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Category Archives: Origins of our food
Oughts, Thoughts and Couscous Jeudi
Spending much of my teenage years on school holidays in France, two misunderstandings live with me and make me chuckle at self to this day. As I helped out in the Café Viargues in Decazeville (see About Gareth), I was fascinated by the … Continue reading
Posted in Blue Collar Gastronomy, Farmers Markets, Origins of our food, The Moors
Tagged 'Couscous Jeudi', 'Oughts', Algiers, Berbers, Cafe Viargues, Chickpeas, Couscous, Decazeville, Farmers Markets, Ferrero, Harissa, Hen & Cock Pheasants, North African Cooking, Phare Cap Bon, Pheasant, Piri Piri Chilli, Protection des Mineurs, Provence
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‘Ragu al Forno’
So many dishes come about through accident. Here’s one that recently happened in the No 19 kitchen. I’ve written about Ragú and Sugo; I’ve been first in England to talk of the rich Tuccú alla Genovese. Next comes a Ragú al … Continue reading
Posted in Beef, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Food of the Ancients, Food travel, IGP, Nonna's Cooking, Origins of our food, Real Italy, Simple Food, Southern Italy, Terroir, The Moors
Tagged 'In Search of TASTE', 'Ragu al Forno', Basilicata, Cruschi, Espelette Pepper, Fresh Tomato Sugo, Gallucci & Gilmour, Nora Peppers from Spain, Peperoni di Senise, The Moors, Tuccu Genovese
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The Cheer Power of Food
One morning very recently I awoke heavy of heart – every foot step was an effort. I’d committed to visit the Italian Cultural Institute where an era was about to change – maybe it was this that was bearing down so weightily on my … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Curing and Smoking, Origins of our food, Proscuitto Crudo, Real Italy, True Innovation, Wild Funghi, Wine Making and Viticulture
Tagged 39 Belgrave Square, Carlo Presenti, Collio Wines, Emanuela Plazzotta, Italian Cultural Institute, Italian Culture, Licie Dentesano, Polenta, Porcini, Udine, Veneto/Fruili, Zenero e Cannella in Cocina School
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Two Buses and a Pre-Historic Encounter
You know the English saying – you wait for ages at the bus stop and then two or more buses arrive together. This just happened to me. One week the Poissonnèrie Municipale at Le Tréport (Normandy), then a week and a … Continue reading
Posted in Alliums, Archaeology and Food, Basil, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Cicchetti, Classic Rice Dishes, Fish, Food of the Ancients, Food travel, Foraging, Ligurian, Nonna's Cooking, Origins of our food, Oysters and Shellfish, Puglia, Pugliese, Real Italy, Rice, Risotto, Terroir, Wild Food, Wild Funghi
Tagged Chanterelles, Colette on Truffles, Danielli Fresh Pasta Shop, DOP Marvaldi Olive Oil, Il Genovese Restaurant, Ligurian Olive Oil, Magnosa, Melaosporum Black Truffle, Mercato Orientale in Genoa, Monocle Magazine, Perigord Truffle, Pesto alla Genovese, Pesto Rossi, Poissonerie Municipale at Le Treport, Porcini, Roberto Panizza, Taggiasche Olives, Tartufo d'Alba, truffles, Via Galata, Via XX Septembre, Wallpaper Guide to Genoa, White truffle, Wild Funghi
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I Found my Apulian Fava
Surrealism is a near daily overly used and, worse, largely misunderstood term. When you walk into London’s Queen’s Club, past three shiny patent leather black Maybach’s into a simple dining room overlooking immaculate tennis courts to meet Peppe Zullo – that’s surreal. Maybach’s stand for vulgar … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Alliums, Archaeology and Food, Aubergine, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Eggplant, Food of the Ancients, Ligurian, melanzane, Origins of our food, peasant cooking, Pugliese, Real Italy, Southern Italy, Terroir, The Moors
Tagged 'Burnt Flour', 3000 year old olive trees, An Appetite for Puglia by Christine Smallwood, Antonio Tomassini, Apulia, Cacioricotta, Crema di Fava, Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome, Farina Brucciato, Grano Arso, Mosto Cotto, Olive Oil, Orcchiette (Little Ears), Peppe Zullo, Primitivo di Salento, Puglia, Pugliese, Rosario Didonna, Taranto, Wild Chicory
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Ambassadors with Molto Gusto
Let me share with you a little known secret. In the lower ground floor of a fine townhouse in one of London’s most exclusive squares, there is a tiny restaurant which completely changes its theme near monthly. Two flags hang above … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Basil, Best Pasta, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Ligurian, New Chefs, Nonna's Cooking, Origins of our food, Real Italy, Rice, Simple Food, Southern Italy, The Moors, Wine Making and Viticulture
Tagged Albergo's, Carlo Presenti, Culatello, Farinata, Gelati, Genoa, Italian Cook Schools, Italian Cultural Institute, Italian Kitchen, Italian Provinces, Italian Regions, Liguria, Ligurian Olive Oils, Ligurian Wines, Nino Bergese School (Genoa), Over-run American style Ice Cream, Pesto alla Genovese, Pinoli, Ragu, Ravioli, Salsa di Noci, Sicily, Tocco, Trofie, Via Sotto Ripa
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Feta that’ll not Make you Feta’r
You all know the expression in English ‘as different as chalk and cheese’ – I’d reckon it must have been dreamed up to describe Feta cheese. Most Feta on sale is one-dimensional, chalky, overly saline and utterly pointless. The original barrel-aged Feta, … Continue reading
Posted in Archaeology and Food, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Citrus Fruit, DOP, Food of the Ancients, IGP, Ingredients, Origins of our food, Real Italy, Salad, Salad and Digestion, Seasoning, Simple Food, Southern Italy
Tagged Al-dente, Ancient Rome, Barrel-aged Feta Cheese, Cretan Feta, Cretan Lifestyle, Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome, Farro, Mediterranean Diet, Mint, Neal's Yard Dairy, Pelopennese, Rosie Barron, Sicilian new season Tomatoes, The Roman Army, Thesaloniki, Unwaxed Sicilian Lemons
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