Scotch College

Wine & Food Society - Don't Tell Your Friends!

A cold winter's evening greeted members and guests on 9 September. Driving down Morrison Street I was struck by the beauty of the new buildings (particularly for those of us who have been away for many years!). The magnificent Language Centre is a perfect location for an educational evening, which involved life's fundamentals - Food and Wine!

The food was prepared by the chef from The Venetian Restaurant, Joseph Vargetto, and refreshments were selected by Arquilla Wines', Maurizio Ugge.

The combinations for the evening were:

• On arrival - Bellussi Prosecco di Valdobbiadene Extra Dry NV (Sparkling white)
• Entrée - Pea soup with Truffle Oil - wine Collovino Collio Pinot Grigio LV
• First Course - Stinging Nettle and Tuna Risotto - wine Santa Barbara Verdicchio Classico di Jesi
• Main Course - Roast Chicken and Vegetables - wine Zenato Valpolicella Classico Superiore
• Dessert - Tiramisu - wine La Spinetta Moscato d'Asti

Joseph explained that his dishes were designed to be simple and reasonably typical of the food that we might expect to cook at home (yes, roast chicken is pretty typical but I think Joseph may have been a little hopeful with the stinging nettles).

Maurizio provided the introduction in his beautiful combination of Italo-English, 'Italiana winea isa nota understooda very wella bya Australians. It's a designeda fora the partnershipa witha the fooda!' Apparently Italians are less keen than Australians on drinking wine for any reason, traditionally only drinking wine with a meal. The subtlety of the Italian wine certainly made for a perfect combination on the evening.

The soup was superb and has proved easy to make, even for the novice chef. The Truffle Oil added a distinctive flavour but I expect most of us will consider that to be a special occasion option!

Joseph advised us to cook the ingredients with love. For those of us who have endured awful, gluggy risotto, Joseph's 'watch it like a soldier' statement and his requirement to ladle hot stock into the Caranoli rice (the premier grade of risotto rice he informs us!) certainly provided a sensational result. The sashimi grade tuna, mixed with the subtle stinging nettle really was delightful. I think that few of us will be brave enough to obtain stinging nettle in raw form, plunging from hot water to cold and then rubbing with gloved hands to remove the nettles. All a little too difficult and I'm not keen to endanger the recipients of my labours with such painful consequences if my cleaning process is unsuccessful.

The whole chicken can be pre-prepared, with Joseph's veal, bacon, mushroom, bread and herb stuffing being an easy and delectable filling. The meticulous preparation of the chicken, with wishbone and parson's nose removed, 'ankles' cut off - to ensure that the tendons in the leg don't cause the meat to toughen - and the sewing up of the chicken to retain the juices, resulted in the most succulent chicken imaginable. The insertion of a couple of knobs of butter in the skin on the breast certainly assisted the flavour. 'I'm not sure that my doctor will be grateful' was one comment that I'm sure struck a chord with most of us.

To conclude the bellissimo fiesta, a traditional tiramisu was provided. While this must be prepared the previous day, Joseph made one in front of us. The key appears to be completely soaking the sponge fingers with the coffee/Tia Maria mixture. Joseph's love for food is obvious. His Nonna would no doubt be proud of his recollection of school days, tucking into the egg-yolk, sugar and Tia Maria mixture at lunch time in suburban Melbourne.

A traditional 'pick-me-up' for an Italian boy. In summary, the evening was a terrific education on the work in preparation that is required to deliver outstanding culinary results.

The combination of the wines with the food was excellent and all who attended can be grateful for Arquilla Wines' participation. To find a local outlet for the wines you can email Maurizio at arquilla@arquilla.com.

I am sure that most who attended would have tried to emulate at least one of Joseph's recipes. To me, as a visitor to the Society, I found the evening inspired me to look for the right ingredients and to see how close I could come to Joseph's results. I know I fell short but I had a great time trying. And yes, I did sneak a few glasses of red without food accompaniment. Sorry Maurizio but it helps with the cooking!

To Hamish Long and Sophie Musci, congratulations on the organisation of an outstanding evening of food, wine and friendly conversation. The main surprise for me was that more people did not attend. That's alright with me; I want to make sure I get a seat next time. Please, don't tell your friends!

Joseph Vargetto