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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More than 7 different  pasta dishes

Yes, this is the number of recipes he cooked for us all in one night! An explosion of taste, , traditions and high quality ingredients all mixed to create the perfect pasta night.
Between recipes, jokes, some learning from his experience and the italian tradition, Massimo Riccioli cooked some of the most famous Italian pasta dishes with Pastificio dei Campi and his personal touch!
Here a little recap of the night just to let you imagine the amazing time we had.
We started with some surprising pasta chips, fried Spaghetti served as a crunchy snack.

Then he opened the night with Vermicelli alla Sorrentina, with tomato, mozzarella and basil... This was just a little entry to tease the guests. “The red calls the black… like Pastificio dei Campi boxes, so here for you black squid ink pasta” This was one of the best dishes of the night Vermicelli with black squid ink and some grated salty ricotta! Everyone was amazed! 

To come back to the base of our cuisine, Massimo prepared a great Carbonara with Calle Pastificio dei Campi. Look at the pictures and tell me if it’s not tempting!

“ Now some inter regional Orecchiette with onion, like in Genova, broccoli and sardines from Sicily, the pasta from Gragnano and the original inspiration from Puglia.”

My favourite? Linguine with scallops, basil and a fantastic smoked ricotta cheese! Just a feast of taste.

When we were all thinking that the night was ending and with it the pasta dishes… Massimo started to cook again, and this time was… amatriciana of course, another pillar of the roman tradition! He chose Eliche Pastificio dei Campi for this dish and he didn’t put any oil or salt. All is left to the ingredients!

And to close the night, like in the most funny and long parties at home in Italy... Spaghetti aglio, olio e pepperoncino (oil garlic and chili). The  classic dish everyone cook in the long summer night, when all the friends are together in some house and the morning is approaching! Irresistible!

Do you want to come along next time to try Pastificio dei Campi as cooked by Massimo Riccioli? You are guaranteed to have a good time! Keep an eye on this space or write me in the comments space!

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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. 

Finally the  "Maxi Cube Selection Pastificio dei Campi"(65 euro) 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.

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An English ingredient used in an Italian way.

The celeriac in Italy is not very famous so I started to know this ingredient here, first from a chef friend of mine, who made it mash in a dinner we had some time ago, and then I tried a celeriac soup again in a restaurant in Ireland and it was delicious!

So it’s all the winter that I was waiting to have a little experiment with it, but I realized it’s not very common in shops. If the sweet potatoes, the swede and the other type of vegetables were there in January, my celeriac wasn’t and when I was asking for it everyone was giving me celery! ARGH! :(

Finally on the 29^th of February, leap day,  going some shopping I found it in front of my eyes and that was it: the dinner was sorted! 

Here the recipe I used for my Celeriac Pasta Soup. If the soup alone was great, this soup with the pasta it's amazing! I hope you will enjoyed it and ... don't wait another Leap day to try it :)

Ingredients for 4 people

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 onion, finely sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 big celeriac, peeled, chopped

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 vegetable stock

1 chilli

Lots of nutmeg and ½ large potato, peeled, chopped if you like

300 gr of pasta Mista Corta Pastificio dei Campi

Peal the celeriac and cut it in pieces. Then heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the onion and fry over a gentle heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Add the celeriac (and the potato if you want) to the pan, some hot water and season, to taste, with salt, freshly ground black pepper, nutmeg and the sliced chili.

Add the stock and cook until the celeriac have softened. At this point add the 250-300gr of pasta and let it cook all together.

I don’t normally blend the celeriac or potatoes because I like the chunky beat in the pasta soup, but you can if you want, before to put the pasta in it. When the pasta is cooked and the soup is thick, you can serve it!

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"Pasta per Alieni" at Identita' Golose in Milan

Last weekend in Milan was really exciting and not only because was snowing like it didn't happen 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, interested in discovering 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.

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The Italian traditional dishes for the festivities

This is the second Christmas on this blog and if last year I told you about the tradition of the Christmas eve, this year I will tell you a bit more about the traditional Christmas day menu.

As you probably know this day in Italy it’s really important, especially for the religious meaning of the celebration. So we respect the old tradition to don’t eat meat on the 24^th in the night and to have just dishes made with fish or vegetarian recipes. Last year I cooked Spaghetti with Smoked salmon and cream of courgettes but another classic, especially in the south are the vermicelli o linguine with clams.

On the 25^th instead everyone is free to cook anything you want, but the classic Italian tradition normally sees as a starter in the north some fresh pasta like the classic tortellini filled with meat, while in the south is really famous the timballo di maccheroni.

This recipe is so famous that has also been included in a really funny movie: BIG NIGHT, and here is the trailer where you can even have a little glimpse of it.

This is the recipe from the movie if you want to live a truly Italian Christmas Lunch.

Ingredients for around 8 people:

500g Millerighe di Gragnano, Pastificio dei Campi (for something a little smaller you can use the Mezzani Rigati), 50g butter 400g mozzarella 100g grated Parmesan 500g pork loin, 1  onion ,100g of pancetta in slices or bacon if you can’t find it, 1 glass of white wine, oil,salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, 3 bottle of tomatoes puree, bread crumbs, 1egg.

For the shortbread: 500g flour 250g sugar 6 egg yolks 250g butter.

Ok the recipe is a bit complex but it’s something you can actually do for a special occasion like the Christmas and you can even prepare it in two times. The first day you prepare the sauce, wrap the meat in the bacon, then brown it in a little olive oil with the chopped onion and herbs, pour the white wine, then add the tomatoes puree. When the sauce is thick, turn off the fire and pull out the meat, which you will use to prepare small meatballs (adding parmesan cheese, and egg and bread crumbs, soaked in milk and than squeezed). Then fry them in a little olive oil. 

The second day, prepare the dough, working all the ingredients and letting it rest for at least an hour. Meanwhile cook the pasta and add to the sauce, butter and Parmesan cheese. Grease a ring cake tin and cover with a disc of dough. Fill the dough alternating pasta, meatballs, mozzarella and more Parmesan cheese diced, and end with a layer of pasta (like in the picture from selfishcooking ). Close with a disc of puff pastry and seal well, brushing with a little 'egg yolk. Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for 30 ', let it cool and serve.

Merry Christmas to all of you!

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An online unique offer for pasta lovers

As you probably know today is Cyber Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving that since 2005 has been recognized as the most successful for sales online. In these days in fact is starting the real Christmas shopping and always more people are doing it online. Quick, easy and no-stress the online shopping  is definitely the best s solution.

And do you know that you can buy even our pasta online? Not just on foodinthecity as  lots already know, but even directly on our website where in fact you won’t just find the normal pasta packages, but some special Maxi pasta Cube available just from our online shop.

What are the Maxi Cube Pastificio dei Campi? For those who has never seen them before, just let me tell you that are the best and more original food present you can give to a real pasta lover:  it's a giant box, always in the shape of a cube, like all the boxes of Pastificio dei Campi, which contains various kinds of pasta.

There is the Maxi Cube tasting, with 5 pounds of pasta Gragnano PGI bronze drawn and slowly dried at low temperature, in 10 very different formats, which represent the most famous Pastificio dei Campi shapes: paccheri, broken candles, ziti, penne rigate, orecchiette, ribbed tubes, spaghetti, linguine. And there is the Custom Cube Maxi, for who knows what he loves and wants to choose in total freedom  the shapes to be included (for a total of 4 kg).

And it’s not finished yet. After the success of last year also the Maxi Cube Selection is on sale again: a gourmet kit, consisting of 4 kg of pasta Pastificio dei Campi, a bottle of extra virgin olive oil DOP from the Sorrentina Peninsula  L’Archangelo and the tomatoes Miracle of San Gennaro by Sabatino Abagnale.

For more information please see our online shop and good Cyber Monday to everyone!

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