Among food lovers of a certain age, Fulvio Pierangelini needs no introduction. Only a few years ago, he was considered to be one of the most influential if not the most influential Italian chef of the 2000s. He has left a very important impact on the food world and has advocated collaboration and exchange between chefs for at least 10 years at a time when this was unheard of. So when Fulvio says that it is time for us to relearn everything about food we should sit and listen and also reflect on the state of the food and wine world today. "In history, there was a time when the rich were fat and the poor were thin. Today, the opposite is the case and we need to ask ourselves why this is the case and whether this is good because clearly we have a problem," he says. "We have reached a stage where we need to relearn everything. We need to have more respect for ingredients, all ingredients. People may feel sorry for a lobster or a lamb but ultimately we need to remember that even a … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2017
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #104
Is chlorinated chicken about to hit our shelves after new US trade deal? Consumers could be exposed to American farming practices banned by the EU. Those of us who want to eat safe, healthy food awoke to a nightmare on Tuesday, a chilling interview on Radio 4’s Today programme. Bob Young, chief economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, made it crystal clear that any US trade deal struck by Theresa May would be contingent on the UK public stomaching imports of US foods that it has previously rejected: beef from cattle implanted with growth hormones, chlorine-washed chicken, and unlabelled genetically modified (GM) foods. Ana Roš of Hiša Franko: Gelinaz! Shuffle and Slovenian Cuisine: Ana Ros is an articulate, intelligent and fascinating woman with many facets to her life and persona. She is the perfect example of a person using their will and determination to shine as a culinary star in a comparatively unknown part of the world. I will stay tuned for what she does next and … [Read more...]
‘Balance is what I look for when making a praline’ – Tom Vanthemsche, The Cacao Tree
Tom Vanthemsche always dreamt of being a chocolate and ice cream maker. With The Cacao Tree by Tom, his boutique shop in Rhode St Genese, just outside Brussels, he has fulfilled his dream. He works with fresh ingredients particularly those which are in season and he prides himself of using fresh farmer’s milk which he picks up himself and 60% fruit in his sorbets which is highly unusual. "Some think our sorbets are ice-cream because they are very creamy. This is because of the percentage of fruit we use." Tom told Food and Wine Gazette in an interview that he prefers to use fresh products rather than unusual spices or ingredients that might shock but don’t necessarily work. “For me, finding the right balance between sugar and acidity is crucial. I will add a bit of texture to the chocolate, make it creamy but what I am looking for is balance. For me that is fundamental.” He is constantly on the look out for new chocolate. “When I set to create a new praline, I will taste the … [Read more...]
Revisiting L’air du temps: Winter is not a barrier to creativity
The sun is glistening and shining on the snow that is covering the fields in Liernu. Spring is still far away and the vegetable garden at L'air du temps is still resting. The first shoots from the garden will only come in late February though San Degeimbre is already preparing his February menu called "Waiting for the Green". January is not necessary the best month to visit a restaurant. It comes just after the holidays and is the month when you normally try to detox from the excesses of the previous month. And it is not the best month for fresh produce. But a friend who happens to be a Maltese chef is in Belgium and we have planned to visit Wallonia's culinary cathedral. San Degeimbre is a chef in evolution. Today, he has reached a level of maturity that one would expect from a restaurant that is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. But that maturity is not stopping him from experimenting or trying new things. The creative streak is all the more visible even if it does … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #103
All change in the aisles to entice us to eat more veg: British shoppers are to become the subject of an experiment aimed at making them eat their greens. In a bold move to rebalance the contents of supermarket trolleys, Oxford academics have teamed up with supermarket chiefs to persuade consumers to buy less meat. The project, in which Sainsbury’s is a key collaborator, is being funded as part of a £5m Wellcome Trust programme, Our Planet, our Health, which aims to improve human health in a world going through profound climatic change. Eating more vegetables and fruit and less red meat will benefit people’s health and the environment, say researchers. OFM’s classic cookbooks: The Classic Italian Cookbook by Marcella Hazan: Marcella Hazan single-handedly changed food as I knew it at home. I’m not saying my mum was not a good cook before the arrival of Marcella, far from it, it’s just that Marcella set new benchmarks in cooking and understanding food. Over the years that … [Read more...]
From the sea to the plate: Three Savona fishermen cook their morning catch
Three youngsters in Savona have abandoned their professions and work to become fishermen and cook the fish they catch directly on their fishing boat. Although the life of a fisherman is not easy and depends on the weather and the winds and waves, these three fishermen have decided to follow their passion, abandoning their work and turning their hobby into a commercial activity. Alalunga is aimed at promoting the territory and help a sector in crisis. The three youngsters Davide Busca (26 years and a former architectural engineer student who worked in his family business), Mauro Mantero (who worked in his father's business and Lorenzo Busca, a dentist) have become the youngest fishing boat owners in Italy. Their typical day starts very early in the morning. At 4.30m they throw their nets when the sky and sea are still black. They wait for sunrise and then they draw their catch and return back to the port where they will prepare their catch to be served either as a 'fritto … [Read more...]
Recipe by Merlin Labron-Johnson: Grilled spring and winter vegetables with wild herbs and a hay-smoked egg yolk sauce
Merlin Labron-Johnson is a chef who can be considered a fervent fermenter, pickler and curer, and this passion comes from his time at the cult Belgian restaurant In de Wulf which closed its doors in December 2016. Everything was done in house; all the pickling, smoking and charcuterie curing, using only traditional and old fashioned methods of preservation. These influences are clearly visible on the menu at Portland, London. This dish was inspired by Merlin's time spent working in Belgium, where he noticed that during the asparagus season, white asparagus was often eaten with hollandaise or ‘mousseline’ sauce. He has added other young vegetables that are still available as winter morphs into spring to give a more interesting variation of textures and flavours. Merlin decided to smoke the butter used in the hollandaise over hay to add an element of ‘farm’ and terroir. He uses wild herbs to add freshness to the dish which would otherwise be quite rich, and the sorrels add a … [Read more...]
“A childhood dream come true” – Hendrik Dierendonck on the opening of Brussels butcher shop
Hendrik Dierendonck, the renowned nose to tail Belgian butcher, has opened the long-awaited shop in Rue St. Catherine in central Brussels. "It is a childhood dream come true for me to open a Brussels shop particularly in the city centre." Dierendonck told Food and Wine Gazette that this was a big step for him. "I have always been working on the Belgian coast and since I was young, I have always dreamt of this step." When he was young, the Belgian butcher used to work with his father Raymond Dierendonck in St Idesbald on the Belgian coast in summer while in winter he spent his time in Brussels. The opening of the Brussels shop replaces the Jack O'Shea shop in the Place St. Catherine area which closed abruptly last summer though it has been completely refurbished in an open style to reflect Dierendonck's approach to butchery. "I want to present Brussels residents and visitors to Brussels with an old school approach. Here they will find the artisanal approach, with an … [Read more...]
Weekly roundup of great reads on food and wine #102
René Redzepi on Noma’s last supper – and what comes next: On the night in 2009 when his restaurant reached No 3 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list, René Redzepi’s thoughts turned to aviation. “It was a great moment,” he recalls. “But it also felt like that moment when you’re on a plane after it takes off, and you’re at 10,000 feet, and you’re wondering, is this where we level off? Or are we going to start climbing again?” How A Destitute, Abandoned Parisian Boy Became The First Celebrity Chef: The bustling Paris streets were rutted and caked in thick mud, but there was always a breathtaking sight to behold in the shop windows of Patisserie de la Rue de la Paix. By 1814, people crowded outside the bakery, straining for a glimpse of the latest confection created by the young chef who worked inside. Who killed the great British curry house? No one in Oli Khan’s family had ever lived in Scotland, or anywhere near it. But when, aged 23, Khan first set eyes on Linlithgow, a … [Read more...]
Book review: Food from the fire by Niklas Ekstedt
It is perhaps not the best time to review a book about cooking food from the fire given that we are experiencing a bitter patch of winter cold and not everyone has the luxury to have wood fired ovens or a fire pit indoors. But for Niklas Ekstedt, the man behind the Stockholm restaurant by the same name and author of a recently released book Food from the Fire, cooking with fire is something he does every day, winter or summer. His restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden, opened in November 2011 with a fire pit, a wood fired oven and a wood stove. Plenty of people had told him that he had made things difficult for himself. Now, he has also installed a stone-age equivalent of a microwave oven, a smoker and extra fires burning as he continues to explore age-old techniques and to learn more about a lost art of cooking. The flavour that comes out of food that has been cooked with fire is different to what you get from normal cooking. But apart from the occasional barbecues we have lost the … [Read more...]