What makes a chef serve a floret of a cauliflower in a three Michelin star restaurant as a centre piece without any additions except for a touch of olive oil infused in garlic? It is the knowledge that what he is serving has the necessary complexity and flavour to shine in a three star restaurant. That is exactly what Niko Romito has been doing since he started focusing on vegetables as centre-pieces. Is it the sense that he has attained perfection with a dish, one where the sum of its parts is greater than the whole? To get an understanding of what is happening at Reale in Castel di Sangro, in Abruzzo, Italy you need to look at the chef's work with vegetables. Because it is here that the philosophy of the chef boils down to its essence. “I have been focusing on vegetables for the past three years. I started with the artichoke, then I worked with the cabbage and now the cauliflower. But I do not have an idea which vegetable I will be working with next,” the chef told Food and … [Read more...]
Bottarga (Mullet or Tuna roe): Versatile and simple to use
As summer approaches, the nostalgia for produce from the Mediterranean increases. Despite the fact that summer in large parts of Northern Europe has yet to arrive this year, you can replicate that summer feeling using one ingredient which you can find easily in Italian delis and which is a perfect reminder of a hot summer day and your holidays in the South of Italy. It is an ingredient that is synonymous with Sardinia and Sicily though it is used in a lot of countries in the Mediterranean like North Africa, the South of France, Greece and Malta. An ancient ingredient, bottarga is salted, pressed and dried roe from either tuna or grey mullet. Don't be intimidated if you have never used this ingredient. If you have never tried it before, all you need to do is slice some bread and serve with olive oil and very thin slices of bottarga. It may not look appealing in its block state with the wax which seals the red-golden colour but once grated or sliced it has an amazing flavour. … [Read more...]
Colatura di Alici from Cetara – with so little you get so much
Colatura di Alici could easily be one of the most elusive ingredients that I have yet to come across. A fermented anchovy sauce produced in Campania and specifically in the village of Cetara between Salerno and Naples, it is often considered as 'liquid gold'. Try it and you will know why the term 'liquid gold' is no exaggeration. Cetera is a fishing village that is famous for its canned anchovies and tuna as well as the colatura di alici. Italian products normally travel well and can be found anywhere in the world but I was surprised to find how difficult it is to get your hands on 'colatura di alici'. You will find it hard to believe that speciality Italian shops (both in Italy and outside) do not stock it and neither do supermarkets. Even in Italy, I've found it hard to come across though I was lucky to procure a bottle in a delicatessen in Siena on a recent visit. It is said that colatura di alici derives from Garum, a fermented fish sauce that was used as a condiment … [Read more...]