Vado A Cena at FINE WINE FAIR 2010

It was great! Yes! A fantastic experience to be in a beautiful venue - the Old Town Hall in Chelsea - and share our products and wines with experts, writers and food lovers. Here I just post some pictures of the event. Thank you all for coming and show your smiles while tasting our vinegars, our wines, our ham...















vAc blog Home Page

"Cuisine for all" writes Giampiero Martinotti, journalist a La Repubblica

Not rare products or difficult recipes, but delicious, easy to prepare menus for every day are most looked for. In Paris the average of cooking school attendants is around 30 years old. Nowadays it is hard to get into cooking classes, unless you book months beforehand. Reasons why people attend cooking classes are, because they like to spend time together or try out new food and recipes, or simply because in times of crisis "savoir faire" substitutes dining out in expensive restaurants. Thus, it is all about explaining the simply cooking techniques to people. Not for nothing in Italy and UK there is a boom of cooking classes on TV, or in the USA the video recipes to download from the web are becoming very popular. Have a look at the my favourite cooking class on Italian TV right now: "La Prova Del Cuoco". The article here.


vAc blog Home Page

Recipe: Risotto alla Zucca (pumpkin risotto), a suggestion of mamma Maria Luisa

Pumpin risotto is a traditional dish from the North of Italy, specifically from Lombardia, region of Milan.
No doubt, this is a easy to make recipe and in the same time very tasty, especially during cold autumn evenings.
Isn't a perfect dish for a Hallowing dinner party?
The following is the special home recipe of Mamma Maria Luisa from Mantova

butter
1 onion, chopped
1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
1 pumpkin, diced
400g of rice (Carnaroli rice would be best)
white wine
salt and freshly ground black pepper
parmesan cheese

Heat the stock until boiling and add the diced pumpkin. Once the pumpkin is cooked, drain it and leave it aside.
In a separate heavy-based saucepan sweat the onion in the butter until golden.
Add the rice and the white wine, mix well (otherwise the rice will stick to the pan) and cook for about 10 minutes.
Then add the pumpkin and the stock a little at a time and cook all for 15-20 minutes (the texture should be loose and creamy and the rice al dente).

You delicious risotto is almost ready. Add 50g butter, salt, black pepper and grated parmesan and stir.
Let the rice rest for 2 more minutes before service. Fantastic.

Tips:
If you want to make it even tastier, while cooking the rice, add rosemary

Wine: Planeta La Segreta Bianco will be a perfect match for your risotto!


vAc blog Home Page

VADO A CENA AT SPECIALITY AND FINE FOOD FAIR, Kensington Olympia, Sept. 2010

Hello Foodies and Vado A Cena followers!
Here are some pictures of the stand n. 172! Thank you so much for all the visitors and friends who came to visit us and enjoyed the tastings! When we arrived for the setting up I was personally desperate.

The room available was tiny as we knew, but the foods, banners, wood boxes and decoration stuff we brought with us looked much much voluminous... I thought - We'll never make it!

Only with the work of our great staff (Kathi and Chiara... women really know how to set up and solve space's issues) we could make it... and it was beautiful that some visitors passed by and said - Look how stylish can be Italians...
The stand was very cute indeed, presenting exactly our business concept: mamma's dinner, simple table, like in a Tuscan trattoria, a picture of Italian countryside.
We let visitors taste out best produces: the dry cured ham from Garfagnana, aged for 24 months after being salted and massaged for 45 days (great success!). The two salami from Ghivizzano: delicate Salame prosciuttato (exclusive ham mixture salame) and delicious Mondiola (snail shaped salami with bay leaves).

Two Pecorino Cheeses (sheep milk cheese) matured in cave for 60 days and wrapped in hay and straw or in aromatic herbs. Our monocultivar extra virgin olive oil from Sicily and famous balsamic vinegar from Modena, tasted with strawberries.
The hand made fine chocolate from Maestro Roberto Catinari from Tuscany and our wines.
Visitors were very interested in the history behind our products and the lifestyle we try to share.


A wonderful experience meeting foodies, as always.



vAc blog Home Page

Recipe: Maccheroni alla boscaiola, a suggestion of mamma Sofia

Pasta alla boscaiola is one of the most common Italian dishes. Summer says goodbye, autumn arrives. That's the time when porcini mushrooms grow in the Italian woods.
Ideally use fresh porcini, but if you cannot find them purchase cultivated mushrooms and a 20-gram packet of dried porcini (this will be about half a cup, packed; if you want, you can use more, but don't exaggerate). Steep the dried mushrooms in warm water for 20 minutes, then add them to the cultivated mushrooms. Strain the steeping liquid and add it to the sauce. The other option, in the absence of fresh porcini, is to use the wild mushrooms available where you live.

Ingredients for four people:

500 g maccheroni Martelli
400 g porcini mushrooms
120 g smoked Italian pancetta (or smoked bacon)
2 shallots
350 g cherry tomatoes
A bunch of parsley
Black olives
A few leaves of sage
1/2 glass Extra Virgin Olive oil Triglifo
Salt & pepper
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano

Clean the mushrooms, brushing the dirt away from the stems. Cut the mushrooms in thin slices.

Cut the pancetta (bacon) in small slices or cubes, as you prefer.

Mince the shallots and the herbs and cook them for a few minutes in 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan. Add the sliced pancetta and when it gets golden add the diced tomatoes and chopped black olives. Cook until the tomatoes are ready (4-5 minutes).
In the meantime, boil the water and cook the maccheroni al dente. As the pasta is cooking, add the porcini mushrooms in the frying pan and cook in gentle flame for 7-10 minutes adding parsil and seasoning with salt and black pepper.

Continue simmering the sauce over a gentle flame. Depending upon how much moisture the mushrooms contain you may need to add more liquid - a splash of white wine and a little hot water.

Drain the pasta and mix itwith the sauce; serve with grated parmesan.

Goes perfect with our DOC Merlot Campordigno

vAc blog Home Page

Recipe from Mamma Giovanna: Maccheroni Radicchio, Gorgonzola and Walnuts

"Radicchio is a leaf chicory (Cichorium intybus, Asteraceae), sometimes known as Italian chicory and is a perennial. It is grown as a leaf vegetable which usually has white-veined red leaves. It has a bitter and spicy taste, which mellows when it is grilled or roasted" - Wiki. And we love it in salads and cooked in pasta and rice dishes as well.
Here is an easy (so quick to make it!) and fantastic recipe suggested by my friend Marco's Mamma Giovanna.

Ingredients for 2 people:

* 250 g of Maccheroni Martelli
* 1 Radicchio
* 150 g of Gorgonzola blue cheese (but Stilton is good as well!)
* 10 Walnuts
* butter
* 1 garlic clove

Steps:
1 - Boil the water to cook the Maccheroni pasta. In the meantime wash carefully the radicchio and cut into small slices.
2 - Heat a large frying pan and let golden the garlic clove on a bit of butter, then add the Radicchio, cover it with a lid and cook it for about 8-10 minutes.
4 - Once the Radicchio gets softer add the Gorgonzola (cut in cubes) and the Walnuts and pour a bit of the boiling water in the pan too. Mix all until the gorgonzola melts then stop the fire.
5 - When the pasta is ready, drain it and mix it directly in the frying pan together with the melting gorgonzola, the radicchio and the walnuts.

Your delicious pasta will impress your guests!

I would definitely enjoy a glass of our special Grüner Veltliner from Austria with this dish!

Buon appetito!


vAc blog Home Page

Human Right Watch Event in London

Hello Foodies! Vado A Cena is not only importing food but tries to to build and hold a sustainable business based on ethical principals and ideals. We help small producers who use traditional, non-industrial processes and we are constantly looking for new suppliers who are concerned about sustainable production. As you know, our main wine supplier Marchesi Ginori Lisci, thanks to a biomass plant, produces the finest wine with green energy. A green world is a human right.
Also, with regard to our new art and packaging initiative*, we evaluated several fund raising projects in London and thanks to our friend Volinka we had the chance to give our little support to Human Right Watch.
A dance marathon, people from all over the world in a cool backyard in central London and the silent auction.
We thank all the participants for their interest in our food box full of Italian specialties and congratulations to Mark who won the hamper!

Buon appetito!


* contact us if you are interested to find out more: info@vadoacena.com

vAc blog Home Page

RECIPE: Mamma Ester, Farro Salad from Garfagnana, Tuscany

Mamma Ester comes from the region of Garfagnana, in the north-west of Tuscany. Mountains, Valleys, The Marble Caves and the Tirreno Sea, makes the area a beautiful spot to visit a stunning nature and historical towns.
Food is of course an important part of the region. Our charcuterie foods come from there.
A special product from Garfagnana is Farro, a grain similar to pearl barley with a special flavour (halfway between couscous and rice), Romans used it to make bread and soups.

Here is the recipes of Mamma Ester's Farro Salad:

Ingredients for 4 people:
200 gr. Farro (soon in our stock!!)
8 cherry tomatoes, diced
1 zucchini julienne
1 carrot julienne
1 celery
15 green olives
basil
mint
extra virgin olive oil
salt and shredded black pepper

Wash the Farro well and soak it for about 3-4 hours in cold water, then drain it. Cook the farro in saucepan covered with cold water and bring to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes, until tender, and drain well. In the meantime cut julienne or dice all the vegetables and place them on a plate. Add the olives, the tomatoes, basil leaves and mint leaves and mix all.
When the Farro is cooked, wash it in cold water and drain it again.
Mix Farro with the vegetables, dress it with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and black pepper.
A fresh, tasty and light salad is ready!

A glass of our delicious and fruity Bacio Rosé will pair perfectly with your salad!

vAc blog Home Page

RECIPE: Zia Elisabetta pasta with asparagus and ham. Seasonal, delicate and delicious.

Mr. Asparagus acutifolius belongs to the family of Liliaceae, picked in springtime, healthy food for its specific properties: diuretic and ideal for a pre-bikini diet.
In the kitchen, just wonderful for a risotto, Italian omelette, or simply cooked flavored with olive oil and vinegar etc

Today recipe is an idea of Zia Elisabetta, simple, quick and very delicious. You can use Farfalle, Penne or Maccheroni pasta or Maccheroni pasta (see our special Martelli).

Ingredients for 2 people:
250 gr. wild asparagus spears
100 gr. Tuscan ham
1 onion
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil Triglifo
sheep cheese Pecorino Toscano
250 gr maccheroni pasta

Wash the asparagus, cut and select the spears. Chop the onion and make crispy in a large pan with extra virgin olive oil Triglifo. Add slices (or cubes) of the Tuscan ham for a few minutes.
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water until al dente. Add the asparagus spears to the boiling water for the last 2-3 min of the cooking time (this will give a special flavor to the pasta).

Drain the pasta and asparagus, then mix in the pan with the ham, sprinkling grated Pecorino and adding freshly grounded black pepper.

Healthy and tasty spring dish for all.

Perfect match with our red wine DOC Macchion Del Lupo

vAc blog Home Page

RECIPE Mamma Antonietta's best pasta sauce: Sicilian broccoli pasta.

Here is a simple and delicious recipe of a fantastic and rarely know pasta dish:

Main course for four people.
Get
+ 500 gr of our Maccheroni Martelli
+ 500 gr broccoli (better broccolini, now is the season!)
+ 2 anchovy fillets
+ red hot chilli pepper
+ salt
+ 1 garlic clove
+ parmesan
+ 1 small spoonsfull of pine nuts
+ 1 big spoonfull of raisins.

Boil enough water to cook the pasta in your beloved pot. Once the water starts boiling (only then!) add salt and then the broccoli (only the flower heads) and let the veg cook for about 10 minutes. Make sure not to over cook the broccoli, they must be still a bit hard. In the meantime, keep the raisins in a bowl with water to let them get softer for about 5 minutes, then dry out the water. When ready, take out the broccoli and put them in a plate. In the same water start cooking the pasta. Sauce: pour a bit of our extra virgin olive oil on a large pan and add the anchovy fillets and the garlic. The anchovies will melt in the hot oil and the garlic will get soon “blonde”. Once the garlic is toasted take it out and add as much as you like hot pepper (crushed or whole) together with the cooked broccoli. After 3 minutes add raisins and pine nuts, the sauce is done! In the meantime the pasta will be ready al dente. Mix the pasta for a few extra minutes in the pan together with the sauce. Just before serving top with sliced parmesan. You are practically a sicilian chef now.

DID YOU KNOW? Broccoli is a member of the cabbage family, and is closely related to cauliflower. Its cultivation originated in Italy. Broccolo, its Italian name, means "cabbage sprout." Because of its different components, broccoli provides a range of tastes and textures, from soft and flowery (the floret) to fibrous and crunchy (the stem and stalk). Oh yes.

vAc blog Home Page