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 projects 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 from 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.

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For a delicious weekend!

If you are passionate about good wine and some organic and healty food, you can’t miss this fair that will take place in London this weekend, 20^th and 21^st of May.

While Pastificio dei Campi will be in Italy at “Taste of Milan”  and in France, at the Cannes Festival , thanks to the La Palm D’Or menu’, in London you won’t be disappointed by this new event, ROW, held at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane.

Ok, it won’t probably be glamorous like Cannes festival or famous like taste, but I’m sure that with the years it will register more and more visitors and people passionate about food.

The festival in fact has been created by  Isabelle Legeron MW also called “the crazy French girl” to promote small, artisan wine producers who make fine wine using natural farming techniques (including organic and biodynamic practices) and low-intervention vinification processes. 

But it’s not all: on top of featuring over 200 growers from all around the globe and being one of the most exciting collections of fine, natural wine artisans ever to come together in the capital, ROW will also have some other interesting names as guest and food supplier: between this Signe Johansen who is teaming up with Ole Hansen, the Norwegian salmon man from Stoke Newington, to offer a Scandivanian platter of deliciousness; the famous Neal’s Yard Dairy, the Elliot's Cafe that is hosting a wild, English oyster shucking stall at RAW, Violet the cupcake store and many more.

So are you a food lover? Do you like Italian wine too or just organic food?

 See you there then. All the information about prizes and hours are on the website.

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Our pasta between design and food festivals

It’s the 15^th of May and has been already a really busy month for Pastificio dei Campi.

Milan can’t stay without the southern vibe of this pasta and any excuse is good to bring back the brand in the city and to place it under the spotlight.

At the beginning of the month in fact Pastificio dei Campi has been the protagonist of an interesting show: I “Campotti” one of the latest interesting shape created by the brand, has been chosen by ADI (association for the industrial design) to be part of an exhibition about 30 design objects connected with food: Dal cucchiaio al cucchiaio. The shape designed by Mauro Olivieri is in fact pretty innovative, beautiful and functional to highlight all the quality of this pasta.

And it’s not all: from the 17^th of May Pastificio dei Campi will be also present at Taste of Milan the first of the international taste food festivals that will take place in the main cities all around the world.

Between demonstrations from famous chefs, cooking classes and lots of good recipes to try, you will find our pasta too and if it’s not enough come to "taste" it in one of the shows of the Saturday night.

Are you planning a little foodie break? Maybe now you know where to go.

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Fresh vegetables and pasta call for spring recipes!

It’s almost the weekend! Are you ready to go shopping and to pack your fridge with the best of the products London can offer?

Will you go to a market, to your usual shops or to your favourite delis?

If you didn’t knew it yet or if it’s a long time you don’t pass by Chelsea, maybe it’s time to comeback there and have a look to the new fruit and vegetables Chelsea’s provider: Andreas (4 Cale Street, SW3 3QU)

“We established our family-run greengrocers in Chiswick in 1994.  Eighteen years later we opened our second store, in Chelsea.  Both our stores are complemented by having other excellent food retailers nearby giving our customers an unrivalled opportunity to buy top quality, delicious food.”

This is his mission: “Our mission is to provide the finest flavours’ to our customers. Our philosophy is to provide the best or nothing at all. Our goal is to provide the quality that discerning cooks at home require to excel.”

And it’s not all: with his great ingredients and knowledge and passion for his fresh and genuine products, he sell also our pasta Pastificio dei Campi in the most famous shapes: Spaghetti, Linguine, Paccheri e Orecchiette!

So are you keen to cook this weekend? Andreas just told me Mr and Mrs Jolly's finest Asparagus are now in shops courtesy of the Hill Boys, so here is an easy quick and gorgeous recipe to cheers to the new shop and the new products now available for you:

Linguine with Asparagi, Pecorino cheese and pine nuts

- 600 gr Linguine Pastificio dei Campi
- 300 g asparagus
- 600 gr shrimps
- ½ cup of white wine
- olive oil, a pinch of salt, pepper and a garlic clove

       
Wash and cut the asparagus into small pieces and place in a pan some olive oil with the garlic clove. When hot, place in there the asparagus and let them cook adding some water if needed. In the meantime cook the pasta in boiling water.
After ten minutes, add the peeled shrimp to the pan and cook for some minutes on high flame. Then finish the cook with some pepper and the white wine.
When the linguine are ready, drain them and toss it in the pan with all the rest of the ingredients.

Serve them with some grated pecorino cheese and some pine nuts on top.

Enjoy your dish and your weekend.

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Have you booked for the next event?

The fourth pasta tasting event at Massimo's Restaurant and Oyster Bar is already confirmed for the 29th of May, this means that you have 20 days from now to book your place and no excuses to miss this night.

Next event will see again the chef Luca Seminara, busy with the preparation of some great traditional recipes from the italian tradition with Pastificio dei Campi pasta. All the dishes will be explained in their preparation and everyone will have the chance to see the chef at work while eating his creations.

Are you curious to see what happened during the last pasta tasting event for the first anniversary of Massimo's Restaurant? Here some pictures to show you all the nice dishes and the great night we spent together. 

After a light aperitif with Arancini and mackerel Polpette, we ate the amazing Orecchiette with Genoese pesto, made of green beans and caramelized potatoes;

Then we had Calle dei Campi with gurnard and cherry tomatoes and finally Vermicelli with a delicious lamb ragu’.

We have closed the feast with some chocolate tasting and almond and lime & ginger sorbet, really great after the long and hot cooking night.

Here is the next event: http://www.facebook.com/events/421098671236767/

please write directly to tables@massimo-restaurant.co.uk  to book your place and I hope to see you there.

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Why not try them with some cuttlefish?

During one of my little holidays back home, I get inspired by my roman market, so the next one will be a colorful and tasty dish to change a bit your pasta habit.

Last Monday my mum told me she was going to the market, so I thought could have been nice to post here some pictures of the market that I always tell you about.

All these colors, all the vibe of the people at the stands and all the beautiful products... They blew my mind and I couldn't resist from buying the ingredients for my next recipe: zucchini blossoms and little squids.

I decide to cook them with some Spaghetti Pastificio dei Campi and here are all the ingredients I used for 2 people:

6-8 zucchini blossoms

150 gr. of Spaghetti or Vermicelli Pastificio dei Campi

6-8 little cuttlefish

Some white wine

Oil, salt, pepper, chili

and a bit of grated pecorino cheese.

Clean the cuttlefish or buy them already cleaned. Cut them in half and put them in a pan with some hot oil and a garlic clove. Let them cook and color a bit. Add the white wine and let evaporate.

Then add the flowers cleaned from the inside and cut in half.

Put the water for the pasta to boil with some salt and when boiling, add the spaghetti. Let the spaghetti cook al dente, while adding salt, pepper and chili to the pan.

When the spaghetti are ready, drain them and toss them in the pan with the rest. Serve in a plate with some grated pecorino cheese and a sparkle of chili! Enjoy the color and the taste of the hot roman spring!

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I went to Alloro and I loved it!

On monday night was released the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world and if nothing happened to the first three nominees always for Noma in Denmark, El celler and Mugaritz in Spain, lots happened in the rest of the classification.

The best restaurant in UK is now the new entry Dinner by Heaston Blumenthal, while his previous restaurant, The Fat Duck , high in the list last year, is this time at the 13th position, with The Ledbury at the 14th, up of 20 positions.

Unfortunatelly even Massimo Bottura lost a position being this year at the 5th place with his Osteria Francescana, while the other two italians, Le calandre and Il canto are at the 32nd and 46th position.

At this point waiting for the chance to book a table in one of these great restaurants, I will share with you my last experience to one good italian restaurant in London: Alloro.

I really enjoyed a lot the dinner there with my other two italian friend @federilli and @gi_nav. Respect to previous dinners in other italian restaurants, we spent slightly more but every dish was superb and really tasty.

Here some pictures from Alloro, where you can find our Pastificio dei Campi pasta too.

Agnolotti del plin al sugo d’arrosto

Traditional pasta parcel filled with roast pork & veal

Linguine di Gragnano agli scampi

Pastificio dei Campi linguine with fresh scampi

Tartar di salmone con insalata di panzanella

Salmon tartar with “panzanella” salad

Zuppa di pesce con pane bruschettato

Traditional fish soup with toasted bread

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