Ilario Mosconi: Italian cuisine in Luxembourg

Starts here our interview with Ilario Mosconi, great chef with two Michelin stars and a restaurant in central Luxembourg. If you are looking for restaurants in Luxembourg you have to know that this is an address to remember. What means cooking for you? "A joy, a pleasure, an entertainment. As I always say, I cook for myself, I have to love what I do, and our environment is always the one of a game, better, a wonderful creative play. " In his restaurant offers Italian cuisine. We start from the ground up, as usual, or from the products. Better local markets or searches along the boot? "Well, of course both, but I always tried and learned to appreciate Italian regional products of best quality, making the lion's share in all my dishes. I have very trustful distributors throughout Italy that are looking for me the freshest products and organize expeditions, for example, with regard to the truffles. I offer Piedmontese beef thanks to Villa, known distributor from Milan, which helps me also with other typical meat form Noth Italy, and then salumi, cheeses, specialties. I have someone everywhere from North to South, people that are looking products of guaranteed origin. Bu myself, at least once a month, I come to Italy in search of specialties. What should inspire a dish? What is the value of the presentation? "The desire that the plate should be treated in detail is first from me, from my taste and my look. I seek to enhance the product, the raw material; the creation and inspiration are in the background, is important that the quality and goodness of the product stand in the eyes and taste of my clients. You are born in Brescia. This is why you are more attached to the full-bodied flavors of northern Italy or you also make place for the warm Mediterranean tastes? "I am inspired with the Italian kitchen recipes in general, from the Alps to the Islands. What is important for me is to recreate the original flavor, the taste of the product in context, seeing him in my dish, from roast rabbit with polenta, tomatoes and mozzarella; now, coincidentally, I have a Brescia pig in the menu. In the menu, between desserts, it is a "Soufflé with chocolate and vanilla ice cream recipe according to Ernst Knam”. Do you have a special relationship with the Milanese baker? "I met Ernst from Gualtiero Marchesi, and still I see him very often. Our friendship is solid and even though we took different paths, I think he is a fantastic creative and often we call other for advice and ideas. The recipe is a little tribute to a great friendship, and offer an ice cream menu as it should. " You continue to offer an Italian cuisine very "pure" without contamination beyond the Alps. How is the Bel Paese cuisine in Luxembourg? "In Luxembourg there are plenty of Italians and Italian restaurants. We are now very well integrated, having lived here long, but in general Italian cuisine is requested and appreciated. Many of my clients travel and are often in Italy, they are familiar with these flavors and they are searching them, and I bring them here a genuine piece of our country. " One last question, perhaps the most important. We often ask which are the secrets of the profession, from where comes the inspiration drawn, beyond the art and ability. For you, what gives the greatest boost to your creativity? Where you seek, and find inspiration for your dishes? "I search the ideas trying around, traveling, tasting and observing. I am inspired with places, with the suggestions given by the products itself there where are grown. I suggest a recipe on my menu if I was in his "native land", if I saw where he was created. I get inspired from the recipes that I happen to discover, but also to the basic and genuine tastes in their places of origin, then I try to reproduce the here with inspiration. Once I spent a week in Sicily eating Sicilian cannoli in all pastries I knew, looking for the best, and again to discover the secret of its origin and taste, trying my hand at recreating it myself. A great effort, but also, how many discoveries! And finally, what satisfaction. Only then I feel I can create a new dish that meets my desires. " Address: MOSCONI 13, rue Münster L-2160 Luxembourg Tel +352 546994 Fax +352 540043 www.mosconi.lu info@mosconi.lu