Express Valentine’s Dinner with La Famiglia Rana

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Kesh

Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be exhausting, expensive or filled with Chocolate, Champagne and Rose Petal bath’s. Take the pressure off and just make sure you make it delicious.

Guaranteed to be on your table in five minutes, La Famiglia Rana formerly known as Giovanni Rana have a whole selection of delicious, restaurant quality, filled-pastas for you to prepare. We recommend you surprise your loved one with;

CHICKEN AND SMOKED PANCETTA TORTELLONI WITH SPINACH AND CREAM INGREDIENTS

1 250g pack of Rana Chicken and Smoked Pancetta Tortellon

i 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 shallots

1 cup heavy cream

4 packed cups fresh baby spinach leaves

salt and freshly ground pink peppercorn to taste

METHOD

Thinly slice 2 large shallots; heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat until it shimmers. Add shallots, season with salt and pepper to taste, and sauté until just wilted, 30 seconds to 1 minute In the meantime, cook the Tortelloni according to package instructions in generously salted boiling water. Add the spinach to the skillet and the heavy cream; cook until spinach is wilted and sauce is reduced. Transfer sauce to a large serving bowl and add pasta. Serve immediately

What’s more we have some;

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

To create a romantic setting place flowers in a diagonal line along the table, you can also gently place a table runner or a soft coloured fabric underneath the flowers and use flower petals to frame the composition. The fabric will work best if it’s a contrasting colour to the flowers, allowing them to stand out. A linen tablecloth in a light grey palette balances the candy pink and pastel green plates, with mismatched napkins for a fun touch. As a final romantic touch, light an unscented candle to give a soft touch of light and serve a delicious plate of your partner’s favourite La Famiglia Rana pasta. Happy Valentine’s Day and… buon appetito!

The pasta can be purchased from various Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and ASDA stores throughout London or on Ocado.

www.rana.co.uk

STOP EVERYTHING: A cheese wheel extravaganza is coming to London

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Sophia Mead

That’s right, London locals can reap the benefits of their postcodes to indulge in a pasta, cheese wheeling night of Italian luxury.

Pasta Remoli, a firm favourite of Frost mag, recently opened its Ealing Broadway spot and is celebrating by hosting three, yes three, exclusive evenings for locals.

It’s no ordinary evening though, each night, chef and founder Simone Remoli will present guests with deliciously moreish Maccheroncini Carbonara served hot straight out of a, wait for it, GIANT PARMESAN WHEEL. Just give us a moment to compose ourselves.

For £25, guests will enjoy a welcome drink, Italian starters including Italian salumi and cheese, crispy and velvety arancini, creamy burrata cheese, mixed bruschetta, bread and focaccia before the main event… the giant Parmesan wheel packed with Maccheroncini Carbonara.

If that’s not enough for your Italian food – appreciating selves, dessert is also included in the price. Swoon.

To make a booking, email ealingbroadway@pastaremoli.co.uk

Pasta Remoli – A Must for Italian Food Lovers

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Kesh

There is nothing more satisfying than hearty Italian food especially as the nights are getting a little more chilly. Personally, finding a good pasta restaurant is surprisingly quite the challenge in London and i’m still making my way through the catalogue of recommended Italian restaurants. One of the things I look for is a menu specialising in specific regional food. Currently, Pizza is having it’s renaissance, so it’s about time that pasta had its time to shine and no place says that more than Pasta Remoli.

You may have walked past the store in the Great Eastern Market in Westfield with an array of fresh pasta displayed tempting you to grab a bite or take home and experiment yourself. This is the beauty and simplicity of the place, you choose your pasta the style you want it, your sauce and finally your cheese. Pasta like many things is a personal experience, and Pasta Remoli ensures you get to keep it that way. They can recommend different combinations but the end course is down to you. Needless to say, the success of the Westfield branch led them to open Pasta Remoli in Finsbury Park and we couldn’t wait to get stuck into their appetising menu.

Trained in the art of traditional Roman cuisine, Remoli has taken all that he has learnt and made sure that his passion for the Slow Food movement is also reflected in the menu. The food is honest, traditional and encompasses the authenticity of Italy, particularly Rome with a good list of traditional Roman dishes alongside the pasta.

For starters we tried the Burrata Cheese & Parma Ham and the Mussels and Clams. Simply named and simply delicious, there are no frills and flounces on the menu. The dishes and ingredients do the talking and when the food arrives there is a moment of silence as we get immersed in to the Italian eating experience before sharing everything between us. Burrata (literally meaning buttery), is melt in your mouth good. The Mussels and Clams are served in traditional Italian fashion inside a broth of garlic chilli and fresh parsley and fill the table with smells of the Med.

For our main, we tried bestseller Truffle ravioli in a creamy mushroom sauce with lots of Parmigiano. In true Italian style, this is exactly how pasta is meant to be cooked. It takes a real expert to balance flavours such as high quality truffle daringly against the creamy sauce and the Parmigiano but the indulgent trio makes for a great, satisfying dish. Best for big appetites and loose trousers.

We then went for a traditional Roast Chicken a staple on any Italian menu. The chicken is marinated for 24 hours in paprika chili and herbs and served alongside veg and roast potatoes. Simple on the menu, I must tell you this was out and out Soul Food. The Chicken was cooked well, retaining its tenderness but it was the roast potatoes that won me over, if they could accompany any future meals I would be very happy. They were crispy in the right places soft in the middle, seasoned to complete perfection. A great lesson on how simple dishes done well produce the best food.

The finale was a dessert worth waiting for, Gluten Free Tiramisu Remoli, the biscuits being the gluten free part! This was surprisingly light and a delight. I’ve never really been a fan of tiramisu but this was far from the boozy affair. Served with a shot of Limoncello this was the perfect end to an incredible Italian experience. I will be back and order everything else I didn’t get to try and the same things all over again.

The restaurant is unpretentious and warm. We saw groups of friends, couples, singles and the restaurant had large enough tables to accommodate a large group planning a surprise birthday. Feeling comfortable in a restaurant is all part of the experience and thankfully Pasta Remoli is set over a great enough area where you can move around freely without bumping into/being trapped by the next table. The service was excellent, they navigated the menu well and were attentive without being too fussy. Three courses for two diners with wine came to around £70. Unbelievable value considering the quality of the food we had just had in a London restaurant. Searching for a quality Italian restaurant is no longer a challenge now I have found Pasta Remoli.

Want to learn how to perfect your pasta?

Simone Remoli will be hosting a series of Pasta Masterclasses at the Bellavita Academy every Tuesday in November. With four masterclasses to choose from dealing with different types of pasta making. You can take part in a single evening class, or a four week course where you’ll learn Simone’s top tips and enjoy your dishes after every session. For more information and to book visit www.pastaremoli.co.uk

Pizzicotto my New Favourite Italian

Posted on June 1, 2016 by Kesh

Pizzicotto, sister restaurant to the Kensington gem ‘il portico’ has been causing a stir on the London Restaurant scene. Famous for their Charcoal Based Pizza this is not the only showstopper they serve here but they also serve up an unbeatable authentic and traditional Italian fayre. As a food writer, Italian cuisine can be hard to come by and get right. We live in a city which celebrates Pizza and Pasta and in a takeaway generation, there are many much-loved chains that consumer tend to stick to. However, when looking for Italian food at it’s finest we want to have it all and Pizzicotto delivers not only a menu which is true to Italy but an ambience and atmosphere worthy of a true Mediterranean experience.

Nestled at the quieter end of High St. Ken lies this hidden gem set behind a beautiful green frontage, this is not the stereotypical Italian trattoria but something light and airy and instantly welcoming. The restaurant is adorned with huge trees inside the building itself and an open wood fired Pizza oven and I genuinely feel like I’m a thousand miles from London. My guest is late but i’m pleased because this is somewhere I would gladly eat alone and soak up the atmosphere… and the huge Aperol Spritz my server brings over. The aperitif selection is typically Italian and it would be rude not to start my dinner with a glass of Aperol and have some Garlic Focaccia while i’m waiting. Normally i’m not one to fill up on bread but there is something light and more-ish about it.

The menu is ample and true to Italian style, everything you could want is on there. They serve up a wide range of Antipasti and Starters; Bruschetta, Speciality Cheeses and Meats and Primi Pastas, which can also be served as mains, our server helps our decision. She explains to us Culatello Di Zibello is a very fine cured ham like Prosciutto and extremely rare so we jump at the chance to try this out, and we also opt for the classic Pork Belly Tagliatelle. She’s right, the Culatello tastes as precious as it is and I can only describe it as a melt in the mouth, cured meat heaven and very much worth the journey to Pizzicotto just to try the Culatello. Always having tried Tagliatelle with Beef, the difference in flavour when made me with Pork Belly is remarkable. The texture is much more tender, the flavour richer and meatier and the portion size is perfect as a starter plate.

The Charcoal Based Pizza is what we really came here for but with a mammoth selection of toppings we spend a while deciding on this too. As well as this we decide to order one of their grilled dishes and opt for the Tartare Grade Tuna Steak served with Fennel Salad. We share both, but to be perfectly honest, the Pizza was so light that I could have polished off the Pizza as well as the Tuna they were that delicious. Don’t be put off by the burnt look of the Pizza, it’s all charcoal and if that doesn’t turn you on, the taste is no different and the benefits of activated charcoal speak for themselves. Having cut down on Pizza’s recently due to the effects of wheat in my body, activated charcoal base is a real blessing and we can talk about it as much as we like but the proof is in the pudding, or in this case the Pizza, there really is no bloat and the fact I could have easily have eaten the whole thing without undoing my jeans is evidence enough. The Tuna was grilled to absolute perfection and the Fennel Salad accompanied well. I had never thought to try Tuna with Fennel as it’s quite a heavy, meaty fish but the two combined to create the flavour of the sea harmoniously. We paired both dishes with a delicious Sauvignon Bianco which was crispy and fresh and served in a huge glass. Perfecto!

Finally we were treated to the specials on the Dessert menu which included Nutella Pizza!! I bet you can guess what we ordered, and thankfully it wasn’t a full-sized Pizza but one slice which we paired with a raspberry Ice Cream. Both were indulgent, heavenly but still light! How Pizzicotto have managed to balance the huge Italian Flavours with the light as air Pizzas and Pastas is nothing short of remarkable and this is certainly the type of Italian where you can appreciate the quality of the produce and not feel uncomfortably stuffed. The highlight was The Activated Charcoal Pizza so it’s definitely worth the trip here to grab yourself a slice of that but overall the entire menu was divine from start to finish. This is certainly an Italian I will be recommending. Cin Cin.

Fattoria La Vialla 2015 Review: Glorious Organic Food From Tuscany

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

Anyone who reads Frost regularly knows that we love Fattoria La Vialla. In fact, I love it so much that I bought their wine in cases for my wedding. Everything from their food to their wine is superb. Which is why we were delighted when a present arrived. We promptly got to work reviewing it.

I never knew I loved salami until I tried Fattoria’s salami. It is wondrous. So superb, fresh and delicious. I could eat it everyday. Their Olive Oil is the real deal, you will never go back to the supermarket stuff. It has that green tinge that lets you know it is the genuine article. Their pasta is everything you think it would be. We try the fusilli and the linguine. Both are divine.

In this box of delicious heaven is the pecorino, their mature cheese. The ageing process takes nine months and it is amazing.

Vernaccia di San Gimignano is the most prestigious white in all of Tuscany, and you can tell. Smooth, full and complex with almond, dried fruit and floral notes on the nose. Fattoria make the best wines and I don’t say this lightly. Their Casa Conforto Chianti Riserva is superb. On the nose is a variety of aromas: violet and wild berries, secondary notes are mushroom, meat, light pine resin and sweet wood. I usually prefer white or rosé wine but I love this red. I had a Casa Conforto Chianti from a previous year as the red wine option at my wedding. The guests loved it and said it was the best wine they have ever had at a wedding, along with the others. Lo Chiffon is a sparkling white wine. It is cloudy and a straw yellow colour with metallic highlights. It tastes wonderful, both dry and smooth.

Their olive all’ arancia is wonderful. These dried orange olives are based on an old Tuscany recipe. Unusual and delicious.

Sugo Pomodori, olive & capper is a fabulous sauce. It has a kick to it and is a great combination of tomatoes (which are the star of the show), capers, olives, hot chilli pepper, parsley and garlic. Yum.

La Rosmarina is a rosemary tomato sauce. It also has a kick to it and is both fresh and unbelievably tasty.

Also in the parcel was an interesting, good book about Fattoria. Along with a wonderful card and other literature. Fattoria is a wonderful family business that really makes you feel like you are part of the Fattoria community.

Our love affair continues.

Fattoria La Vialla

Spiralizer Review: Is This The Coolest Kitchen Gadget?

Posted on January 26, 2015 by Catherine Balavage

I never thought I would be the type to write about a kitchen gadget but here it is: my love for my Westmark Spiromat 11332260 Spiralizer. My spiralizer was actually a birthday present from my brother. Even weirder for me, to ask for something domestic for my birthday. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not domestic. But if anything will turn anyone into a (one-time) domestic goddess it is the spiralizer. I made vegan bolognese with it. (Above picture)

So what does it do? Well it turns vegetables into noodles and pasta. Yes, that’s it. Why so good? Well it’s fun to use and instead of having carbs you can have courgette pasta. Which is absolutely delicious and very healthy.Frankly I am obsessed and I am not the only one. Blogger Deliciously Ella featured the spiralizer on her blog and it sold out on Amazon.

Although the Spiralizer looks hard to clean, you can just pop it in the dishwasher. It comes with a few different attachments for variety and it is very easy to use. Because it is fun to use you use it more, therefore you eat more healthy. I should stop now as it is ruining my street cred to gush so much about a kitchen appliance but I really do love it. Vegetable noodles and pasta are great and less stodgy than the real thing. I still love pasta but I do find it heavier and more filling. This gadget is also perfect for the gluten intolerant.

You can buy a spiralizer here.

The History of Tortelloni

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Frostie

Seen in the UK as a quick, cheap and easy meal, the authenticity, quality and simplicity of pasta has been overlooked. We tend to follow the method of ‘guess boiling’ our pasta and drowning it with any sauce to hand, while the Italians care more for their iconic dish, focusing on the simplicity of fresh, locally sourced ingredients such as olive oil, cheese and wine.

In this video master pasta maker, Giovanni Rana, tells the story of his artisan pasta making and shows us how to make and serve the perfect spinach and ricotta tortelloni, while Antonella Rana recalls the legendary story of the creation of tortellini.

Giovanni Rana and his family have been making fresh filled pasta for more than 50 years after noticing that home-made, fresh pasta was on the decline since Italian women started to work. His philosophy is simple: be true to yourself and the things that make you happy. For him, perfect pasta comes from a passion for food and the joy of sharing that passion with the people you love.

Recipe for the Perfect Ricotta and Spinach Tortelloni

More than 50 years ago, master pasta maker, Mr Giovanni, inspired by the old-world techniques of local women, began making tortelloni in a small shop in San Giovanni Lupatoto.

So he created a unique fresh-filled pasta, using the very best ingredients, and headed out on his scooter, to deliver his handiwork to the homes of families across Verona, The passionate, young pasta maker’s dream began to unfold across Italy and now the very same pasta is available in supermarkets in the UK today.

If you have the luxury of time, why not try Giovanni Rana’s unique recipe for these traditional Italian treasures; Ricotta and Spinach Tortelloni, using his short film.

Preparation: Pasta preparation: 25mins

Cooking: 2-3 minutes

Serves: 2-3

What you will need:

For the Pasta Dough

140g All purpose flour

2 eggs

For the Ricotta & Spinach Filling

85g Ricotta cheese

20ml double cream

15g Parmigiano cheese

30g of spinach, chopped

Pinch of salt and pepper

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

For the Seasoning

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

40g Ricotta cheese +15g Spinach leaves for serving per portion

Method

Put the flour with the salt in a large bowl.
Make a well in the middle then crack the eggs into the well, one at a time. Using your fingertips, mix well and begin to knead the fresh mixture into fresh dough.
Put the dough on a table and knead well with both hands until the dough is smooth and elastic, rolling it out using a rolling pin if needed.
Now for your filling; mix the ricotta and fresh spinach in a large bowl, adding a pinch of salt and pepper.
Roll the pasta to as thin as possible and using a pasta cutter or a knife, gently cut into squares.
Spoon out a teaspoon of the filling into the centre of each pasta square.
Then for the art of tortelloni making; carefully fold each pasta square diagonally and pinch the edges until closed. Then bring the corners together with your fingers and squeeze together.
Cook the tortelloni in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water and simmer gently for 2-3 minutes, avoiding overcooking.
Drain the tortelloni thoroughly and finish by serving on a large bed of warm ricotta, with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and garnish with spinach.

Cook’s tip: If you don’t have all of the fresh ingredients available, why not try Giovanni Rana’s Simply Italian range, available in six delicious varieties including Tender Spinach & Ricotta Tortelloni. Based on homemade Italian family recipes, they are simple and quick to prepare in less than 5 minutes. RRP £1.99.

Prezzo Witham Restaurant Review

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Melissa Volpi

Prezzo is helping to make Witham High Street fashionable. This stylish silver painted Italian restaurant opened here at the end of last year and has become a busy nighttime dining establishment.

We arrive at 7:30 pm on a Tuesday evening and are glad that we booked in advance – as there is not one table unreserved. Karen, the Hungarian Restaurant Manager, greets us and we are seated in a comfortable candlelit booth with monochrome patterned bench seats.

Verdicchio

Karen gives us a few minutes before walking over to take our drinks order and after asking for a bottle of San Pellegrino; my partner asks her what the most popular wine is.

“The Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is our biggest seller here,” says Karen. “It’s a medium bodied wine with a crisp gooseberry fruit flavour.”

My partner orders two large glasses of the Sauvignon for us to try. It’s a drinkable wine that I think would go well with any vegetarian, fish or chicken dish. But it’s too non descript for me. And my partner agrees. So we scan the wine list again (which has a good selection of Italian whites from Trebbiano and Frascati to Pinot Grigio and Fiano) and order a bottle of Verdicchio Urmani Ronchi DOC. This is one of my favourite whites. To me, it’s the Italian Chablis.

Baked Mushrooms

There are nine starters on the menu. From classics like Bruschetta, Tricolore Salad and Antipasto to modern melts like fried mozzarella in tomato sauce and grilled goats cheese on ciabatta bread with a balsamic glaze. The prices are excellent value, with all starters under £6.00.

We pick two classic dishes. Baked Mushrooms stuffed with grana padano cheese, garlic, onions, mushrooms and breadcrumbs. And King Prawns cooked in tomato sauce with garlic, chilli and spinach served with ciabatta bread.

Karen tells us a story of her mushroom picking expeditions in Hungary as she serves us our starters. The Baked Mushrooms and King Prawns are elegantly presented on white square plates. The six mushrooms, which surround a bed of salad leaves and a bowl of aioli, smell like a forest and I cannot wait to dig in.

My partner and I share the first mushroom and both gasp with delight at the texture and taste. We try them with and without the aioli and both agree that they taste best without. The combination of creamy cheese and that straight from the earth flavour is heavenly.

The King Prawns are not as spicy as the recipe suggests. But they are a good, light choice nonetheless.

Executive Pizzas

The maincourses at Prezzo are what you would expect from an Italian restaurant. There are pastas, pizzas, risottos and meat dishes with a choice of sides. But the Executive Pizzas stand out.

My partner orders the Chargrilled Chicken Breast Funghi (with field mushrooms and baby spinach in a Marsala wine sauce) and Rosemary potatoes. And I order one of the Executive Pizzas: the Queen Margherita.

There are four different Executive Pizzas on the menu. There is Posh Pepperoni, Steak and Rocket, Prawn and Lobster and the Queen Margherita. If we had not ordered King Prawns to start, then I would have gone for the Prawn and Lobster pizza. But the Queen Margherita sounds interesting. And when Karen lays it down on our table, it even looks interesting.

The Executive Pizzas are bigger than normal Prezzo pizzas. And they have a crispier, thinner base. The Queen Margherita is made up of three sections. So you end up with one pizza that has three different toppings.

What I find striking is the tri-colour design. The three sections are cleverly done and made to look like the Italian flag: green, white and red.

The green section is asparagus, spinach and basil pesto dressed rocket leaves. The white section is béchamel sauce and buffalo mozzarella. And the red section is sunblushed and cherry tomatoes.

Prezzo give you a pizza cutter for ease. So I cut each section into threes and dig in. The pizza is as good as any I have tasted in the UK or Italy. The base is light and the flavours from each different topping really come through. My favourite is the béchamel sauce and buffalo mozzarella.

I can tell that my partner is enjoying his chicken dish. As he has not spoken one word in the past five minutes. He is too busy eating.

The Gelupo Gelato Burger

“This is one of our most popular desserts,” says Karen while placing the Gelupo Gelato Burger in front of me.

And I can see why. This toasted brioche bun with a light dusting of icing sugar looks like a real American burger roll. It’s a gimmick that works and immediately transports you to the set of a Godfather inspired movie, where Italians talk with a New York accent.

This bun would never be found on the dolce list of a traditional Italian Trattoria. But I’m very happy to see it on the menu of Prezzo in Witham. This is much more than a simple dessert. It combines the two things that Italians cannot get enough of: bread and ice cream.

Our burger is stuffed with two large scoops of Amaretti and Hazelnut Gelato and the idea was to cut the burger down the middle so that we could both enjoy our favourite ice cream. But as I try the combination of warm brioche and frozen Amaretti and let the sweet taste of bread and marzipan envelop my senses, I decide that half of this dessert is not enough and end up eating three quarters of it. Sorry Mike! (My partner)

Tiramisu

I try not to order tiramisu when eating out in Italian restaurants as I was brought up on my mother’s homemade version, which no other tiramisu can compete with (in my biased opinion!). But the other desserts on this menu just don’t do it for me.

The Honeycomb Smash Cheesecake, Chocolate Profiteroles, Sticky Toffee Pudding and Milk Chocolate Fudge Cake are not Italian enough for me. And although the Panettone Bread and Butter Pudding sounds delicious (and a dessert that I will definitely try on my next visit to Prezzo) we thought it would not compliment the Gelupo Gelato Burger. That it would be a case of too much bread. So, we opt for the Tiramisu – an Italian dessert that always satisfies, even if my mother didn’t make it.

And Prezzo’s tiramisu is no exception. This square of whipped up eggs and mascarpone on espresso-drenched ladyfingers looks good on the plate. A sprinkling of cocoa around the tiramisu and three dark coffee beans pressed gently into the top layer of this dessert add the finishing touches.

It’s light and creamy and the perfect end to our meal. But this time I let my partner eat more.

Hot Amaretto

Karen must have noted my love of Amaretti because she brings out a hot glass of Amaretto for me to have alongside my cappuccino.

My partner inhales the aroma and notes how nice it is to have a warm shot of liqueur. These little details are often a rarity now. But they make a meal. And they have certainly made our meal special.

We enjoy our coffees with Amaretto and both decide that Prezzo is a great Italian restaurant for couples. The décor is minimalist with lots of wood. The pizza is as good as any you would find on the streets of Rome. And the service is excellent. Thank you, Karen and Prezzo. We will be back.