Sebath Capela, one of Belgium’s promising young chefs is finally ready to showcase his new playground. At Elements, a new restaurant within Indrani Lodge a few kilometres away from the landmark lion monument in Waterloo, Belgium he is improvising with nature and all its elements to serve a very interesting menu focused on vegetables grown on the property and protein that comes from small farms close to the restaurant. Elements is part of a project created by Philippe and Jessica Brawermann, a couple who bought a farm in the Belgian countryside not far from Brussels and turned it into their home. Today, they’ve invested in a wellness hotel with 12 rooms, a 36-seat restaurant, a 20 seat lobby bar and a yoga studio among others. Their vision had been that of going past the buzzwords of sustainability and really focusing on making the property as ecological as possible. The lodge, restaurant as well as 39 neighbours benefit from a joint heating system using biomass and geothermic … [Read more...]
Da Gorini: A highly personal interpretation of the terroir
SAN PIERO IN BAGNO: In an unspoilt part of Emilia Romagna there a small village called San Piero in Bagno. The whole commune has just around 6,000 inhabitants. It's just over 100 kilometres away from Bologna and Modena where we've spent a few days and the contrast is astonishing. There are no Ferrari's or Maserati's driving past in this sleepy village despite the fact that this is Italy's region that is known for its fast cars and its slow food. What there is instead, is this sense of peace, of time standing still, of authenticity, stunning landscape and exceptional produce. Just outside the village, as you exit the motorway there is a small bar and trattoria were truckers normally stop called Alto e Savio. It is mentioned in many Italian guides including Osterie d'Italia. There are absolutely no frills here but the service is not only fast, it is also welcoming and for very little you eat excellent regional cuisine. It's as if this is a prelude to what one can expect in the centre … [Read more...]
The art of making the perfect risotto with Carlo Cracco
Italian chef Carlo Cracco needs no introduction. Veneto born, he worked with Gualtiero Marchesi and Alain Ducasse before making a name for himself in various restaurants before venturing on his own and opening various restaurants including his flagship Ristorante Cracco restaurant in Milan. When you think about Italy and its food, the first thing that comes to mind wis certainly pasta. But risotto would come a close second. Carlo Cracco grew up in a region famous for its Vialone Nano rice variety but when he moved to Milan he learned that the preferred rice was the Carnaroli. At a recent master class with Carlo Cracco, he revealed all his know how on how to make a great risotto as well as preparing two recipes to showcase how to prepare the perfect risotto. It was part of a series of events being organised by the Belgian-Italian Chamber of Commerce as part of the True Italian Taste project. "A risotto is a recipe that is unique in the international panorama. It is not easy to … [Read more...]
Trattoria dell’Acciughetta: an innovative touch in Genova
GENOVA: No one goes to Liguria and Genova, the region’s main city for its food. At least no one did for many years. But young chef Simone Vesuviano and Giorgia Losi of Trattoria dell’ Acciughetta are working to change this. Ask many Italians who know their food and they would struggle to give you recommendations of where to eat in this region of Italy. Despite giving the world amazing olives like 'taggiasche' or more importantly pesto the region does not have a reputation when it comes to food. Giorgia Losi, who worked in marketing, had other ideas. Fed up with her desk job in Milan she invested in a restaurant in Piazza Sant' Elena in Genova close to the port which made the city famous throughout history. It was part of the town which no one in Genova wanted to visit but that has slowly start to change. Just off Via Prè, this was an area that all Genovese used to avoid. 10 days after opening the restaurant she was joined by the 19 year-old Simone Vesuviano. Today, at 23, … [Read more...]
Recipe by Valentino Cassanelli: Seared scallops with coral carbonara, bitter herbs and sea urchin
Serves 4 For the carbonara sauce 25 g pork cheek, seasoned20 g butter1 clove of garlic80 g scallop coral0.3 g saffron30 g white wine12 g basmati rice200 g fish stock6 g Pecorino Roman0.1 g ground pepper5 g yuzu Brown the garlic clove, the bacon and the coral in the butter, then add the white wine, rice, saffron and fish stock. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the bacon and the garlic and then emulsify with the help of the blender gradually adding the pepper, pecorino and yuzu. Obtain the sauce sift it. Sea urchin emulsion 150 g sunflower oil60 g urchin pulp5 g yuzu3 g salt45 g fish stock Emulsify all the ingredients by adding the oil. Serve at 45 ° C. Black garlic cream 40 g black garlic30 g water10 g extra virgin olive oil3 g lemon juiceBlend and emulsify all the ingredients. Bitter herbs 200 g wild herbs1 l water15 g salt10 g lemon juiceMaldon sea saltExtra virgin olive oil Clean the herbs and wash them thoroughly. Blanch them in salted and … [Read more...]
Riccardo Camanini’s magical Cacio e Pepe
Go back a few years and few people would have known what Cacio e Pepe was. A staple of modern Italian cuisine, its simplicity was such that it was rarely if ever served in restaurants, especially those outside Rome where the dish seems to have originated. It was one of those comfort food dishes that many would eat at home when they lacked inspiration or ingredients. But, over the past few years, the Cacio e Pepe or ‘cheese and pepper’ as one would translate it from Italian, has become not just fashionable and trendy but also extremely common. The ingredients used to make this simple pasta sauce are water, cheese (pecorino Romano) and lots of pepper. Hunting for the best Cacio e Pepe or comparing one to the other may be difficult though of course the quality of the cheese used can make the difference. It’s akin to searching for the Holy Grail, you seem to be on the right track but it remains elusive. That changed in February when the Cacio e Pepe of Lido 84, the restaurant of … [Read more...]
Recipe by Valentino Cassanelli: Linguine with ginger, veal and cocoa nibs
Serves 6 For the veal: 1 veal head 2 onions, roasted 2 cloves 1 bay leaf salt White vinegar (80 g /litre or water) Place the veal head into a sauce pan and roast for 45 minutes at 190 ° C. Make a broth by adding roasted onions, cloves and a bay leaf. Add the water and white vinegar to cover and simmer for 4 ½ hours, adding the tongue 45 minutes before the end. Once everything is cooked, remove the meat, discarding any excess fat and nerves. Roll it up until you have a cylinder of roughly 6cm and cut the meat into 3cm pieces. Warm the meat up in the broth before serving. For the linguine 280 g durum wheat linguine 40 g ginger, juiced1 clove of unpeeled garlic 5 g Extra virgin olive oil 600 g vegetable stock 20 g butter 15 g Parmesan Salt to taste Ginger as needed Brown a clove of unpeeled garlic with a little extra virgin olive oil. Remove the garlic and add the vegetable stock and ginger until it starts to boil. Add the linguine until cooked and season with salt. … [Read more...]
What’s on the menu at the new LESS eatery in Bruges
LESS Eatery (Love, Eat, Share, Smile) by Hertog Jan*** is the new concept created by Gert de Mangeleer and Joachim Boudens in the centre of Bruges following the closure of their flagship 3 Michelin Star restaurant Hertog Jan at the end of last year. The new all-day eatery serves food from morning till late in the evening. A lot has been written about this new opening. Here we look at what's on the menu. The day starts with breakfast that is served between 8.30am to 11am. Sweet dishes includes homemade Danish pastry which Gert has been perfecting in recent months to granola and Greek yogurt. There also are savoury dishes like eggs benedicts or artisan baguettes with savoury or sweet toppings. When the breakfast service finishes, there is a transition to lunch which is served from 12 noon till 2.30pm. Bites and drinks are served in between breakfast and lunch and also in between the lunch and dinner service. Among the bites available one can choose a selection of … [Read more...]
Please take memories not pictures
When you arrive at Nobelhart & Schmutzig you don’t know what to expect. The taxi driver that took me there nearly missed the place despite having his GPS on. The door to the restaurant is closed, the restaurant window is covered in a dark curtain. Nothing is visible from the outside. It is like Billy Wagner wants to keep the place a secret. For a while, nothing from a culinary standpoint was happening in Berlin. But things have started to change over the past few years. This part of Berlin is maybe most famous for Checkpoint Charlie and the tourists that flock to this historic and formerly rough area of Berlin. Today, it is making a name for itself for the restaurant scene. Nobelhart & Schmutzig is one such restaurant and around the corner is what could be one of Berlin’s most famous restaurants, Tim Raue. Soon after I ring the bell, Billy Wagner, the sommelier and co-owner of the restaurant opens the door. He is expecting me courtesy of Per Meuling, of Berlin Food … [Read more...]
‘London opening at the Corinthia is a big deal for me’ – Tom Kerridge
Tom Kerridge, the first ever chef to clinch two Michelin stars for pub food at his restaurant The Hand and Flowers in Marlow has opened his first restaurant in London at the Corinthia Hotel. In London, it has been considered as one of the hottest openings of the year. "It is a big deal for me personally. I know it is massive but it is not daunting because I worked in London for 10 years before I opened the Hand and Flowers in Marlow," the British chef told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview at Tom Kerridge Bar and Grill. Tom is a household name in the UK and beyond. He became popular not just for his two restaurants in Marlow but also because of his programmes on the BBC apart from having authored many cookbooks. Over the past years, he has inspired many for taking matters in hand when he turned 40, cutting alcohol competely and eliminating carbs from his diet losing 12 stones or 76 kilogrammes in weight in the process. "It is a city I know well, a city I am comfortable … [Read more...]