Pour in the red wine and finish in a pre-heated
oven for about 10 minutes at mark 170. Take out and let it rest before
cutting.
Cook the sliced potatoes in the cream, with garlic, nutmeg, salt and
pepper the day before. At the last minute add the Gruyčre and put on a
Teflon pan in the oven for about 30 minutes. Let in cool then put in
the fridge, and then afterwards you can cut them easily.
Sautée the vegetable cubes with thyme and then fill the empty tomato.
Keep in a warm cabinet so the tomato dries up a little bit.
Marinated forest berries in brandy snaps with zabaione ice cream
Serves 4:
Brandy Snaps Biscuits:
Brown sugar 100g
butter 50g
Honey 30g
Glucose 20g
flour 50g
brandy 5ml
Marinated forest berries:
200g blueberry, 200g raspberry, 50g brown sugar,
Cointreau 50 ml
Sabayone ice cream
Brandy Snaps Biscuits: Mix all the ingredients together. Spread very
thinly on pergamon paper and bake in oven temp at 220C for 12-15
minutes. Do baskets for four desserts
Marinated forest berries: Mix the berries with sugar and Cointreau for 30 min. to be nicely marinated. ˘
tresc
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