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Category Archives: Southern Italy
Instep for Cruschi
I break into a smile each time I hear myself saying “Cruschi”. It’s a quite crazy word for a very real gastronomic treat. Said by the peoples of Lucano, it sounds like “Crusshh-ski” – put a question mark at the end and, … Continue reading
Posted in Alcohol, Basilicata, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Bread, DOC, Real Italy, Southern Italy, Spanish Cooking, Terroir, Wild Food, Wines
Tagged 'In Search of TASTE', Aglianico Wine, Basilicata, Cacioricotta, Campania, Cruschi, Enotria, Gallucci & Gilmour, IGP, Keith Reeves, Lampascioni, Lucano, Pecorino di Filiano DOP, Peperoni di Senise, Ristras, Senise, Sinni River, Spanish Antilles, Strascinata, Taurasi Wine
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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
3 Comments
“Peppa’s, Yer Peppa’s, Pahnd-a-Bohl!”
In these bankster-induced tough, purse stretched times, that street markets are selling fresh fruit and vegetables at £1 a bowl is not just welcome, it’s a gift for the canny shopper. Listen out for the barrow boys’ throaty calls of “Pahnd-a-Bohl!”. The … Continue reading
Posted in Aubergine, Blue Collar Gastronomy, Eggplant, Kitchen Tips, melanzane, Real Italy, Richard Olney, Simple Food, Southern Italy, supermarkets, Techniques
Tagged 'Queer Gear', Ada Boni, Anti-Pasti, Bell Peppers, Best Bargain Food, Contorno, El Pais, Elizabeth David, EVOO, Exotics, Grilled Peppers, Hydroponics, Lewisham Market, London Street Markets, Marcella Hazan, Old Borough Market, Old Covent Garden, Old Retainers, Old Spitalfields Market, Peperonata, Red Peppers, Roasted Peppers, Valencia
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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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Love Apples, Fakery and Greed
When the tomato was first brought back from the New America’s to Spain – and nearly a century later diplomatically ‘gifted’ to Naples by the Spanish Court - it was thought to be highly decorative, but poisonous. It was a daring courtier who … Continue reading
Posted in Basil, Best Pasta, Black Peppercorns, Blue Collar Gastronomy, DOP, French Markets, IGP, Ingredients, Nonna's Cooking, Real Italy, Simple Food, Southern Italy, supermarkets, The Food Business
Tagged Basilico, DOP San Marzano Tomatoes, Home Grown Tomatoes, Love Apples, Mouli-Legumes, Mount Versuvius, Naples, Passata, Pizza, Pomodoro, San Marzano tomatoes, Sarnese-Nocerino, Sugo, Supermarket Chillers
2 Comments