Culinarium: Chef Luciano Schipano & Mozzarella

Joining Chef Luciano Schipano at his Toronto cooking studio 'Culinarium' for a fun and delicious hands-on exploration of two of Italy’s most famous cheeses, Mozzarella di Bufala, and its much rarer and sophisticated cousin Burrata — two of may favourite cheeses — we were charmed by the chef who has created “a place where culinary experiences happen, and where all who come, leave with an emotion and a memory”. 

Having visited Tenuta Vannulo, an organic mozzarella producer a few miles outside of Paestum in southern Italy a few years ago, where only milk from farm's own herd of Italian Mediterranean buffalo is used for making their renowned Mozzarella di Bufala, I tasted freshly made cheese moments after being made which was a sublime experience, so I was really looking forward to working with fresh mozzarella during Luciano's class.

The event began with general introduction to the world of Italian cheeses, and a demonstration and tasting of traditional Italian mozzarella knots known as 'nodini'. Chef Lucianno invited anyone in our class to join him in making them, at which point I immediately raised my hand and joined him in the kitchen, which was great fun. Following the nodini, Chef Luciano showed us all how to make burrata, one of Italy’s unique culinary treasures. He shapes a portion of fresh mozzarella into a flat disc and fills it with a creamy mixture of mozzarella curd and fresh cream, known as stracciatella, making a little pouch. As the burrata is served, thickened cream flows out in all it's glory. 

Along with a glasses of delicious red Calabrian wine, the menu for the evening featured complimentary antipasto and focaccia upon our arrival, followed by the handmade Nodini, then Pizza topped with Mortadella, Burrata and Arugula; Risotto with Mushrooms, Burrata and Truffle Oil; and to finish, fresh Peaches with Burrata. A perfect spot for virtual and in-person cooking classes, private and corporate events, and buying refined wine and food from around the world, Chef Luciano's Culinarium is a rare and delightful find.

Hot water is added to fresh whole milk curd, and as the structure softens 

Chef Luciano begins stretching the mozzarella to make it uniform and shiny

Burrata begins with making the Mozzarella and Stracciatella, a two-part process

Luciano fills little pouches of flattened mozzarella with the straciatella

and seals it with a knot  

 

Luciano showing the class how to make the knots or 'nodino' from the mozzarella

The nodini are placed in cool water once finished, 

and then we were all invited up to taste freshly made 'love' knots

Warm and pleasantly chewy, I couldn't resist the temptation to eat a few more

The second course was Focaccia-style Pizza

Focaccia-style pizza topped with mortadella, stracciatella di bufala and arugula

The third course was Risotto with mushrooms and burrata and finished with truffle oil

The burrata is mixed in with the risotto for a luscious and creamy dish

Fresh sliced peaches topped with burrata

www.culinarium.to

Gnocchi alla Sorrentina

Serves 4

Recipe courtesy of Chef Luciano Schipano

Gnocchi:

1 lb of Russet or Baking potatoes

1 1/8 cups plain flour

9 oz Mozzarella di Bufala cheese, torn into small chunks

8 basil leaves, roughly torn or basil pesto

pecorino, grated 

Tomato Sauce:

17 oz of passata or cherry tomato

4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed

salt

Boil the potatoes whole, skin on, until cooked through. Drain then transfer to a bowl. Allow them to cool before peeling.

To make the tomato sauce, place the olive oil and the garlic in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Remove the garlic when it is becoming golden. Add the passata or cherry tomato and cover and allow the sauce to cook for 5-6 minutes. Taste, season and keep warm.

Peel the skins from the cooled potatoes and discard.

Scatter three-quarters of the flour over a work surface. Press the potato through a ricer, or vegetable mill, onto the flour to form the mixture dough. Dust the work surface with a little more flour and divide the dough into 4-5 pieces.

Roll out the dough into long cylinders, about the thickness of your thumb. Cut each length into segments about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches, then press each one onto a gnocchi board or fork to give them a ridged texture.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add salt. Add the gnocchi and cook until they float on the surface, this should take approximately 2-3 minutes. Drain with a slotted spoon and place in the tomato sauce.

Stir and transfer to an oven-proof dish. Dress with mozzarella and basil. Bake for 10-15 minutes, until the mozzarella, has melted or until the cheese is golden. Serve immediately.