The International Chef Congress  in Milan

We are in February and this means that one of our favourite food appointments of the year is starting again! Next weekend from the 5th to the 7th of February,  Pastificio dei Campi will be in Milan for Identita' Golose 2012,  an event all dedicated to the most famous chefs and their creations.

We couldn't miss this gourmet appointment, especially considering the theme of this year: "Oltre il mercato' 'Over the market', to underline the importance of the raw materials, of the content and of the simply, natural and high quality products.
To embrace the event in the best way, we will host  in our stand  everyday some great italian chef, who will cook our pasta following the great Neapolitan recipes... but it's not all.

We are also putting together the past and the future with a funny surprise that will have place on Monday in the "Sala gialla"...i can't wait for Mafaldina to tell me more :)

If you are passing by milan this weekend and especially if you are actually going to identitta' golose, don't miss our stand... The best from the italian cuisine all in one event!
And come to say hi!

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Pin pin pin all the things you like!

Pinterest is a new social tool available online. I know we have plenty of them now but this one is literally taking the web by storm in these days: more and more people are signing in and  have started to... Pin!

A kind of new version of the famous DIGG, i would say, much more 2.0, easy to use, to share, to love. It's really addictive. With this you can simply like and fix on your profile forever all the things you find online and that you would like to have always with you.

You will just need to get an invitation, then sign in (also with your Facebook account) and download the PIN button in your browser tool bar. After this you will be ready to pin whatever you find online and place it in different categories, with your own description.

In the search area you can insert any interest you have and of course i couldn't resist to type food and recipes and you can't imagine what came out ... a paradise of pictures and ideas.

And waiting for my invitation, look what i found!

Look especially the first recipe on the left side.... :)

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The best from 2011

I wanted to write today a little recap of what had occurred in this blog during 2011 and looking back to all the posts, I was surprised to discover how much has been happening this year:

In January we created Linguina Facebook profile and being winter I gave you lots of soups recipes. January is also the Michelin star guide of UK and Ireland and the women took definitely power this year.

In February Pastificio dei Campi took part at Identita’ Golose, the food festival in Milan. In March we received the certification for being 100% Italian pasta, but was also the month of the Dolce Vita event here in London and Taste In Florence.

In April we discovered together the 50 best European restaurants of the year and while in Italy everyone was enjoying Vinitaly and  Squisito, we had the Royal wedding to celebrate.

In may we supported the sustainable fishing campaign and "Two greedy Italians" went to visit us with the English TV in Gragnano.

In the summer I suggested some recipes for picnics and barbeques, but there was also the harvest in Italy, the opening of the Clifton Hill Food market and Melograno deli.

In September Gragnano hosted the amazing Pasta festival called "La festa della pasta", while in October we had Identita’ London and the opening of a new Italian interesting place Fornata.

Last months we had the change to meet lots of food lovers at MasterChief Live in Olympia, while in December I gave you some ideas to make some foodie really really happy with hampers and maxi cube of pasta .

Are you now ready for a 2012 even better?

Happy new year to all of you!

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To recover from the festivities

Are you  trying to comeback to a normal eating regime, after all you had during this month?
It's known that after all these days of food and drinks you will fell hungry often: doctors says it's useless to do a severe post Christmas detox diet. You will still be hungry and you won't loose so much weight, because the body will feel the need to keep energy and the fat accumulated.

The solution is to have regular and light meals that can keep you fulfilled for longer. Some days ago was even published an article about a Swedish study: Mediterranean diet gives longer life… and we are speaking about 2-3 years more! A diet that sees prevailing vegetables and carbohydrates ensures a long and healthy life, as it helps maintain a healthy weight and reduces the chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

So have a look at this vegetarian pasta: replacing cream with a light cheese like ricotta it’s my secret to have a lighter but tasty dish.

Ingredients for 2 persons:
- 200 gr Spaghetti Pastificio dei Campi
- 100 gr. raw spinach
- a handful of pine nuts
- 100 gr. of ricotta
- 50 gr of smoked cheese (the bavarian one is quite good on this pasta )
- olive oil - salt and pepper
- 1 clove of garlic

Toast the pine nuts in a frying pan. In another pan heat some oil and brown the clove of a garlic, add the spinach, some pepper and let cook a couple of minutes. In a bowl mix the ricotta with a spoon of hot water from the pasta, mix well.

Cook the pasta, drain and pour into the pan, add the pine nuts and ricotta with salt and toss it all. Grate some smoked cheese on top, mix a minute and serve it on a plate.

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A new kind of Deli just opened in Rome

For Christmas I came back to Italy as usual and I went to discover the latest places opened in the city. One of this is the “Libreria Settembrini”, a tiny special place in Rome, born to answer to different needs.

Settembrini is already a famous café and restaurant in Rome and this year they opened this new space, absolutely innovative in its genre, but cosy and really beautiful. A place to put together the love for books and good food.

At first look is a simple bookshop, little but really nice and with a peculiar selection of book. In the middle it hosts a big wooden table and on a side a mini kitchen that creates simple salads and dishes, ready to hot up and serve in the room. All the ingredients are top quality, like in the same restaurant on the other side of the street, but the meals are quicker and perfect for a brunch or a glass of wine with friends.

We loved the place, the menu, the books and the hampers they were preparing for Christmas…and with my big surprises I even discovered they were selling Pastificio dei Campi pasta, with the tiny duetto box, 250gr of pasta, created for the couples. In the hamper with the pasta there is wine, biscuits, other gourmet ingredients and a nice Christmas book for children.

If you pass by Rome, have a stop in this nice place. I’m sure you will like it!

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Other Christmas ideas for your presents

Still looking for the latest presents? Are you already planning the shops you will visit this weekend to look for some great Christmas idea? Here i am to help you out.

If last week i told you about the great Maxi Cubes of Pastificio dei Campi, available directly on our website, this time i will give you another idea for your presents.

What about a Christmas hamper filled with the best italian product available on the market? We are sure this will be a present that will make everyone happy and, especially in these times, spend on food is always a good idea. 

And if you are looking for great italian products, i will suggest you to go to Food in the City or to Melograno Deli.

Food in the city is a warehouse based in St. John's wood (London) but it's also a great website where you can order directly online. The hampers you can see here is just and example and you can ask for a bespoke one. Over £40 the delivery is free. 

Have a look and you will remain amazed by the quality of their products. 

Melograno Deli instead is in Holland Park (London) and they are also specialized on italian brands but they also have cheeses, cold cuts and lots of other typical products.

"Our hampers are made with acacia wood accessories (cheeseboards or salad servers) and they can be made up either by us, or with products of the customers choosing."

At this point, I can just suggest you to have a look at the London map and enjoy your weekend of italian delicatessen... and don't forget to add our pasta to your shopping.

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The new cinema and fast food experience

Some days ago came up the news that an Odeon cinema “ The Lounge” in Queensway, London, will soon offer to the customers a gourmet proper meal during the movie!
Ok, it's well known the problem of the junk food in the cinema, and the choices are grown with the time: not just pop corn but also nachos, hotdogs, ice creams, sweets of any kind... but a Michelin star chef, Rowley Leigh of Le Café Anglais, thought in something different: a proper gourmet dish brought by a waiter and served during the trailers at the beginning. The menu will include a hamburger "royale" with a fillet steak in a bun for about £14.50, red mullet risotto, deep fried squid and salsify fritters, all for about £10.

The chef said: “I wouldn't exactly say it's my take on fast food but it will have to be something that is remarkably tactile". Also if it seems an eccentric but maybe pleasant experience to live, my only concern is just the darkness of the room... How do you think to eat properly and enjoy a dish you can't even see?

The funny thing is that something similar has just happened lately in Italy too: Gualtiero Marchesi, the chef of all the italian chef has just created 2 hamburgers and a dessert for the king of the fast food, Mc Donalds.

Vivace, with bacon, sautéed spinach, marinated onions, beef burger and mayonnaise with mustard seeds and Adagio, with bread covered with chopped almonds, eggplant mousse, sliced ​​tomatoes, sweet and sour eggplant, beef burgers and ricotta salata. Both will cost 4.70 euros!

How to call all this? Maybe it’s a challenge for bored chef or just a gourmet low cost menu'? Do you think all this wants to show that you can eat well everywhere for a little price or the purpose is actually to invite young people to enter in contact with healthy and good food?

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