Italian Family Sharing Iftar at Home

Recipe: Italian Iftar at home with Chef Davide Gardini from BiCE Ristorante

Chef Davide Gardini from renowned Italian dining venue BiCE Ristorante,  located in the heart of Hilton Dubai Jumeirah has shared a detailed recipe and method to prepare a perfect Italian Iftar for your family this holy month of Ramadan. Rich and easy to make Paccheri Gratinati is a perfect for a family sharing pasta dish.

With over 15 years of culinary experience, Chef Davide Gardini oversees all gastronomic aspects at BiCE Ristorante.

Paccheri Gratinati
2 serves

INGREDIENTS

. Paccheri pasta 20 PCS
. Tomato Sauce 350gr
. Parmigiano cheese 150gr
. Fresh Basil 5-6 leaves
. Black Pepper to taste
. Salt fine to taste
. Extra virgin olive oil 20ml
. Mozzarella fior di latte cheese 150gr

PROCEDURES

. Cook the Paccheri pasta in salty boiling water till 90% of the cooking time (Around 15-16 minutes)

. Cut the mozzarella in small cubes (if you prefer just chop it)

. Add the mozzarella to the tomato sauce (Wait until the sauce is cold to avoid to melt the cheese)

. Add the  hands chopped basil leaves to the mixture

. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it well and arrange it in a bowl with some extra virgin olive oil and mix well. Leave it cooling down

. As the pasta will be cold, mix it with the sauce

. Now arrange the Paccheri, one by one in line, in an aluminum backing disposable in order to cover the whole surface.

. Spread some sauce on the top and sprinkle a generous fistful of parmesan cheese

. Repeat the operation to create a second layer  of pasta.

. Again, spread some sauce on the top and sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese.

. Drizzle the top with some Extra virgin olive oil

.Bake the pasta in a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees till the top get a golden color and the cheese is completely melted.

Chef’s note: Tasty and rich pasta, perfect for Ramadan family style dining at home.

A bit about Chef Davide Dardini:

Born and raised in Forli, in Emilia-Romagna (North East Italy), Chef Gardini comes from a traditional Italian background living with his grandparents, and was inspired by his grandfather’s cooking from the young age of 15. Pursuing his passion further, Gardini started off as a Kitchen Assistant, learning the basics of cooking and perfecting the art of Italian food. 
Refining his skills through incredible tastes, the talented chef gained experience as a Sous and Head Chef for some of the most well-known restaurants in Italy such as La Dispensa di Sadurano, Il Trebbo, Tinto , just to name a few. In 2013, while working at one of the best restaurants in Italy, Osteria Petito, Gardini received honours including a Slow Food Guide award, which recognises cooking that represents the ideals and philosophy of the Slow Food movement.
Davide has always stuck to his traditional routes and incorporates that in every dish with a modern twist, “I always want to bring my roots to the plate; you know when you remember how something tasted when you were little – that’s what I want to bring to the table”. 

At an age of 23, Chef Davide established his own restaurant named Osteria Am’arcod in his home town Forli. The concept of the restaurant was home-style Italian food with a modern twist. Chef Davide led a team of 7 people who ran this restaurant successfully for 2 years. The food at the restaurant was greatly appreciated and found a place in the hearts of the locals of Forli. These 2 years of Chef Davide’s life were the greatest learning on how to run a restaurant successfully, challenge his creativity to produce dishes which were familiar yet new and managed and mentor other young chefs to hone their skill. At 25, Chef Davide moved aboard by selling his first successful restaurant.

In 2017, he revolutionised Italian cuisine at the BiCE ristrorante , Hilton Dubai Jumeirah  by giving it his personal touch. He is constantly working with new ingredients and learning new techniques. Chef Davide implemented new menu such as Vegan menu, truffles, asparagus to name a few. He is environment conscious and has undertaken various sustainable projects. In 2019, he designed a waste management system for Bice to reduce food wastage. He maintained daily inventory of the produced quantity and its costs, thus verifying portion quantities that got consumed. Along with using forgotten cuts of meat in his menu he was able to bring down the wastage by 15% in 2019 versus 2018.