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 project 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 form 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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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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The right recipe for these rainy days

Rain rain and more rain!
It was a long time that I wasn’t complaining about the weather, but I have to say that now it’s a bit too much. It’s almost one month that rains without stop and also if it’s not too much cold, for sure this is not the weather you expect in spring.
Thanks God, last saturday when I went to the market the sun decided to appear for few hours and I could enjoy a nice stroll and some shopping. I could see already some english asparagus between the amount of colorful vegetables , but I didn’t feel like cooking something with that yet.

I was actually more interested in something hot, and comfy, maybe baked... And here it was ... A nice cauliflower! I have read in fact that this is the best month for them in UK and so the shopping was done and the recipe came just after: "I will do a typical english dish revisited in an italian way.... With pasta of course!"

Here is the recipe for my Cauliflower cheese baked pasta and the ingredients for 4 people:

320 gr of Mezze Maniche Rigate Pastificio dei Campi

200 gr cauliflower florets

80 gr of shelled hazelnuts 

30 gr of grated parmesan

120gr of grated mature cheddar cheese

30 gr of butter

salt, pepper and a bit of chilli too

Cook the cauliflower florets in boiling salted water for 7-8 minutes, then drain them maintaining the water to cook the pasta. Mash them a bit in a pan where you have previously put some olive oil and a garlic clove. Smash the hazelnuts in little pieces but don't make a powder.

Cook the pasta in the cauliflower water adding salted water. Drain when al dente and pour into the pan with the cauliflower florets, add the hazelnuts, some pepper and chilli, the grated cheddar cheese and a bit of grated parmesan and stir until the cheese is melted.

Pour the preparation into a greased baking dish with the butter, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan and cook in oven at 180 ° C for 30 minutes. Serve piping hot and enjoy!

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A quite, peculiar and truly good market

It’s more than a year that everyone is speaking about this awarded market, basically created by the farmers as an alternative to the busy and overcrowded Borough Market.

This street characterized by the arches of the railway is now the new foodies destination for a special Saturday market experience. Packed with farmers and little producers this truly great place give you the time and all the fun you can have in discovering niche and unique products. From amazing sweets, to spanish ham, from smoked salmon to fresh oysters and flowers, you can really comeback in time.

In Italy for example every area has its weekly market, something very common and never, never, so full like the few very famous ones here in London. To go to one of this you really need to be motivaded and ready to spend the day between lots of people. In Maltby street instead is more the market that guides you in the exploration and you can only let it drives you, like when I was a child and i was going to the market with my mum.

The smell, the  beauty of the products, the peace under the arches can only make your Saturday morning better and even the past Saturday when all London was gray and miserable, there it was sunny and warm.

After a nice stoll, a little shopping and a beautiful coffee in Monmouth I then camback to the center passing by London bridge, but when I saw the amount of people, I just rememberd. For me the tranquillity of this place and the good vibe of the shops and the people was a really nice discovery.

Do you want to know what I bought? You will need to wait my next recipe… soon on the blog.

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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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Some artistic use of... Spaghetti!

Ready for the weekend? here some amazing pictures i found on Pinterest, my latest addiction!

I thought this was the best way to wish you a very nice, relaxing, creative, or greedy weekend!

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