An italian supperclub for a good cause

 
For the moment has been just one off dinner at @federilli's place, but we all hope there will be some events following it.

Italian and passionate about food, Federica was the creator and the great chef of this dinner, made to raise some money for the Abbruzzo cause, horribly devastated by the earthquake some years ago.

She offered us some of the best dishes from the region, and the chance to know more about this territory, its history and culinary side.

I was amazed by the dishes, recipes that I have never tried before, also being Italian, but I was even more surprised by how much calm and confident she was also having 12 guests at her table.

All the night went smoothly, thanks also to a sous chef and another friend helping her with the service, and the dinner was really great.
 
It's just weird that this event has been organized just in the day that another big earthquake has destroyed another city in Italy, but I can imagine there will be another dinner soon for that cause too.

The found from this dinner will be entirely donated to the FAI, Fondo per l’ambiente Italiano, that has started different project to recover some of the oldest pieces of art of the region like the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle.
 
But let's see some of the fantastic dishes we had:

Cazzarielli e Fagioli - homemade pasta with beans, a comforting dish

Meat Cac'e Ova - a traditional, rustic lamb meat (from Ginger Pig) cooked with egg and cheese

Parrozzo - traditional chocolate cake with some Torrone Nunzia icecream gently made by La Gelatiera in London, like the sorbet served with some Centerbe chocolates form Abbruzzo.

I loved the idea to help an Italian region and its art, letting people discover some of the truly Italian culinary traditions and tastes. I think the dinner was really a great and clever event, and still, all my congratulations to the excellent host.

Comment (0)

New dates for the festival but always with great products

I was taken by surprise this year by the Vinitaly that instead to be in April as usual, has been moved to the 25th of March and will last until today, the 28th. The purpose of this move is to offer even more space to business, giving chance to all the people working in the sector and not to have more days to enjoy the Festival.

In fact, while in these days has been published the news that global demand for traditional British food like tea, biscuits and sausages has seen exports rise last year to top £12bn for the first time, it's with no doubt that we can say that in Italy is the wine industry that continues to drive the country’s agricultural sector and that confirms its leading position in foreign markets.

While the five biggest emerging markets for the english food are  China, Poland, Hong Kong, Netherlands and Belgium, for the Italian wine they is still America at the first place followed by China and Russia.

But there is not just wine at the Vinitaly and it's news of this morning that "Il Gambero Rosso"( important Italian food and wine magazine and publishing group) has presented at the festival also its guide to the best Italian Oils, another great product for our country. You can find more information here directly from Mafaldina, in the italian blog.

Pastificio dei Campi is at the Vinitaly too, in the stand of the Consortium for the Pasta from Gragnano, so follow us on twitter for other news from the festival.

Comment (0)

Mother's day is near and Italy too

Thinking about a special present for your mum this year? If she has always been in love with Italy, you could think about offer her an holiday in Italy.

What if you can find Italy at your doorstep? 

Easy with one of our great MAXI CUBE Pastificio dei Campi: there is the one "To Taste" (50 euro) with a selection of pasta shapes already made for you; Then there is the "Customed Cube"(40 euro), if you already know your mum's favourite shapes of pasta and finally the  "Maxi Cube Selection Pastificio dei Campi"(65 euro), that is composed by pasta, Extra virgin Olive Oil L'arcangelo and a special kind of tomatoes, Miracolo di San Gennaro... so the best from the Campagna region. 

If you are interested in one of the 3 just let me know via Facebook and I will organize to send you one of the cubes.

If the present is not enough, why don't follow one of my recipe and invite your mum to a real italian pasta dinner all prepared by you? Here some of them.

And finally your italian day couldn't be easier than this: The Italian Cultural Institute in London has just started the new italian movie nights appointment from this friday: lot's of nice movies are in schedule in these days, all with subtitles and in a really beautiful environment.

Have a look here to chose the one your mum will be happy to watch and get ready for your Special italian Mother's day.

Comment (0)

La Dolce Vita in London and TASTE in Florence

I can't resist to food festivals and funny events so I can't wait for this weekend when in London there will be La Dolce Vita again.

I go to have a little picture of what Italy is trying to import in UK and it's like to comeback home for some hours. Of course is full of italian , but especially is full of noise, laugh and good food of course.

This year there will be even a stand dedicated to Rome and its surrounding and Gino D'Acampo doing some live cooking. It will be fine.

And while I will be there, all my "italian family" will be at Taste in Florence a food festival dedicated to good eating and good living attended by the top figures in the international gastronomic and catering trade as well as an increasingly growing public of passionate foodies.

But this year the party will be even bigger because it will take place also outside the actual Stazione Leopolda but it will invade all the city with  themed suppers and tastings, shows and creative performances, events and new ways of presenting quality food. The calendar featured over 100 events at the last edition.

Pastificio dei Campi will be at the festival at the stand A13-A15 but also outside, with 2 events that will take place on sunday at lunchtime in the Gallery Art Hotel Ristorante and for dinner at 4Nero Concept Store.

 So i'm ready for my tour and I wish you a good weekend wherever you will be!

Comment (0)

Are you more for the Smooth or the Ridged pasta?

Inspired by a post written in the italian blog by Mafaldina dei Campi, about the smooth pasta or the one with ridges, I decided to write this post, because i just realized that here this division is actually not so noticed .

Here I have the impression that the majority of people divide the pasta in long pasta (spaghetti and linguine mainly), fresh pasta filled or not (ravioli and tagliatelle) and then all the short pasta (penne, maccheroni, etc).

I don’t really think anyone really cares about the difference between smooth and ridged pasta or  why we have these two different types of pasta and when to use them.

Anyway if asked the general answer is always: "Ridged pasta maintains better the sauce".

This is basically what we also say when we explain the bronze dying process that make the pasta (smooth or not) rough and so, better to keep the sauce anyway.

What in reality the ridges bring to pasta is just consistency and it’s an easier way to maintain the pasta al dente: if ridged the pasta will be of course thicker and the cooking time between ridges will be different so easier to don’t overcook it.

It will be a surprise for all the people from abroad to discover that the original pasta in Italy is smooth and that the ridged one was created for the norther market, where was missing the good quality of grain and they needed a shape that could help maintaining the form and the cooking time.

So at the present,  in the south, are mainly used the smooth types of pasta, generally long. The short pasta initially was in fact created from the long one, cutting it by hands. The short and ridged pasta instead is mainly used in the oven, for some baked dishes. This in fact will help the sauce to get thick if too liquid and to help the union with the pasta.

But of course I love both of the types and you can see in my recipes  I use both… but of course I will remember this  when cooking in the oven or when I have a sauce not particulary thick.

And what do you prefer?

Rigatoni, millerighe, conchiglioni or ziti tagliati, calle, and paccheri ?

Comment (0)

Some artistic use of... Spaghetti!

Ready for the weekend? here some amazing pictures i found on Pinterest, my latest addiction!

I thought this was the best way to wish you a very nice, relaxing, creative, or greedy weekend!

Comment (0)

"Pasta per Alieni" at Identita' Golose in Milan

Last weekend in Milan was really exciting and not only because was snowing like it wasn’t happening in years (that probably was more a problem than a bless) but because in Milan took place Identita' Golose, with a very special guest... a group of Aliens.

The Martians in fact were at Identita' Golose for the event Pasta for Aliens.

This is a  show to discover everything you ever wanted to know about PASTA.

The documentary tells the story of the travel of these aliens who, attracted by the "constellation of pasta"  meet 12 stars of the Sorrento Peninsula. These will reveal all the secrets to try the best pasta ever. In fact the protagonists chefs (Alfonso and Ernesto Iaccarino, Danilo di Vuolo, Mimmo de Simone, Peppe Aversa, Peppe Guide, Michael Deleo, Nino di Costanzo, Christoph Bob) interpret a typical recipe of Campania, spaghetti with tomato sauce, giving life to this unique spaghetti dish made by 12 stared chefs

And with the aliens there was also a big quantity of people, there to discover the secrets of the pasta into a 50-minute documentary film, from raw material selection to the secrets of its production, the techniques to cook pasta and enjoy it in the best way.

The idea was born from the desire to share the knowledge about a product that is as loved as "banal" and consumed without worry, a product that has ancient historical roots and an unbreakable bond with the territory.  

The documentary soon will be shown in episodes on www.pastaperalieni.it… so stay tuned if you want to have all your possible questions about pasta answered.

Comment (0)