Experience Le Marche!

Claudio Modesti was born in Esanatoglia in the province of Macerata in the central region of Le Marche Italy, and works as a doctor. He is Chairman of the Mycological Group of Macerata, professor of CAMM (association of mycology in Macerata), and a consultant at a truffle cultivation. He is official taster and sommelier of the Association of Italian Sommelier (AIS) and AIS teacher in courses on cooking techniques, food and wine accompaniments in particular with mushrooms, truffles, and vegetables.  He has been Chairman of the Commission of Regional AIS Marche Tasting panel, catering consultant and member of the Board of Tasting for Salame di Fabriano.
He has written three Italian language books: “I mieli uniflorarli incontrano i formaggi tradizionali italiani” (editor. Geronimo); “I tartufi in cucina” e “Lo spignolo in cucina: un tartufo epigeo?” (editor. Hacca).

Has performed as a guest speaker in several conferences related to wine, and in 2008 was featured on Italian television programme Eat Parade , RAI TV  on 02 Marche 2008).

Recently, the protagonist of a very hot topic on Italian TV station Canale 5. In a cult programme called Striscia La Notizia  he outlined the use of chemical additives in food.

PRESENTATION OF BOOKS

I MIELI UNIFLORALI INCONTRANO I FORMAGGI TRADIZIONALI ITALIANI
( The single flowering honeys meet traditional Italian cheeses)
A manual matching between the main single flowering honey and the main traditional Italian cheeses, with hints of sensory and physiological analysis of the five senses. The book discusses the issues related to honey, cheese and various kinds of contributions, highlighting the perfect combination between the two foods.

I TARTUFI IN CUCINA
(Truffles in the kitchen)
Their aphrodisiac virtue were appreciated in Imperial Rome, were the reason to ban nuns and monks in the Middle Ages from eating it, and was an instrument of seduction in the kitchens and living rooms of the Renaissance. It is the truffle the so called diamond of the kitchen, anthology of precious perfumes and ingredients for our dishes. The book introduces the mycology of truffles, knowledge of the most interesting culinary and sensory analysis, offers a guide to the recognition of the best examples, the cleaning and conservation, purchase of fresh products and reading labels in order to recognize and avoid the many scams and pranks. A large section describes the culinary use of the truffle in the catering kitchen and contains 50 original recipes, well illustrated, described and a detailed step by step guide to accompany wine.

SPIGNOLO IN THE KITCHEN: A TRUFFLE EPIGEO?
The spignolo (Calocybe gambosa) is an unfortunate mushroom, prey to the ravaging pestes in meadows and woods. It is a fungus also unlucky in the kitchen, where it is little known for its wonderful virtues that make it valuable as a precious white truffle. It has strong and unique bouquets that disappear with heat treatment above 50 °. These considerations have influenced the drafting of recipes and leads to reflection on the respect of the mushrooms and nature. The book contains a detailed description of the organoleptic properties of the fungus, introduces the best use of the same expressions in various culinary techniques that occur in 17 recipes illustrate. Ingredients and technique of execution are clearly described for each recipe and are all prepared with local, excellent Marchigiana. A section is devoted to information that can recommend a proper combination of preparations based on mushrooms spignoli with local regional wines. The curious phenomenon of finding the fungus in built-up areas is interpreted by attributing to it a profound ecological and fairy tale significance.