WHITE truffle and celeb chef Aldo Zilli make for a heady mix as Cicchetti celebrates Italian winter food. The aphrodisiac scent of the prized subterranean fungus (below) permeates the glam restaurant/bar on the ground floor of House of Fraser as affable Aldo lavishes it on the exclusive showcase dish he has created – gnocchi with white truffle pesto. It is the centrepiece of the seasonal menu he has created in his role as San Carlo’s Executive Consultant Chef.
Even without his knowledgeable presence, the gnocchi will make a glorious treat, far removed from those stodgy supermarket ‘slugs’. That’s not just thanks to the presence of white truffle Italy’s most treasured winter ingredient freshly harvested in Alba in Piemonte.
Aldo uses the lightest of touches to create subtle carbfest, drying the potato base in the oven to avoid sogginess before ricing them with nutmeg, salt and olive oil. Egg is whisked in along with a paste made of roasted celeriac, sage and truffle cream. Shape the dough, swiftly cook and serve with a creamy mascarpone, white truffle sauce.
Aldo told us: “For me, the best cooking combines great simplicity with great taste and for an Italian, eating seasonally is a way of life, it means you’re eating fresh ingredients at the height of their flavour. It doesn’t get much better than white truffles, the ultimate Italian winter ingredient, the flavour is so special it can be shaved over your dish to take it to another level.”
If truffles are not your bag we’d recommend two contrasting pumpkin dishes – buffalo mozzarella, grilled roasted squash, pumpkin seeds, chilli and truffle honey (above, £6.95) and risotto with pumpkin, squash and parmesan (served inside a pumpkin for £9.95, main image). When you’re all squashed out aim for cavatelli with sausage and borlotti beans served in a clay pot (£8.95); gnocchi gorgonzola (£8.95) or risotto with porcini mushrooms (£9.95), each served in a baked Parmesan basket. Or as an alternative to baskets order the smoked burrata with Torpedino tomatoes (£8.95, it arrives theatrically in smoke filled cloche).
San Carlo Cicchetti, 98-116 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2GQ. 0161 839 2233.