Some recipes to enjoy this great ingredient and our pasta

I admit it: I love artichokes but has always been a bit difficult for me to clean and cook them properly. I want them but I'm always a bit too lazy to actually buy them often.

Today, with the official beginning of the spring season I decided that it's time to beat my enemy and shake a  bit my diet welcoming this great ingredient.

I then started to look here and there for interesting recipes and this is what inspired me. They really are pretty easy, so maybe is the time to go shopping soon.

Just few days ago in twitter @donalde asked me about the Pecorino cream. I didn't know what it was, because very local and typical of Sardinia, but it seems you can find it in London at Melograno Deli with the Provola cheese too. So here some recipes to enjoy them and the artichokes!

Fusilli with artichokes, goat cheese, pecorino and almonds or Mezzi Rigatoni with artichokes and provola cheese (smoked or not).

If you like goat cheese go for Fusilli, that are better with saucy cream, while if you prefer Provala Cheese (you can find it in Melograno deli) go for the Mezzi Rigatoni.

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For a luxurious 2012

New year and a new place to try. Finally, after a long time I was listening people speaking about it, I went to “pay my visit” to the famous Bob Bob Ricard  a restaurant near Carnaby Street.

The place is stunning and it is worth to go even only to admire the design and the details of the restaurant. The designer David Collins, took inspiration by the “train travel in Edwardian times: emerald green leather banquettes topped by little curtains of brass mesh, marble tables, constructivist chandeliers” as said by  the Evening Standard,  and the logo everywhere, from the pavement to the box of chips, without speaking about the bell on the wall to ask for more Champagne. Everything is extremely curated and luxurious. Incredible!

Head Chef James Walker has created a menu of great English and Russian classics with ingredients “sourced from small, traditionally run farms, dairies, fisheries and family-owned producers mainly in the British Isles” as written on the website. BBR is also famous for its selection of rare Vintage Vodkas and Caviar, so i decided to start exactly form here: Iranian Cure Caviar with Blinis and sour cream.

Then I tried another signature dish, for how much weird it can seems: the lobster burger and the Cornish crab cake. If I didn’t like so much this last one, that was a bit too heavy and greasy, the Lobster burger was fantastic. This was serves with French fries and for dessert I tried this stunning Grand Marnier soufflé you can see below. It was incredible…but of course the prize of the place it’s a bit too high.

If you want to live a 360 new dinner experience, the place it’s the right one, but be careful with your choices.

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An occasion to meet Pastificio dei Campi too.

We are happy to announce that we are part of this big event starting today at London Olympia: MasterChef Live 2011.

You probably know very well the Tv programme MasterChef, great occasion for lots of people passionate about cooking and food to try the street of the success, challenging them self with recipes and complicate dishes until the selection of the best one. Based on that show, this event will let you take part to the live challenge, at least as the audience if not as a contestant. (Thanks for the picture at the blog Morethancupcakes.com)

From today until Sunday (11-13 November)  in fact in Olympia  there will be plenty of good food, chefs, restaurant experiences, tasting sessions, wine and food shows, challenges between contestants and real chefs and lot more.

Come and see John Torode and Gregg Wallace, get a master class from Michel Roux Jr. Also, watch MasterChef Professionals Champion of 2010, Claire Lara or cook-off against this year’s MasterChef Champion, Tim Anderson. Come to see the Producers' Village, a space just dedicated to local producers who specialise in seasonal and home-grown produce. But especially…come to meet us at the stand F24.

And if you really can’t be there with us, follow me on Twitter (@linguinadc) and check my Facebook page, to have all the latest news and pictures directly from the event.

See you there?

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The people and places to keep an eye on

Today have finally been announced the winners of the Observer Food Monthly Awards. Some of these were chosen by readers and some by an expert panel that saw between the others Nigel Slater, Angela Hartnett (Murano),  Jason Atherton (Pollen Street Social) and Thomasina Miers (Masterchef 2005 & Wahaca).

This award as the same magazine says, "celebrates the best in British food and produce, from independent producers to the UK’s most revered chefs."

And the winner, awarded yesterday in a great ceremony in London are…

Readers’ awards

Best restaurant: Dinner by Heston Blumenthal, London. 

The opening of this restaurant it was the news of the year…and in fact there are months of waiting list to enjoy a meal there.

Best cookbook: Plenty by Ottolenghi

Ottolenghi always seems to conquer all harts from the chef to the people who never entered in a kitchen before and it’s true than is more about the ingredients and their union than cooking process.

Best place to drink Mark’s Bar, Hix, London

Best independent retailer The Cheese Shed, Devon

Best Sunday lunch Bull & Last, London

Best food personality Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall especially busy this year with his fish fight campaign particularly famous.

Best food blog  Eat Like a Girl. 

I don’t spend too many words here. If you read my blog you could have seen different references to her , who on top to be a Pastificio dei Campi fan, is a great foodlover and blogger of course.

Best cheap eat : Koya, London

Best ethical restaurant: The Ethicurean, Somerset

Judges’ awards

Best newcomer Maltby Street, London.

The first time I listen this name was last winter by Katie Parla. She was absolutely amazed by the magic of this street, by the vibe that place has and she told me lots of time to go there. I’m really happy they won this price because this is some innovative idea to push forward in future.

Best producer Johnny Pustzai at JT Beedham & Sons, Nottingham

Reader’s Cocktail Recipe Simon Amster

Reader’s Recipe Maria Kuehn

Outstanding Contribution Tristram Stuart

Lifetime Achievement Michel Roux Senior

Young Chef of the Year Paul Foster, head chef
Tuddenham Mill

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone! And keeping an eye especially on this young chef, as also Eatlikeagirl suggested, I think I will start to plan my next "Dinner "and a Saturday at Maltby Street.

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A 3 Michelin stars restaurant coming head to head with a supperclub

This week is definitely full of events: festivals, awards, restaurant guides coming out, foodie events, restaurant opening but the thing that I liked the most is certainly the idea of the  French Laundrette Supper Club happening only on the 2^nd of October.

Why all this interest in a one-night supper club? Not only because who organized and will cook that night is the fantastic, funny, and absolutely nice foodie SabrinaGhayour, but for the special idea behind this project.

In fact there have been a big Buzz in London about the opening of The French Laundry pop up restaurant in Harrods from the 1^st to the 15^th of October. The 3 Michelin stars restaurant will recreate his original Californian 9 course menu for his English guests who will be keen to pay 250£ each just for the dinner. What it all this craziness? Ok it’s Harrods. Ok it’s an only chance for who is in London to try this cuisine without moving from the city, but …come on, maybe is a bit too exaggerate.

So the great Sabrina thought to create a spuff of it, following the fantastic PR behind the story and launch her own supperclub night “The French Laundrette” for all the people who can nor afford that expensive dinner. The cost will be only 1% of the original "Harrod's " price, so 2.50£ per person … and all will be given in charity! Fantastic idea! Of course the event is totally fully booked.

What else? Yesterday Harrods pared with a charity cause and offered the possibility to reach a table for 2 in one of these nights to the ones offering the biggest amount. Today the same happened with Sabrina: some of her tickets went for auction at the best offerer. Well done girl, this is the way to beat the Michelin stars chef.

I really hope to have a fully review of the night with pictures and final amount of money reached for the good cause. Unfortunately I arrived too late for a ticket, but I’m sure lots of people will tweet about it!

I wish to the French Laundrette and to Sabrina the best of the luck and fun on Sunday. I will get ready for the next one that will be organized soon.

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I tried to be really english this sunday and I went for a sunday roast.

 
I wanted to have the best sunday roast that the city could offer and thanks at the many tweets I saw in the past (Ms_ML, federilli, Greedydiva etc) I went straight to the Hawksmoor.
 

The place is near Sevent Dials in Covent Garden and even if a bit too dark, it's really cosy and welcoming with a nice reception at the entrance and a quite big bar downstairs.
 
This is the sign at the entrance... And it says it all!

 
But let's speak about the massive sunday roast they serves: cabbage, carrots 350gr rump of longhorn beef, some great roasted potatoes, and the Yorkshire pudding of course all accompanied with gravy! It's was really a great meal and a great deal considering the really good prize for the dish.
 
A must to try are then the Beef Drippingchips, cooked in the meat fat and just phenomenal.
 

Finally the menu offers lots of nice desserts, especially the classic sundaes but revisited with corn flakes, peanuts butter and even popcorns.

So I would say a really right choice to leave pasta in one side for a day and to enjoy a great english tradition! After the best pasta, now I can say I know where to eat the best meat!

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A great article on pasta, from the origins to the global and the English market.

On tuesday we were glad to see our Pastificio Dei Campi pasta on The Guardian "word of mouth" blog, named by Oliver Thring as the best pasta brand he ever tried.

The article in fact begins speaking about the latest news released by an Oxfam international research this year about the use of the pasta in the world and the fact that pasta is definetly the world's favorite food.

For sure a great result for something that has been invented and produced for years just in one little country like Italy. But is really like this and how this was possible? These are the questions the article wants to answer analyzing the origin of pasta, the steps in the history and its success during the years in Italy like abroad.

Do you know how much pasta the english consume every year? or do you know that especially the english children use to love it? And have you ever come across a student forum and their conversations about pasta and recipes?

Here are all the answers and some interesting and curious information about pasta.

Thanks again @OliverThring for the mention and let's hope to make the english discover and love the good italian pasta always more.

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