Guest Interview n°6: Carlo Cracco
1)What cooking represents for you?
Cooking is everything: it’s life, it’s a path. In my initial vision cooking was wellness, the greatest thing to aspire. Then I realized that there was much more: technique, preparation, matching, science..
2)What kind of message do you try to spread through your recipes?
More than a message is a personal vision: consistent, balanced and honest.
3)How do you see experimentation, innovation and tradition in relation to the most extreme revisiting?
Experimentation does not exist. Instead Innovation is part of cooking: it changes regardless of me and all other chefs, and it changes because the world changes, it is a continuous process that never stops.
Revisiting is the result of our time and personal experience, it’s natural and contemporary.
Tradition does not exist either: it’s a classic “escape name”. If we talk about tradition we have to go to the old texts from 15th century. Today everybody makes his way. The grandmothers’ recipes in reality are all different, each one with something different and personal.
4) What must not be neglected in the kitchen?
Curiosity. Culture.
5) Is it true that a chef never cooks for himself when he’s alone?
I always cook . Cooking is not a job, it’s a pleasure: if it became work, I couldn’t do it well!
6)The role of the color..
In a perception’s nivel is essential. But cooking is not made to impress; it consists of paths and matchings, the ultimate goals are taste and feeling.
7) What’s the relationship with Gualtiero Marchesi, your master twenty years ago?
We both have a high consideration for each other. But, as you know, human relationships must be feed, we never have the occasion. As always among artists the ratio is a bit complicated.
8)How do you see the actual Italian culinary scene?
I think it is one of the best in the world. An “in fieri” scene, which is diversified in a positive sense. “Quality heterogeneity”.
9) Do you go out at dinner? Where do you like to go?
If it was for me I’d always cook. Anyway, I like to discover some particular restaurants, but this doesn’t happen that often. I love Japanese cuisine: it’s art, philosophy, culture.. I mean not the traditional Japanese restaurants people are used to..
10) What do you think of Jamie Oliver?
He spoke about things which are not properly part of his job. In Italy we have nutritionists and professionals for that. For example, speaking about the collective kitchen, in the school you have constantly checked canteens.
11)How did come up the artistic collaboration with Salvatore Cuschera?
I have met him by chance. And imediately I liked his art. Since I became the only owner of the restaurant we started a journey together, and together will go on. He has an absolute freedom and constantly changes, developing his artistic expression. I am really happy about this partnership.
12)How does Salvatore’s art influence your cooking?
I like him a lot, but this does not intersects with my recipes. We just have a similar approach and an analogue mentality. There are many similarities between an artist and a chef: the first thinks about something that lasts 10/20/100 years, the second creates something that lasts just for 45 seconds. But influences, inputs and inspirations are the same.
13)Rome or Milan?
Milan. Rome is beautiful, indeed, but I live in Milan since a long time, and I consider it like my city.
14)Two songs..
Vasco and Battiato
15)What’s your favourite meal?
Pasta or Riso
16)Italian cooking vs French cooking?
During the 18oo the French encoded the whole art of cooking. For this reason the French Cooking does exist, and it’s so important in the whole world. French Cooking is at the top, it’s the maximum, then there are the various regional cuisines. In Italy it’s the opposite: our treasure is the heterogeneity of territory and culinary traditions, but we don’t have any manual which explains our national culinary history. This has always been our main problem.
Recipe for our followers
SPAGHETTI WITH GARLIC, OIL AND HOT PEPPER (for 6 persons)
For the spaghetti:
1 kg of smoked salt
250 gr of sugar
12 egg yolks
For the smoked garlic:
1 and ½ head of garlic
2 l of milk
salt
chilli
oil
20 sheets of fried parsley
Mix the salt with the sugar, marinate the egg yolks marinate for about 4 / 5 hours, then rinse under running water.
Take the 12 marinated egg yolks and put them between 2 sheets of baking paper. Spread uniformly with the help of a rolling pin, to form a thin layer.
Remove the paper and pass the puff pastry in the spaghetti drawbench.
Boil the garlic with the milk and reduce by half.
Pass everything to the fine mesh and keep aside.
In a pan, put a drop of oil, add the spaghetti and a little of hot pepper.
Jump for a couple of minutes and serve in a holster, after having created a basis with the garlic cream.
Finish with the fried parsley and a drop of crude oil.
By Silvia Bergomi | all images by Alberto Pellegrinet
