Tour de course

"There is a communion of more than bodies when bread is broken and wine is drunk," wrote M.F.K. Fisher.

I thought about the gastronomy writer’s marvelous musing during lunch on a brutally hot late-May afternoon at Ristorante Panorama. Luca Sena, the restaurant’s owner, invited me to share the bounty of his table with his soon-to-be-married son Carlo, sommelier William Eccleston and chef Rosario Romano.

The five of us had a few things in common. We appreciate simply prepared authentic Italian cucina, Italian wine and European travel. We also discovered our mutual love for cats as we chatted about the gatti that live with us as if they were our children.

The men recently spent a week in Italy, along with South Philadelphia-born chef Vince Alberici, to whom I awarded three toques for his uncommonly fine Italian fare at The Marker in the Adams Mark Hotel. It is an annual pilgrimage for the group, who returns to Philadelphia armed with menu ideas and the memories of the diverse fine wine they sampled.

Romano was excited for us to sample his new creations. For his antipasto, he placed fresh white anchovies around the rim of the plate and filled the center with a simple julienne of shiitake and root vegetables.

"All we saw in Italy were shiitake mushrooms," laughed Luca Sena. "I came to Italy seeking fresh porcini and all the Italians are into now are shiitake."

We thought the roasted red pepper vinaigrette enhanced the dish. Romano also studded the plate with large dollops of red pepper coulis.

"You see how the vinegar from the anchovies adds such a delicious flavor," said Sena as he sipped the first of six white wines we sampled.

Eccleston discovered the wines during the Italian trip. "You know how big the Philadelphia Flower Show is," he said. "I attended a wine fair and tasting which was as big as the Flower Show." Three vintages came from Friuli. The Colli Orientale del Friuli "Canto-Tocai/Pinot Bianco/Sauvignon Blanc," Cantarutti 2001 was my favorite.

"It has a funky flavor, doesn’t it?" asked Eccleston. I agreed. The Sauvignon Blanc made this blend amusingly funky. You can find it in the state stores for about $17. I also liked the Tocai Friulano "Friuli-Grave" Plozner 2002, which runs about $12.

We chatted as we tucked into a rice ball blended with top-quality lump crabmeat, coated with crumbs and quickly fried. The funky wine was tasting even better because of the crab.

Carlo Sena went to Temple for a year, then to Loyola in Chicago, and back to Temple to finish with a degree in communications.

"But I love the restaurant business and working with dad," he summed up. We then sampled a marvelous homemade pasta tossed with a ham similar to prosciutto di Parma.

I knew Luca Sena came to America from his native Naples in 1969 when he was a teenager. But I didn’t know the entire story.

"Papa and I came first because we had an aunt in Philadelphia," he said. "Then mamma arrived with my brothers. My sister stayed in Italy because she was going to medical school."

Romano continued to send courses out from the kitchen and we sipped a flight of red wines. A pasta with duck sauce sent my taste buds soaring and a light veal dish with fresh vegetables was downright delicious.

Eccleston lunched on tilapia because he does not eat meat, and the hostess for an upcoming private party at Panorama requested the fish. He wanted to try it before serving it to guests. Carlo talked about his July 3 wedding as I looked through the colorful photographs the men brought back from Italy.

"See that rabbit," said Romano of a photo of an adorable fat bunny. "He was a smart rabbit. He lived in the inn where we stayed and always came to my window. He had a habit of rapping on it. I opened the window, and in he came. Every time."

Here is Chef Romano’s recipe for the antipasto I enjoyed during lunch.

Antipasto di Acciughe e Vegetali
Marinated Anchovies and Vegetable Timbales

Ingredients:

24 fresh anchovies
Coarse salt
1 cup virgin olive oil
1/4 cup sliced carrots
1/4 cup sliced onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
3 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme
10 black peppercorns
1/4 cup white-wine vinegar

Directions:

Lay the anchovies out on a non-aluminum dish, sprinkle with salt and let cure for two hours. Saut� the carrots, onions, celery and garlic in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until softened. Add the remaining olive oil along with the bay leaves, thyme and peppercorns. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the vinegar. Rinse the anchovies of any excess salt. Pour the warm marinade over the fish, cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.

For the basic vinaigrette:

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste

For the red pepper vinaigrette:

1/2 cup red pepper puree
1/4 cup basic vinaigrette

Directions:

For the basic vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Blend 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette into the red pepper puree. Adjust seasoning.

For the timbales:

1/2 cup blanched carrots, julienned
1/2 cup celery, julienned
1/2 cup zucchini, julienned
1/2 cup cooked shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons vinaigrette

Directions:

Line four (4-ounce) ramekins with plastic wrap. Toss the vegetables with the vinaigrette and fill the ramekins. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To serve, place one timbale in the center of four plates. Fan out six anchovies, skin side down. Drizzle with red pepper vinaigrette and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Serves four.

Note from Phyllis: You can use roasted red peppers from the jar to make the red pepper vinaigrette.