From the palette to the plate

MANILA, Philippines - Upon entering the home of Antonino “Nino” Quartana there is that unmistakable feel of going into an artist’s abode. Paintings evoking a myriad of emotions hang from the walls. The smell of freshly baked bread and sweet-smelling herbs wafts through your nostrils. Indeed, one is transported to the world of an intense artist who hails from Palermo, Sicily, who has fused his exquisite use of a palette of colors with his passionate desire to excite the palate. That alchemy, as he calls it, is what makes this shy Sicilian painter engaging.

After going through the hectic traffic of Makati, a glimpse and taste of Sicilian artistry both on canvas and on the plate was a welcome reprieve. Like hues on Nino’s palette the dishes of Sicily are a symphony of diverse cuisines with Roman, Greek, and Arabic influences. Sicilian cuisine is complex in flavors, much like the colorful tapestry of paintings found in this artist’s home. Yet, in spite of the intricacies of Sicilian cuisine, Nino expresses his creativity effortlessly in his kitchen.

Great balls: Quartana’s version of arancini is saffron-infused pumpkin risotto balls with Emmental cheese.

Nino’s cooking evokes the rustic, old-world culinary tradition of Sicily. The crux of Sicilian cuisine came with the Saracen domination dating back to around 830 AD. It is also then that eggplants, peaches, figs, apricots, dates, raisins, saffron, and pistachios were woven into the gustatory fiber of the region. It was this Arabic influence that gave sophistication to the Sicilian gastronomic milieu.

To tickle our palate, Nino started off by making arancini. His version is saffron-infused pumpkin risotto balls with Emmental cheese.

Arancini Balls

To make the arancini balls, Nino prepared saffron risotto with porcini mushrooms for that added earthy flavor. He then got a handful of the cooked risotto, put half a handful of Emmental cheese in the middle, formed it into a ball the size of a small orange, rolled it in white, finely crushed breadcrumbs, then again into brown, roughly ground breadcrumbs, and finally in some semolina flour before deep-frying until golden brown. The result was a crunchy rice ball with a creamy center that was delightfully light yet filling.

Pasta Norma

Next on the menu was Pasta Norma, which according to Nino was created by a famous Catalan chef in honor of Vincenzo Bellini, a famous Italian opera composer.

Delicious melding of flavors: Pork tenderloin in red wine sauce with apple compote

Nino first pre-fried thin slices of eggplant to serve as the topping for this pasta dish. Then, in a saucepan, he sautéed four cloves of garlic in extra-virgin olive oil, which he slightly browned then removed from the pan. He then added a can of crushed tomatoes, a whole bottle of pasta rustica, and a half-cup of water. Then he seasoned the sauce with a teaspoon of fine salt, threw in a fistful of fresh basil leaves, and covered the saucepan. He let it boil, lowered the heat, and left the sauce to simmer for 40 minutes, stirring it every five minutes to cook it evenly and avoid burning. In the meantime, he started cooking the penne rigate noodles.

Nino gave us this tip — more like an Italian rule — for cooking pasta noodles: Boil the water first, add the noodles, then the salt. “Never add salt to the water before boiling,” he reiterated. He made sure that the noodles were cooked al dente and drained very well of all water. Nino says sauce adheres better to the noodles when they are drained well.

Setting the noodles aside, Nino checked the taste of his sauce and adjusted the sourness by adding a pinch of baking soda and a half-teaspoon of sugar. He also made this writer grate his authentic Sicilian ricotta. After a few more minutes of simmering, the pasta sauce was done. Nino then added the cooked pasta noodles and half the grated Sicilian ricotta cheese. Each of us got a hefty serving of Pasta Norma, topped with more of the sharp, tangy ricotta and some fresh basil leaves.

Pork Tenderloin In Red Wine Sauce With Apple Compote

For the main dish, Nino cooked his very own pork tenderloin in red wine sauce with apple compote.

The night before, he carefully massaged the pork tenderloin with salt, then marinated it with red wine, rosemary, fennel seeds, laurel leaves, and some peeled cloves of garlic. He then pan-fried the pork in a very hot pan in order to brown and caramelize the outside of the pork. This process, he said, seals in the pork juices. When the browning was done, another half-cup of red wine was added to deglaze the pan. The pork tenderloin, together with the red wine sauce, was then wrapped in aluminum foil, then returned to the pan to continue cooking until the pork got fork-tender. While the pork was being tenderized, he peeled and sliced three green apples. In another pan, the sliced apples were placed together with a half-cup of white wine and a half-tablespoon of orange-flavored honey. The apples were cooked over a low fire until they were soft and easy to mash. When the tenderloin was cooked, the meat was allowed to cool for around 10 minutes for ease in slicing. Three slices of savory pork were then placed on top of a bed of some nutty arugula leaves and the sweet, tangy apple compote. Each bite of the pork with the arugula and apple compote was a delicious melding of varying flavors in one dish.

To cap our lavish meal, Nino patiently made Pancakes Moray — crepes with cream and Marsala wine filled with a velvety mixture of eggs and spices. To make this scene-stealer, Nino had to prepare the filling ahead of time, cooking fresh milk with cinnamon, star anise, a touch of cardamom and cloves, lime rind to give it a kick, powdered sugar, and cornstarch. He also added some raisins and dried apricots. The milk mixture was cooked and stirred constantly for seven minutes, cooled down, then kept in the refrigerator until it was used. To make the crepes, Nino used five slightly beaten eggs that were at room temperature when used. To the eggs he added three tablespoons of ground almonds, three tablespoons of powdered sugar, one shot of Marsala wine and a teaspoon of cocoa powder. In a nonstick pan, Nino added about a teaspoon of butter, then poured some of the egg mixture to make the crepes.

Great balls: Quartana’s version of arancini is saffron-infused pumpkin risotto balls with Emmental cheese.

After all the crepes were made, he then put about two tablespoonfuls of the filling in each crepe, rolled it, then topped with some powdered sugar, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. Each of us was given a shot of Marsala on the side.

Nino brings a slice of Sicily here via his cooking lessons, which he holds in his cozy home. Students can feast on all the gastronomic delights after learning how to cook. So for all you cooking aficionados out there who want to learn how to cook authentic Italian, it will be enjoyable to learn from the artiste himself.

A new batch of Sicilian/Italian cooking lessons is ongoing until Oct. 20.

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For information, call 403-3375 or e-mail quartanachef@live.com.