The Henkan Italia cookbook is Henri Alén’s confession of love for Italian food.
Henri Alén fell in love with Italy as a young cook. KIMMO HAAPALA
Why a restaurateur and a chef With Henri Alén was there a lump in your throat 20 years ago?
– When I was young, I was a chef in Piedmont, training in a few restaurants. I wanted to find out what the secret of Italian food is so that I could make it in Finland, Alén recalls fresh from the oven Breathe Italy -cookbook (Readme.fi, 2023) in hand.
He describes that he remembers well the depression he experienced on the way home:
– I almost cried on the plane when I realized that this cannot be done in Finland.
The reason was the availability of raw materials. A good 20 years ago it was much weaker than today.
Alén lists that there were no quality pastas, oils, preserves or vinegars available at the time. He states that the world was different from today.
Typical Italian food is made from a few ingredients. When the list of ingredients is not long, the price of the portions stays under control.
Anchovy-caper risotto is also on the menu at restaurant Fiasco. Eeva Paljakka
However, the unpretentious Italian cooking style demands a lot from the ingredients. They must be of good quality.
– Italian cuisine is merciless to ingredients. If there is tomato and mozzarella in the dish, only their taste is in the dish.
Alén emphasizes that, of course, Finnish raw materials are also good. When necessary, he has searched for a Finnish product for the recipes in his book. Alén advises how Italian food can be prepared in Finland, and how Italian cuisine can be applied to Finland.
– In Finland, it is definitely worth taking advantage of the short season of domestic vegetables. Summer tomatoes, root vegetables and herbs are perfect for preparing Italian delicacies.
In the Italian way, Alén uses a lot of canned goods. Many times in Finland, canned goods are thought to be inferior raw materials, but Alén refutes this claim.
– However, they have a better taste.
For example, canned tomatoes taste better than fresh tomatoes in winter.
In Finland, the selection of pasta has grown enormously, as has the selection of Italian preserves.
Alén laughs that he is proud that none of the 76 recipes in his new cookbook contain minced meat. Minced meat does not belong in Italian cuisine.
There is a boom in Italian restaurants in Helsinki.
– Considering the popularity of Italian food, there haven’t been many Italian restaurants in Helsinki before. And I don’t mean pizzerias, of which there are of course many, Alén states.
In addition to Alén’s restaurant Fiasco, other restaurants have opened in Helsinki this fall Hans Välimäki Gina and Pekka Terävän Scolari. In addition, there is Osteria dei Gusti in Töölö.
– It’s great that more Italians are coming. It is refreshing that there are many interpretations of Italy available, thanks Alén.