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A Penne for your thoughts - Italian Chefs' Tips
Considering 4million Britons visit yearly, 100,000 of Britons live there and 150,000 Italians reside in the UK, you would think we'd know how to rustle up a few simple Italian Treats.
Alas we don't - we overcook pasta, drown our stapples with sauce and buy bland ingredients while splashing precious olive oil on all and sundry. Here our leading Italian foodies correct some of our errors.
These 3 Italians foodies are at La Dolce Vita Festival Life is Beautiful ), in London on 8-11 March, Olympia. ladolcevitaevent.co.uk
___________________________________ ___________
PAOLO ARRIGO says :
..of Seeds of Italy who sells top Italian veggie seeds to the likes of Jamie Oliver (British Top Chef) provides a splash of authentic Italy in the British pan.
If you don't know the word "pasta" is an abbreviation. The full word is "pastasciutta" and means dry pasta.
Italians are very discerning about pasta; from the supermarket, only the De Cecco brank is Ok, they say.
A fine tip: Olive Oil are like beautiful Women - different people like different ones. Giorgio Locattelli uses Planeta Olive Oil which is nutty. He likes Carappelli Olive Oil from Florence, Italy which is available in most supermarkets. Coratina Olives from Puglia, is only found in delis, are "bella figura" (the good stuff).
A faux pas: People here tend to drown pasta in sauce. He says: My dad Vincenzo had a deli in North-West London and some people would complain the pasta was too dry but you should eat it coated, not drowned. As a rule of thumb, dried pasta suits sauces that take a while to make. Also serve Spaghetti - never Penne - with Carbonara Sauce.
A simple recipe to impress !
Make the day before more flavour; drain a tin of tuna and splash in the some olive oil, cook borlotto beans, add lemon juice and some sliced of red onion. Mix all together and eat with a hunk of bread.
___________________________________ ___________
GIORGIO LOCATELLI...began his career at his family's restaurant in Italy before moving to London. His restaurant Locanda Locatelli, is adored by fanatical foodies and has a Michelin Star.
He says: Foods and flavours vary within miles. Where Im from, the border of Lombardy and Piedmont, I eat the cuisine of two regions. My home village near the Lake Cornabbio in the north is a littel known area that produces some the country's most exquisite grub, including freshwater Fish, Soups, Polenta, Risotto and Panettone.
A fine Tip: For cooking, remember the shape of the Pasta is very important. For an oily sauce, you use stringly pasta. For meat you use something tubular like Penne. Spaghetti Bolognese is ridiculous. You eat Tagliatelle _ not Spaghetti with bolognese Sauce.
A faux pas: Never have a signature dish. If a Chef has one, there are no good. Every day, I have a new favourite.
___________________________________ __________
PASQUALE AMICO
...is Head Chef in a West London Restaurant.
The best Mozarrella is from Campania. I am from there so I am lucky. Mozarella should be cut by hand. Look for a good texture inside as it must be juicy; you can get it from delis.
A fine tip: When cooking Pasta, don't put olive oil in water. Use boiling, salted water.
A faux pas: Don't rinse rice to make Risotto - it removes the starch which creates the creaminess you seek to achieve. Add the stock slowly. A Risotto cannot wait. If you do not serve it at once, it binds together.
A simple recipe to impress!
Slice some tomatoes. Add salt and pepper and the best Mozarella. Splash on olive oil and put 2 leaves of basil on top. Italian is about producer to table - you eat it as simply as possible.
Alas we don't - we overcook pasta, drown our stapples with sauce and buy bland ingredients while splashing precious olive oil on all and sundry. Here our leading Italian foodies correct some of our errors.
These 3 Italians foodies are at La Dolce Vita Festival Life is Beautiful ), in London on 8-11 March, Olympia. ladolcevitaevent.co.uk
___________________________________ ___________
PAOLO ARRIGO says :
..of Seeds of Italy who sells top Italian veggie seeds to the likes of Jamie Oliver (British Top Chef) provides a splash of authentic Italy in the British pan.
If you don't know the word "pasta" is an abbreviation. The full word is "pastasciutta" and means dry pasta.
Italians are very discerning about pasta; from the supermarket, only the De Cecco brank is Ok, they say.
A fine tip: Olive Oil are like beautiful Women - different people like different ones. Giorgio Locattelli uses Planeta Olive Oil which is nutty. He likes Carappelli Olive Oil from Florence, Italy which is available in most supermarkets. Coratina Olives from Puglia, is only found in delis, are "bella figura" (the good stuff).
A faux pas: People here tend to drown pasta in sauce. He says: My dad Vincenzo had a deli in North-West London and some people would complain the pasta was too dry but you should eat it coated, not drowned. As a rule of thumb, dried pasta suits sauces that take a while to make. Also serve Spaghetti - never Penne - with Carbonara Sauce.
A simple recipe to impress !
Make the day before more flavour; drain a tin of tuna and splash in the some olive oil, cook borlotto beans, add lemon juice and some sliced of red onion. Mix all together and eat with a hunk of bread.
___________________________________ ___________
GIORGIO LOCATELLI...began his career at his family's restaurant in Italy before moving to London. His restaurant Locanda Locatelli, is adored by fanatical foodies and has a Michelin Star.
He says: Foods and flavours vary within miles. Where Im from, the border of Lombardy and Piedmont, I eat the cuisine of two regions. My home village near the Lake Cornabbio in the north is a littel known area that produces some the country's most exquisite grub, including freshwater Fish, Soups, Polenta, Risotto and Panettone.
A fine Tip: For cooking, remember the shape of the Pasta is very important. For an oily sauce, you use stringly pasta. For meat you use something tubular like Penne. Spaghetti Bolognese is ridiculous. You eat Tagliatelle _ not Spaghetti with bolognese Sauce.
A faux pas: Never have a signature dish. If a Chef has one, there are no good. Every day, I have a new favourite.
___________________________________ __________
PASQUALE AMICO
...is Head Chef in a West London Restaurant.
The best Mozarrella is from Campania. I am from there so I am lucky. Mozarella should be cut by hand. Look for a good texture inside as it must be juicy; you can get it from delis.
A fine tip: When cooking Pasta, don't put olive oil in water. Use boiling, salted water.
A faux pas: Don't rinse rice to make Risotto - it removes the starch which creates the creaminess you seek to achieve. Add the stock slowly. A Risotto cannot wait. If you do not serve it at once, it binds together.
A simple recipe to impress!
Slice some tomatoes. Add salt and pepper and the best Mozarella. Splash on olive oil and put 2 leaves of basil on top. Italian is about producer to table - you eat it as simply as possible.
Comments on this journal
I totally agree with that. The simpler and fresher the ingredients the more the natural flavours come out. The more savory!!! YUMMY!
As for the caprese salad...I think that recipe you have up here is unbeatable. :D
Yep, when cooking, do it simply...sophisticated recipes have too many flavours.:" Cook from fresh and with your simplicity, you'll bring the best flavour. :) ;)
:) Yummy, so do I, I love Pasta. Hey Im looking forward to read you JE with the Caprese Salad :P
I love the last "A simple recipe to impress". It's called a Caprese Salad...and I eat it as a midnight snack. Can sprinkle with reduced balsamic vinegar.
I LOOOOVE pasta! If I don't eat anything else other then pasta for the rest of my life...I'll die happy!
Thanks for the tips lynfasi!