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Start of Autumn in Italy - and the season of mushrooms and pumpkin!

As summer ends, the usual autumn rhythms resume. The air becomes cooler, and the days become shorter. Apart from the copper colors that characterize this period, autumn brings the beauty of feeling the need to spend more time at home in the warmth, reuniting with our loved ones around a set table. Lunches and dinners become moments of gathering and sharing, where we can taste typical seasonal products while finally sipping that glass of red wine we had kept aside all summer. And so do the foods on offer: it is the season for mushrooms, truffles, and pumpkin. We are featuring an autumn menu with dishes from famous Italian chefs. We will start with a Porcini Antipasti, followed by a Pumpkin and Porcini Risotto, and as a main course, a beautiful pork fillet with pumpkin cream with amaretti. The glorious finish with Chestnut Mousse and Chantilly Cream.

Porcini in padella, crema di topinambur al mascarpone e aglio nero - Mushrooms with Topinambur cream

A true ode to autumn, the pan-fried porcini mushrooms proposed by chef Stefano De Gregorio are a true delight for the palate. It is a very simple preparation, a vegetarian recipe which sees the porcini mushrooms cooked in a pan with very little oil and served with a cream obtained by blending Jerusalem artichokes, mascarpone and black garlic. The recipe is very easy, has quick steps and a few simple ingredients which, combined in a single dish, make it truly irresistible. Pan-fried porcini mushrooms are a dish that can be served as an appetizer and they will make you look great with your guests whether for an informal lunch or for a dinner in style. Ricetta di Chef Stefano De Gregorio.

Ingredients:

500 g of fresh porcini mushrooms; 150 mascarpone; 200 g of Jerusalem artichokes; 4 egg yolks marinated in salt; to taste black garlic; savory; Salt; Extra virgin olive oil

Preparation:

To prepare the porcini mushrooms in a pan, you need to cook them in a little oil, keeping the flame high so that they do not release water during cooking and therefore have the typical slimy consistency that no one likes. To cook them correctly, just heat a pan at maximum power, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and add the porcini mushrooms little at a time so that they don't overlap. It's about emulating the cooking of a steak by only changing the protagonist.

Risotto zucca e porcini - Pumpkin Mushroom Risotto

Pumpkin and mushrooms are one of the most popular autumn combinations. The shared seasonality of these two ingredients suggests a perfect culinary prepeation is with this delicious risotto.

Ingredients: 

200 g Arborio Conad Verso Natura Organic rice; 300 g cleaned pumpkin; 250 g fresh porcini mushrooms; Vegetable broth to taste; 1 onion; 40 g butter; 40 g parmesan; 2 cloves of garlic; Aromatic herbs to taste; Thyme to taste; Rosemary to taste; Sage to taste; Laurel to taste; Salt to taste; Pepper to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Preparation:

Place the pumpkin on a baking tray and add a clove of garlic, aromatic herbs and the coarsely chopped onion. Then cook it in the oven at 180°C for 35 minutes. Once ready, remove the herbs and garlic and blend the pumpkin pulp and onion until you obtain a puree.  In a hot pan, add a drizzle of oil, the other clove of garlic, the aromatic herbs and the mushrooms. Sauté them for 3-4 minutes, then season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large saucepan, add the rice and dry toast it for a few minutes. Then pour in the broth and cook, adding more broth as it dries. Halfway through cooking, add the pumpkin cream and finish cooking the rice.Once cooked, turn off the heat, add the mushrooms and stir in the butter and parmesan, seasoning with salt and pepper.

Filetto di maiale con crema di zucca e amaretti - Pork Fillet with Pumpkin Cream and Amaretti

A dish for special guests: Pork fillet with pumpkin cream and amaretti biscuits. The crunchiness of the dried raw ham and the crumbled amaretti biscuits and the sweetness of the pumpkin cream will certainly conquer the palates of your guests!

Ingredients:

400 g of pork fillet; 400 g pumpkin pulp (clean weight); celery; carrots; blonde onion; vegetable broth; 70 g of raw ham; 2 potatoes; fresh thyme; 1 shallot; vinegar; extra virgin olive oil; salt; peppe


Preparation:

To prepare the pork fillet with pumpkin cream and amaretti, cut celery, carrots, onion, potatoes and pumpkin into cubes and fry them in a pan with extra virgin olive oil. Add vegetable broth, season with salt and pepper and cook.

Spread the raw ham on a baking tray lined with baking paper and let it dry in the oven for 2 hours at 120°C. In the meantime, in another pan, bring some water to the boil with a spoonful of vinegar, then immerse the shallot cut in half lengthwise for a minute. Once removed, let it cool in water and ice and dry it with absorbent paper.

When the vegetables are cooked, place them in a glass of a blender and blend them, adjusting with the cooking broth (it should be a thick cream), add some thyme and keep warm. Take the pork fillet and grease it with extra virgin olive oil. Heat a non-stick pan and brown it well on all sides. Once cooked, place the pork fillet on a sheet of baking paper and cook it for about 7 minutes at 180°C. Serve by placing the pumpkin cream on the base of the plate, placing the pork fillet on top, a few grains of chopped liquorice, some crumbled amaretti biscuits, the slices of shallot, the crumble of raw ham and finishing with a sprig of thyme and dill and a few drops of aged balsamic vinegar. The pork fillet with pumpkin cream and amaretti is ready to be served!

Mousse di castagne e crema chantilly con cioccolato e cannella - Chestnut Mousse and Chantilly Cream

Bring the taste and elegance of a haute patisserie dessert home with the help of chef Salvatore Perrone: with careful presentation in the appropriate dessert glasses, the chestnut mousse and Chantilly cream with chocolate and cinnamon will conclude excellently a refined dinner. The preparation is simpler than the excellent final result might suggest... sight and palate will be delighted!

Ingredients:

450 ml of fresh whipping cream; 550 ml of whole milk; 300 g of boiled and peeled chestnuts; 130 g of icing sugar; 2 vanilla pods; dark chocolate 70% cocoa; ground cinnamon; hazelnuts; cocoa powder

Preparation:

To make the chestnut mousse and Chantilly cream with chocolate and cinnamon, start by preparing the Chantilly cream: pour 250 ml of fresh cream into a container and add an engraved vanilla pod. Close the container with a lid and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.  Filter the cream through a cloth, pour it into a bowl and whip it, then adding 50 g of icing sugar. Cook the chestnuts with the milk and a vanilla pod for 20 minutes, then remove the pod and blend the chestnuts with the milk. Whip 200 ml of fresh cream with 80 g of icing sugar and incorporate it into the chestnut cream, mixing slowly. Place the chestnut mousse and Chantilly cream in two pastry bags with star nozzles: create alternating layers of mousse and Chantilly cream in four dessert glasses, interspersing them with chocolate flakes and cinnamon.

Garnish the dessert with hazelnuts and cocoa powder and serve it cold, but still creamy: success is guaranteed!

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