Home Sweet Tuscany Home
Where does the family go when they travel? It seems
they can go anywhere — and they may well open a
restaurant there. But “Tuscany is the only place I go.
Only Tuscany,” Sirio responded. With a family villa in
the little town where he was born, Sirio Maccioni is
most at home there and he also firmly believes that the
greatest chefs come from his part of the world.
Egi, when not in Tuscany, prepares a meal for the
whole family once a week at one of their restaurants.
“She is the best chef I know,” Sirio proudly said. Egi
likes to remind people that Le Cirque has a great steak
Florentine. But according to Sirio, her favorite dish to
cook is chicken under brick. We convinced the
Maccionis to share that recipe with readers of
The
Affluent Traveler.
POLLO AL MATTONE
(Brick Pressed Chicken)
• 1 young chicken
• salt and pepper
• juice of 1 lemon
• a little olive oil
Marinate the chicken for a few hours with the lemon
juice, salt and pepper.
Pound chicken with meat pounder, making it flat.
Heat a heavy skillet, brush with olive oil, and when it’s
hot, place chicken in pan and put two clean bricks on
top. Reduce heat and cook both sides for 30-35 minutes.
ABOUT MATTEO BOGLIONE
Executive Chef, Le Cirque New York
Chef Matteo’s culinary philosophy is bold and
thoughtful, transforming customary ingredients
through inventive and sophisticated
preparations, while simultaneously seeking
out the most unique specialty items from all
around the world.
During his two-decade long career, Chef
Matteo Boglione, has worked with esteemed
contemporary Italian restaurants such as Falai
and Gradisca. A chef par excellence, Matteo
has been conferred some of the biggest honors
by the revered critics of New York City. Within
two weeks of opening the doors of Il Matto to
guests, Matteo was mentioned in the
New York
Michelin Guide.
Sam Sifton, the acclaimed
critic from
The New York Times
also gave the
restaurant two stars. 2009 saw Matteo featured
on the cover of
La Cucina Italiana,
a prestigious
publication, for his interesting interpretation of
dishes with farro. Matteo has been a part of a
distinguished panel of Chefs invited by the
James Beard Foundation of New York City for
the annual lunch. His guests over years have
included names like Leonardo Di Caprio,
Victoria’s Secret models, Sarah Jessica Parker,
Woody Allen, David Bowie, Gwyneth Paltrow,
and Joaquin Phoenix.
Born to an American mother and an Italian
father, Chef Matteo Boglione’s love affair with
gastronomy began over the Saturday
afternoon baking sessions spent with his
mother. At just 14 years of age, the Florentine
native went to Aurelio Saffi, a prestigious five-
year hospitality school in Florence, determined
to become a chef. Since graduating in 1993,
Chef Matteo has traveled to locations such as
the US, Japan and the United Kingdom, before
eventually returning back to the cutting-edge
Italian kitchens of New York City. With his
diverse experience, Matteo has earned himself
the reputation as the Chef who can elevate the
caliber of a restaurant by giving the menu a
vision and supporting that vision with the
ability to precisely execute.
Travel Perspectives
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WINTER / SPRING 2016
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TRAVEL PERSPECTIVES
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