As you know, there were quite a few birthdays celebrated at Assaggio last month and many of our employees were working on their special days. Of course, this didn’t stop Mauro from spreading a little birthday cheer to his entire family here at the restaurant.

One particular birthday was very memorable thanks to a brilliant plan concocted by Mauro and implemented by the waitstaff, headed up by Amy. It was the middle of dinner service and the restaurant was buzzing. The birthday boy was sent to the walk-in refrigerator to retrieve a cake for a table. Mauro asked him to stage the cake with all the works including candles. As the server lit the candles, we told him the guest was ready for the surprise and to bring it over to a table near the bar. With a jolly purpose, the server brought the cake out and patiently stood there waiting.

Seconds later “Happy Birthday” was sung very loudly throughout the restaurant and the perplexed server kept looking around, asking “Where’s the birthday guest? Who do I sing to?” Finally, it dawned on him that this cake was in fact for him! Blushing and wanting to run, Mauro pulled him into a hug (Mauro’s famous hug), wishing him a very “Happy Birthday.” It’s not every day you get to prepare your own surprise cake! These are the moments that make Assaggio and we are proud to be a part of Mauro’s family.

- The Assaggio Family

Bring the passion into your kitchen by helping us fund the production of Mauro’s cookbook.

Now, I know cooking is not for everyone. To be a chef, you must be dedicated and have passion for even the smallest details in your kitchen and recipes. But cooking is also about traditions. For example, in Italy one of the secret techniques and my family tradition is to add a little pasta water to many dishes including my Fusilli Zafferano. It adds just a touch more flavor and I swear to you, your sauce will never break! Just make sure to add a dash of salt to your pasta cooking water. Tiny little detail but very important.

Which leads me to some crucial advice. While cooking, you are cooking. Not talking on the phone. Not checking e-mail. Cooking. Put your heart into every dish one hundred percent and you will never be disappointed. Your guests will be able to taste the love and focus with each bite.  And lastly, don’t overcook your pasta for nobody!  Two minutes under the cooking time is my rule of thumb for the perfect al dente pasta.

I can’t thank Holly Brown from The Brown Lounge enough for allowing me into her home and giving me the opportunity to share one of my favorite recipes, Fusilli Zafferano, with all of you. Watch our video to see how we made this simple dish at home.  Then try it with your family and friends this week. It’s perfect for family style serving and you can make it a new holiday tradition! (Of course, I’m also happy to serve it to you when you visit my restaurant sometime soon!)

If you’re interested in trying more of my recipes, you can purchase my cookbook on Amazon.com and next year, you’ll even be able to buy all the ingredients for Fusilli Zafferano through Assaggio’s Amazon Fresh page. Stay tuned!

Ciao!

Mauro Golmarvi, Owner of Assaggio Ristorante

“Do you have boxing gloves,” Thierry asks before the taping starts.

“How about a pan or a bread stick,” Margaret laughingly replies.

Mauro even added his two cents stating that if he won, the audience would eat free at Thierry’s kitchens.

Watch and see the outcome!

It takes a special kind of personality to look natural on television and if you saw the video clip from the show, you know exactly what I am talking about. Right before filming of the segment started, Margaret laughingly picked up a wine bottle wondering why it wasn’t open and why a wine glass was now home to mere herbs. “You have to start cooking first,” Mauro replied. Strange, but there is a reason for his remark.

As he starts to explain his Chicken Cacciatore recipe he insists that you start with garlic, salt, pepper and oil. Margaret asks why and Mauro just smiles, “You do this first because once the wine is opened, you might forget!” Ah! While most of us know the true reason is to enhance the flavor of the dish, Mauro’s answer is far more perfect! The laughs continue as he easily weaves his way through a great performance, even providing a finished product for the staff to taste.

After the segment, the audience was encouraged to ask a few questions and someone asked about suggestions on buying chicken at the grocery store. Mauro advised to buy local and fresh, and staying away from the cheapest on shelves.

“When you shop for makeup, you buy with no cost in mind, as long as it is the best and freshest; the same should be for food. The ingredients make the dish.”

From first-hand experience, I know he means what he says, using only the freshest local ingredients in all his cooking.

Make sure to check out our events page regularly where you can see Mauro in action both at Assaggio and around Seattle.

- MM

-Mauro

French restaurants — and one Italian — saluting Julia Child
Puget Sound Business Journal by Glenn Drosendahl, Contributing Writer
Date: Wednesday, August 8, 2012, 3:42pm PDT

I had the privilege of testing out a new product while on vacation that I hope to be able to share with you in the future. Rumors of wine being served in kegs have been floating around the culinary world for a few years. This type of presentation is becoming more and more popular and it isn’t hard to see why.

Imagine wine being poured from spouts; dark red or pure white glistening as it fills a glass. Now imagine that every glass poured would be fresh, tasting only how the winemaker intended. Kegged wines are unfiltered directly into the kegs and nitrogen gas preserves the wine, eliminating oxidization. They are never exposed to sunlight or oxygen, wine’s worst enemies, and with no bottles, reusable kegs are more environmentally friendly.

Without the added cost of bottles, corks and so on, these wines can be offered at a more discounted price to my customers. This idea thrills me to no end because I truly believe that everyone should enjoy a glass of wine with their meal. It is the Italian way.

And with that said, I am ready to enjoy my own glass (possibly poured from a keg very soon) with each and every one of you, sharing the adventures of my trip. See you soon!

-MG

Tomorrow marks the Third Annual Chardonnay Day, with winemakers, sommeliers and wine lovers from around the world lifting their glasses to mark the occasion. Reviews, stories and thoughts about the wine will be posted on Facebook and Twitter (#ChardDay) all day long so we encourage you to join in on the fun.

Now I know you are asking yourself, is there Italian Chardonnay? Yes! While Chardonnay is most often thought of in conjunction with France or California, Italians offer their own special take on the grape. Most Italian Chardonnays are made in Northern Italy. They are leaner, crisper and oak is used sparingly, focusing more on a light, fresh fruit palate instead of the buttery quality you find in other regions around the world.

For years, the Chardonnay grape in Italy was often confused for Pinot Blanc or used as more of a blending grape. In 1978 the Italian Government had wine experts differentiate it from the other grapes in the region and in 1984 the wine received its first DOC (quality assurance label). Today, Chardonnay is Italy’s fourth most widely planted white wine grape.

Assaggio will be offering two Italian Chardonnays by the bottle and one by the glass. We’ll also be baking up a delicious, Almond-Orange Chardonnay Cake for all you dessert lovers.

Sommelier Wine Description: The two Chardonnays that we offer on our bottle list are Massolino ’10 from the Langhe in Piemonte and Vie Di Romans ’09 from Friuli. The Massolino fits the bill for the California Chardonnay drinker showing a bit more oak with expressive lemon curd and buttery nuiances. Whereas, the Vie di Romans offers more of a Burgundian style with the oak more integrated and a higher minerality content. For those guests that are Chardonnay drinkers but are willing to try something new, I like to sell the Vietti Arneis ’10 from Piemonte. It’s a medium bodied dry white that has a richness on the mid-palate with flavors of peach, apricot and pear.

Have fun tasting!

-Assaggio

With Sunday fast approaching we are quickly reminded of the glue in most families; the pillar, our mothers. She is strong and caring, deserving praise every single day; though a special day is sometimes needed.

I wanted to share with you a Mother’s Day memory from my youth that I now look back on and laugh, and try to make up for every day. On a particular Mother’s Day when I was about 16 years old, my mother asked me, “Do you know what today is?” Confidently I responded, “Yes, of course. It’s Sunday. Maybe, can I have some spending money?” I quickly learned the error of my comment, and ran out to buy her a skirt only realizing later it was the wrong size. And I mean, really, the wrong size, to the point her response was, “You think I’m fat?” Needless to say, I made it up to my mother in many ways that day and have never forgotten Mother’s Day again.

Italian Mother’s Day

For Italians, Mother’s Day is celebrated as the La Festa della Mamma on the second Sunday in May. The event can be traced back to Roman times when a week long feast was held in honor of the Roman goddess, Juno; the patron of marriage and motherhood. Over time the celebration transformed with the coming of Christianity and it blended to include the worship of the Madonna. In the 1950’s the American idea of Mother’s Day was embraced in Italy, becoming one of the largest holidays of the year.

Mother’s Day is about family, and gifts are exchanged. Probably the best gift of all is the no chore rule. The family finishes a mother’s chores so that she can relax, and enjoy her special day. With the origins of the day surrounding a feast, it comes as no surprise that a large dinner is prepared with a sweet cake served for dessert. For those who can’t make it home, a phone call is necessary and Italy reaches peak usage on this day.

No matter your plans this weekend, take the time to thank your mother and all that she stands for.

-MG