Susan Knox Wilson
“There’s a trick to making fresh mozzarella,” confided Chef Hector as we poured over his exciting new menu for Toscana’s. “The recipe is fairly simple, but you have to get the salt right in the beginning because after the cheese is set, you can’t fix it. I also add a special ingredient so the cheese will melt nicely on the pizzas.” With fresh mozzarella in the Caprese Salad and several Artisan Pizzas on the new menu, we’re certainly fortunate to have a “mozzarella master” in the kitchen.
Hector says the moment he first walked into Toscana’s he knew what he wanted to do with the menu. After graduating from Johnson & Wales University in 2006 (with degrees in Foodservice Management and Culinary arts), Hector spent several years working in Italian restaurants up and down the east coast. When he arrived at Toscana’s, he knew it was the place he could share his love and knowledge of Italian food. The new menu includes lots of Italian and Italian-inspired dishes, along with PebbleCreek favorites like grilled salmon and liver and onions.
One new dish on the menu is Chef Hector’s authentic Bolognese pasta, using the traditional method from the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. Chef told me that while there is no single recipe for Bolognese Sauce, the basic ingredients must be the same. It’s a serious thing, too. In fact, in 1982, the Academia Italiana della Cucina officially registered the recipe with the Bologna Chamber of Commerce. Take that, Prego!
While Chef Hector is excited about all the items on the new menu, I asked him to pick three he wants to be sure you know about. He chose the scallops with bamboo risotto, the fresh steamed clams and mussels and the Delmonico steak, a 14 oz. bone-in rib eye with Chianti onions. Along with this article, we’ve included the new menu so you can see all the mouth-watering offerings yourself. The only problem is deciding what dish to try first!
In addition to the new menu, Chef Hector plans to continue offering daily and weekly specials. Toscana’s dining room is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday, 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. For reservations or takeout, call 623-935-6753.
To view the new menus, visit the Food & Beverage page at pebblecreekhoa.org and choose Toscana’s from the drop down menu.