Pasta is a must also in the italian weddings

And here we are …finally the 29th of April is behind the corner and everyone is getting ready for the big Royal Day.

Lots are the street party that will take place in the United Kingdom  and lots will be the people who will follow the couple during this event everywhere in the country: from pubs to houses, from screen around the city to the people standing on the main road taken by the couple.

Just few days ago a funny article came out on the Telegraph about the massive numbers involved in this wedding, from the number of horses to the crew of journalists who will take care of the event, and finally the number of … Rich Tea Biscuits requested by prince Williams for the wedding cake! I was without word! Rich tea Biscuits Cake??? When you have all the possible chefs and money to have a stunning amazing cake?

And finally they specified that this cake was ordered for the breakfast the next morning. Ok…but still…

So I was thinking, what about the rest of the menu? Any news about it? The Michelin Starred chef in charge seems to be Anton Mosimannby who created the premise of "cuisine naturelle" in the mid-1980s. I'm very curious to read more dettails about the menu in the next days.

In Italy the wedding menu and reception is something really important and central for a great ceremony, but what about England? It’s true that people here care usually a bit more about the drinks than about the food, but for the royal wedding I suppose there will be a big menu…o no?

Pasta is always in the menu of a great wedding: a first dish made by pasta, rice or also fresh pasta, can’t miss. They are often two even. Normally is something particular and a bit exclusive like a recipe with truffle or expensive fish or just an elaborated recipe not often cooked at home.

Probably for an occasion like a wedding I would suggest short pasta, easy to prepare for so many people and to serve too. Some long pasta I could also see a very nice dish made with Calle Pastificio dei Campi, a fine shape of pasta created by and for the chef Gennaro Esposito and that he like to propose in amazing fish recipes.

What do you think for example of the Calle Pastificio dei Campi with a cuttlefish sauce, like he did a Identita’ Golose 2010?

And if you are not so lucky to be invited to the wedding by the prince, why don’t prepare some pasta to bring in the park or at a street party and to share with other people?

Enjoy the event and this national happy day!

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.. the new "localization".

As maybe you all know, yesterday night in London we had the pleasure to host the ceremony of the 50 best restaurant worldwide and there was lots of excitement around for this event.

Created by William Drew, editor of Restaurant Magazine and sponsored by S.Pellegrino, this award has been celebrated since 2002. Every year El Bulli, the famous Spanish restaurant of the chef Ferran Adrià, have been in the top 3 positions, but last night the event was made even more interesting by the absence of this restaurant, soon close to become a culinary foundation.

Of course there was not doubt about  the number one, the restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, with the chef Renè Redzepi  that became number one last year for the first time.  Other two Spanish restaurants have yesterday conquered the second and third position  leaving to Heston Blumenthal a low fifth place (he was third the past year). What about the fourth position then? Massimo Bottura won it! Probably the most famous chef in Italy for his studies about the tradition and the evolution of the food and with his amazing Osteria Francescana.

Then other 5 italian restaurants were elected between the fifty best and these are Combal.Zero in Rivoli (TO) with the chef Davide Scabin, Alajmo with Le Calandre di Rubano (PD), Carlo Cracco with the Restaurant Cracco in Milano that entered directly at the 33 position, Dal Pescatore, Canneto sull’Oglio (MN) manged by the Santini’s family and finally Il Canto in Siena with the chef Paolo Lopriore. Congratulation to all of them who make italian proud of their cuisine and gastronomic art.

But today my attention was particularly catch by the various interviews to Mr. Redzepi  and especially by an element that is coming up often lately, speaking about the best restaurants and chefs in the word and especially about him and his cuisine: “LOCALIZION”. Basically seem to be the trend of the moment!

Noma infact makes of the localization or localism his strong point: the chef uses with love and creativity the products of his land, but it's not the only one in the list. This is a tendency we saw in fact even here in London where lots of enterpreneurs are creating in the city (or just really near) their private production of the most peculiar things from quails to pigs, from wine to beer. I was just reading about this the past weekend . So maybe in the future we will get use to have just locally sourced food? That could be great...but what about the pasta? I think I will still take that from Gragnano.

In the meantime let's just start to plan our dinners out, following this long list and lets enjoy these great chefs.

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Our Orecchiette and lots of other delicious dishes

 
Last week I finally went to Tinello, one of the best italian restaurants in London at the moment. It's not just my personal taste to define it like this, but the majority of the reviews I have read until now. The fact that the brothers Max and Federico Sali used to work at Locanda Locatelli is already a guaranty of success and the fact that the same Msr. Locatelli is behind this new project, means something.
 
In the latest days I just couldn't  stop to see reviews from bloggers and journalists going there and speaking about their fantastic dishes and about our orecchiette too!
So, one night that I felt really in need of a cosy and protective italian environment,  I finally decided to take my way to Pimlico. It was one of these days when you really need to feel at home!
 
The place it's just what I was looking for: not too big, not too lightful, not pretentious, and not even too noisy, but cosy and basically really welcoming. The service was impeccable but also relaxed and cheerful. I started my night with an aperitif.  Which one? The Spritz, a classic light Italian cocktail, a mix of Prosecco, Campari or Aperol and some soda water. This time they made it with a special wine from the house, so a unique version by Tinello! Delicious!

Based on all the reviews I read in the previous days, I then ordered some “small eats”: these are not real starters but “little tapas” I would say , perfect to try lots of different dishes. I always like to try the most that I can from a menu, but is never feasible! Instead this time I had the fried zucchini of course, the Porchetta with apple sauce, so delicate and some fried little fishes and squid! Fantastic!

Then of course I asked for pasta and I had the Orecchiette Pastificio dei Campi with broccoli, chilli, garlic and anchovies but also the amazing broad beans ravioli with escarole lettuce sauce. Just gorgeous!

Then I wasn't really keen for any big meat o fish dish so I just went for a starter I adore, Smoked scamorza and radicchio! I was really missing that! But then from the kitchen came a surprise from the chef: Gnocchetti made of ricotta with asparagus...as you can see I could not even wait to take the picture.

Finally the desserts: I don't really fancy  heavy and very sweet cakes. I normally prefer ice creams and here the master piece came along:  Chocolate and hazelnut “semifreddo” with coffee ice cream. Just heaven! There are no other world to describe it. You just need to try it.

And what about the homemade cream choux or bigne' they bring at the very end? This little touch could make me cry...or maybe was the tremendous wine to make me so sensible? (Bella Vista 1997)
 
I was really missing a good italian dinner without being me to prepare it and I always love to eat dishes like these, made with ingredients that are not easy to find or cook. A great menu, really tasty and traditionally made, perfectly cooked and served, with an amazing atmosphere, high quality service and all of this for a fair price.

I'm really proud our pasta is there in one of the best italian restaurant in London. Go and let me know what you think!

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And don't get confused by the name!

Do you know "SPUNTINO" is an italian word for "quick bite"? So when first I heard this name I was thinking in a new italian snack-restaurant, something quick, easy, traditional and nice.

I have to say this is exactly the right description for this place, but instead to have an italian menu, they serve easy but gourmet american dishes: from mini and delicious beef hamburgers to eggs and soldiers, from truffle eggs on toast to house pickles etc.

All little portions, also in the main course version, but quite cheap and interesting if you are someone curious and ready to try lots of different dishes and combinations of ingredients.  
I was really intrigued by this place, with an absolutely mysterious website and even difficult to find considering it’s in the middle of Soho and with a really little sign: like a place just for few elected people. The atmosphere inside is great, the place is little, has few bar sits, and the light is cosy and relaxing. The owner, Russell Norman, as you probably know already, is the same who developed another “quick bite” restaurant Polpetto, but with an italian menu. If great italian wines are also in Spuntino, what I loved the most was the amazing beer served there in little and cute cups/glasses with some chili popcorn on the side. 

Everything is nice not pretentious but great and special. What I liked the most? Maybe their Mac&Cheese. Yes I need to admit it... I almost never tried that before (like lots of italians ,by the way)but what I like wasn't the dish in itself, that for me is just baked pasta with cheese, but precisely the cheese they used: eating them I tried again a taste I forgot long time ago... The Fontina taste, a very simple cheese, earthy and mushroomy, quite common in Italy like it could be the Ceddar here, but perfect to use in the oven or in fondue and difficult to find around! I loved it!

Since that day I can't stop to think in this dish so I finally decided my next challenge: a Pastificio dei Campi Mac&Cheese with other italian cheeses and all the good taste of our pasta!
 
What do you think? Are you curious? See you soon for the recipe and the pictures!

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Between jokes and laughs some really interesting information.

Last week I participated to an event organized by the Italian Chamber of Commerce here in London. The main guest was Antonio Carluccio, so I couldn’t miss the appointment: I was really curious to meet him and listen to his contribution to the event.

Of course everyone has seen him in TV lots of times and has read interviews or his books of recipes, and I can tell you that also in a little event like this one, Antonio Carluccio had exactly the same joyful mood as usual: jokes, funny stories from his personal life and his past, but also lots of interesting news for me.

He opened the event of course speaking about the italian cuisine , that made him famous here in London and he couldn’t avoid to speak about pasta too, the main ingredient in our cuisine: more than 600 shapes of pasta in Italy, each one for a specific sauce and taste. It's here that he quoted the Pasta from Gragnano, special for the grain, the good water of the region and the ancient and traditional way to be made, a mix of things that gives to the pasta is peculiar taste and consistency.

Then he spoke about the beauty and peculiarity of each Italian region, still so strong for example in the local gastronomy, even after 150 year of Unity: the first one to speak about regional cuisine was Pellegrino Artusi, and his name is still very important for this in the gastronomic world.

So despite some little separatist spirits, we are all famous abroad for using our local resources plus some creativity and imagination…also and especially with food. And Carluccio liked the idea to spread all this outside the italian borders. Recently he just finishes to recorde a new TV programme about italian recipes but categorized in four or five main themes… soon it will be released and we will know more.

Speaking instead about the development of the food in UK in the latest years he remember how a much the atmosphere was sad in the '75 when he arrived, as for the italian cuisine like for the English one. But while in Italy, for our working situation and traditions, we always had the possibility to pass our knowledge to the next generation, here the industrial revolution and explosion of work, wasn’t helping out the passing and developing of the culinary tradition in the years. Everyone was just eating sandwiches. That’s something that finally explains lots of things.

Here lots of chef don’t even know the real taste of things and put ingredients together because they looks and seems nice, but in the italian cuisine there is no mess and it’s all just about flavour and semplicity: what can be better and easier than some finely chopped leeks and fennel in a pan with some olive oil and prawns to make some pasta or risotto?

The evolution of the italian and regional way to cook is finally coming here too now (Polpo and Polpetto can maybe be an example?), the future is specialization even in England and we will see lots of this in the future years. 

Will be Carluccio even a prophet or no specialization will really take place? We will all be here to see.

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Italian cuisine in show everywhere from London to Florence.

 
It's clear that the weekend is the best moment to go and enjoy some shows, exhibitions or… a food festival. You can have a relaxing day just discovering new things and why not, new food and to have new inspirations.
 
This weekend with the sun coming up again in London we had "La dolce vita Festival" dedicated to local or less local little producers of italian goodies: from olive oil, to wines, to bread and cheeses, to sauces, toppings, tapinade, mozzarelle and whatever else it can come in your mind thinking about Italy… yes pasta too of course. There were stands presenting their own local products and presenting also nice touristic italian places to visit.

 
Just after this, moving to the other side of the city, in the Italian Cultural Istitute were shown some italian movies accompanied with a quick italian dinner (pasta and wine) inspired by the region where the movie were coming from.

 
Two different easy ways to get near to our culinary tradition, and not only.
In the same time another big Festival was taking place in Italy: TASTE in Florence started on the 12^th  and it will finish today, after 3 days dedicated to excellent food, products and  organized by Pitti Immagine. Yes, also in Italy we love to discover new great local products that are not easy to find always everywhere.

 
And if a festival is finishing another is getting launched: it’s everywhere today the news about the Street Food Festival (29^th of April – 2^nd May) or even  the Pop up event Cake for Japan just organized to raise money for the tragedy in Japan. It will take place on Friday at Maiden, Shoreditch High Street on Friday 18th March. Great idea to push people to donate!

See you there on Friday?

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How chef's skills can be useful for the entire society

Let's speak about the last TV program created around a well-known chef. No this time is not another cookery course or recipes program. No it's not even another restaurant running business looking for some great tips from the big chef. And not finally it's not even a program about specific local food or recipes or new way to interpret a different cuisine.
 
This time I'm speaking about something different: the Heston's Mission Impossible! Last night I was at home watching this new program, interesting because of course Heston Blumenthal is an extravagant chef and his recipes are always funny to follow. Anyway this time the chef is called out of his “Fat Duck” base to experiment some new cooking in a totally different environment.
 
It's true that you can go to restaurant and eat very well and enjoying it, but how many people can really afford this? And why in the most of the other occasions of our normal life  we can’t have a decent meal? I’m speaking about the school, the plane, even the cinemas.
The program is just analyzing this, calling an expert to help out. And what else a chef could aim for more than be successful in his restaurant and be useful for the entire society?

And if Jamie Oliver tried to do this, teaching how to cook cheap meals at home and how to improve the schools menu, Heston between the others in this transmission had a very interesting challenge: a children hospital menu.
How to make children eat more and well, giving them fun and healthy products? Simple! Let's just play with food and creativity! Heston is an expert in this.

‘It wasn’t about going into these places and saying ‘The food’s rubbish,’’ explained Heston at Squaremeal. ‘Instead, we were looking at the bigger picture – like why doesn’t the NHS consider food to be a medical aid?’-  ‘We also met children who’d been in hospital most of their lives and they didn’t want to eat the food because they were bored of it. Eating is about approaching food with a bit of excitement – if you bring excitement into mealtimes, you’ll be amazed at what kids will eat. We even served them fried mealworms and they loved it.’ 

Basically this is the same simple principle everyone use at home: to eat healthy you need to use good product but also make the dish interesting. Boiled vegetable and a meat just cooked in a pan won’t always satisfy you. Let’s rediscover the best combination of food, healthy ingredients and let’s try something a bit different. It’s for this reason I love so much the pasta and especially the one from Gragnano: it’s a cheap product, healthy, it’s quickly to prepare and it’s very versatile, allowing you to try always something different also in short time. So any day of your week you can have a special, tasty but healthy meal. And the kids will like it too.

I loved Heston’s creativity and his message: food can be fun and have to be enjoyed because it’s a prize, it’s fundamental for our life and it can be really an amazing experience every day. The Traditional recipes can help you out with the good taste, but a bit of originality it always add some fun.

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