Fake Italy Must Be Destroyed!

This is Morella.

What's that on the table in front of her?
That's some awesome Italian food.
How did that get there?

I'M GLAD YOU ASKED.

Morella runs Taste of Calabria. She works hard to bring high-quality Italian produce from her native Calabria into the UK, and for that reason alone you owe her some serious high-five's.



We at DINNERGEDDON spend a bunch of time talking about the people that cook the food we eat, but not so much time talking about where the food comes from, and the challenges that presents. With this in mind, we had a sit-down chat with Morella, hoping to learn more about Calabria, food-immigration, and the elusive evil that is "Fake Italy"...



First of all, I know you detail a little of this on your website, but I’d like to begin by asking you how you came to start Taste Of Calabria... What drove you to begin importing food at the time?

MORELLA: One day I had a really bad craving for some proper Italian food and just couldn’t find any. You know; like the food we really eat in Italy not the main stream low quality "Italian" food that you get in England. So I thought, “Well if I can’t get any proper Italian food in this country, why I just not bring it myself and show people what is the real Italian food...”

Urg, I know what you mean about some of the terrible “Italian” food you get in the UK. I am by no means an expert (on anything) but I do get the nagging feeling sometimes that I am being lied to by a food item... Who are the biggest purpetrators of this forgery, in your mind?



Well it's kind of difficult to say which one was the worse, but I can say that supermarkets are at the front of the list. The majority of Italian food importers; more so in London, bring industrially made food that actually we in the South do not eat because it is rubbish! One celebrity chef brand; quite famous that we all know... the food is terrible and they sell it as Italian, and the thing is, all these companies and celebrity chefs all sell exactly the same products!

I think the reason why this sort of food got into the market is because unfortunately people here don’t know what Italian food is really about and what it is, therefore anything sold as Italian or with an Italian flag on the pack people think is good, but believe me not all Italian food is good, especially if it comes from the North. I wrote an article about this issue in my blog, check it out!



I’ve often actually wondered about the difference between what constitutes real Italian food, and what English people expect to get when they go for Italian. For example, there’s a fairly authentic seeming pasta place here in town that I really like and we went there for a DINNERGEDDON outing last month. We were sat down eating our gnocchi, and it really was very good, but then we noticed that there were lots of Italian people, in small groups, turning up and being led downstairs to a separate room... sneaking off to have a look, we discovered that there was in fact a second, secret restaurant hidden in the basement, that was full entirely of people speaking Italian! As much as we had been enjoying our meal, in typical fashion we started worrying that the people in the secret restaurant were being given better food... Now i’m obsessed with the secrets of the basement menu....

Jajajajaja* that’s quite funny, I’m gonna go to this secret restaurant and let you know what’s all about!

Please do! Bring us back some of the good shit...



The things is Italian food is all about the ingredients, seasoning, herbs and spices we use. But the most important things is the freshness and nature (as in no chemicals, etc) of the ingredients. Also good produce for example, pastas. You can’t compare industrially made pasta with hand made pasta, the flavour is different, the texture is different, etc. Non-Italian people think that Italian food is only about eating pasta and pizzas. Any pasta with some sort of sauce and pizza with eggs and chips on it, and it's not. It's about the ingredients and the appreciation of the quality of them. If you see Italian recipes they are the most simple recipes of all because the aim is to enjoy the flavour of the ingredients in combination with some spices and herbs. Also, Italians enjoy food, enjoy eating food, and eating is one of life’s pleasures and therefore we take our time to eat good food. For many people elsewhere, eating and food is just petrol for the stomach to keep alive and therefore no importance is given to have a good meal sitting down in a table.



Why do you think people in the UK are so much more accepting of poor quality food? Do you think it’s to do with the produce we have available, or is it perhaps more of a cultural thing?

I think the problems in the UK are two-fold:

A). The weather. Unfortunately you can’t grow good vegetables or fruits without sun or good soil, and with constant rain, that’s why more and more polytunnels are being built in this country. It's not the same growing a tomato in a polytunnel with no real soil in tempetures under 10 degrees almost all year round, than to growing it in real soil, with constant sun and above 15 degrees all year round, don’t you think?



B) The speed of how the food needs to be produced doesn’t help in the production of good food, but only cheap food. The amount that needs to be produced doesn’t allow for things to be grown naturally or animals to be grown at their own speed as they should. This brings the use of chemicals and substances that take flavour and nutrition out from the foods and make them bland. So as this is the food produced in this country that’s what British people are use to and that’s why when they go on holiday to; for example, Italy, they love the food there.

I know what you mean, it’s all about speed and cheapness over here, people are obsessed with it. We'll happily eat anything if you give it to us free and quickly.



I have this romantic vision in my head of life in southern Italy, like you see in films, where everybody is snoozing in the sun, just relaxing eating amazing olives, and wearing big wide-brimmed hats.... is any of that true?

Jajajajaja, well down there people don’t use those hats but I know what you mean...

Is it perhaps that relaxed mindset that allows people the patience to not rush their food and ruin it in the process?

Life can be quite hectic when you have to go to work, etc but the difference is that their mentality is that work is part of your life, not your entire life which is the difference here. People live to live life, enjoy going out with friends, eat, etc not work, work, work like here. Also you’re right about the patience, this is key in Italian cooking. Italian have all the patience in the world if this means having a better quality and good ingredient. I have a recipe for spaghetti with seafood that almost takes all day to prepare it, but that’s OK if it means having a very good plate of food, get the idea?



I understand that the traditional cooking in Italy is very provincial, and can differ widely in areas only a few miles away. What’s unique about Calabria, that you would not necessarily find elsewhere in the country?

If you look on my website you see for example the cured meats I have, like the capicollo, schiacciata, ‘Nduja, these are cured meats that are only made in Calabria and they distinguished form other cured meats because of the spices we use, the use of chilli and the way they have been cured, which makes them different in flavours.



Our Spaghetatta di Mezzanotte which is the combination of traditional Calabrean chilli, dried parsley and smoked garlic, something that is eaten in Calabria at midnight. But I think the most unique factor in Calabrean food and what makes it apart from the rest is the use of only the best ingredients that we get from surrounding mountains hand picked. Animals that live wild and free make the most fantastic milk and meat, and of course the weather, sun and very good soil makes the best vegetables and fruits.

Tell me more about ‘Nduja...That looks like my kind of thing!



‘Nduja is the most traditional food from Calabria. Basically is a soft cured sausage made with lean pieces of minced pork mixed with chilli, and spices. The consistency is similar of pâté and in fact is eaten spread on warm bread or toast. We also use it for sauces/casseroles, etc as it gives a fantastic flavour with just a little bit. Chilli is the most important ingredient in Calabria, we are the chilli capital of Europe and everything we eat has chilli in it!! We also eat it raw with every meal. The ‘Nduja is hot! So you only use a little bit unless you have quite a good resistance to heat. Now it's started to get known in London and Pizza Express is now using it in their pizzas.

It's nice to see just a little bit of real Italy sneaking into through the back-door then.
Thank you very much for talking to us Morella! Keep fighting the good fight...



* It's a silent "J", dude.

Independence Eats

Last weekend I officially celebrated my independence from the land of my DINNERGEDDON brothers and sisters across the pond. It's not that I don't have a deep place in my heart for them. But you know, it was the Fourth of July, and I was hungry. Even though I had an Independence Day to celebrate in the States, I gave props to my English DINNERGEDDON crew by heading to - where else - NEW ENGLAND.

In past years, I may have headed to a hometown celebration in Virginia, where I would have taken in a parade and concert featuring these guys...

Or I might have grilled and munched on some of these puppies...

One year, I even took in a holiday-inspired movie starring this dude...

And I almost always set off or witness plenty of these dudes...

This year, thanks to some solid pals who invited us up to their family home and camp, I enjoyed a long holiday weekend in the great states of Vermont and New Hampshire. It was a most excellent Independence Day weekend.

I was excited to go to Vermont again now that this blog has come into existence. The state is a food and drink megaworld, thanks in part to its abundance of fertile land, its artisan spirit, and its independent small farming mentality. Vermont is perhaps most notable for it's maple sugar, and it also produces some of the best dairy in the USA (try some Vermont Cabot Cheddar, or a pint of Ben & Jerry's). More recently, the state has taken center stage in the American microbrew scene. Try a Magic Hat, Long Trail, Switchback, Otter Creek, Trapp Family, Hill Farmstead, Harpoon, or Shed beer (just to name a few) when you have a chance. All produced in the great state of Vermont.

On Friday afternoon we piled into a car drove far into the beautiful countryside of central Vermont, six or seven hours north of New York City. Our friend Sam grew up twenty minutes outside Vermont's capital city of Montpelier, in a tiny rural township with only one general store to its name. Her folks built their house from the ground up.

We got to the area around midnight on Friday. Before heading up the dark mountain through the winding dirt roads to to our resting place, we stopped in Montpelier for a pint or two at the Three Penny Taproom. We sampled exciting local beers from Hill Farmstead and Trapp Family (yes, the von Trapps - the family that The Sound Of Music is based on - relocated to Vermont AND they make their own beer. How fucking cool is that??).

On Saturday morning we headed down the mountain and into Montpelier for the Capital City Famer's Market. It easily rivaled many NYC greenmarkets, yet had a vibe all its own. Local goods were everywhere, and they looked amazing. We ate some great food, took in some live banjo pickin', and stocked up on produce for the rest of the weekend.

While I'm not the biggest fan of pizza for breakfast, here is where I make an exception. These vendors bake their goods from scratch in a giant portable wood-fired oven, which is attached to the back of their pickup truck. Badass and really tasty. On the left is a breakfast pizza, complete with bacon, eggs, peppers, and cheese. On the right is a more traditional-style tomato, cheese, and basil slice.

This vendor sold homemade Chicken Mantu, a south Asian fried wrap or dumpling filled with chicken, cabbage, garlic, curry, and cheddar. It's served with this spicy red sauce. It was delish.

Our hosts had some good friends that opened a taco stand near the market. While I was pretty full, I somehow found room for this smoked trout taco, and I'm really glad I did. A corn tortilla filled with fresh picked greens, a hunk of trout, and topped with guacamole. Very simple, very fresh, and totally awesome.

...then, back to the house...



Sam's mama makes Limoncello from scratch. I'd only had Limoncello once in my life - Danny DeVito's signature stuff - and I'll admit that I didn't really get it. I thought it was way too sweet for my tastes, and I just sort of wrote it off. Thankfully, this Limoncello changed all of that for me. Really nice.

Remember that last DINNERGEDDON post - the one about getting shrunk by a crazy scientist? Well, here is where I was temporarily blown up by the same scientist (for a sequel film), and I'm enjoying my Limoncello from a teeny glass while sitting in a teeny rocking chair...

Fresh berries were eaten in the garden...

... and the snap peas were ripe for picking (and eating!).

The neighbors picked zucchini in the morning and popped out these fresh zucchini muffins by 1pm! They were too good. Serious. Excellent balance of sweet and savory. Find some shade by the muffin tree. It's a good tree to hang around.

I've said this before. I'm not an authority on much of anything, but I do know a good margarita when I taste one. THIS is good margarita. We picked up some tequila in town, squeezed a zillion limes, and added the special ingredient. In addition to her Limoncello skills, Sam's mama makes Triple Sec orange liquor from scratch. Man. Oh. Man.

We took the margs and the muffins to the pond, where we met a nice gang of kids. We swam, floated, and paddled around in the afternoon sun.

At night we sampled more local brews at another pub, split some burgers, and enjoyed some early fireworks.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

ALERT: Change of State.

Early on the morning of the anniversary of the day of my nation's independence from these dudes, we drove to our friends' family's camp in rural New Hampshire. The car was abandoned on a dirt road near a gorgeous body of water. We took a tiny fishing boat out to the camp - the only way to access it.

Camp was beautiful. Also built from scratch, out of the surrounding trees. No electricity or plumbing. There was a small fridge and stove for minimal cooking, powered by propane gas. Outhouse in the back woods. It's a simple wooden haven in the middle of the woods on the edge of the water - everything one could want or need.

This grilled cheese at the camp was one of my favorites I've had or made. Very simple and very delicious. Maple walnut bread, baked in Vermont with local maple syrup. Vermont Cabot cheddar and pepper jack cheeses. An onion from the garden. Some spicy mustard.

It can be difficult to cook large meals at the camp, so Sam's mama brought some serious eats that she had semi-prepared beforehand. This pasta salad was cooked in Vermont and we brought it in the boat over to camp in a bag. Toss it with fresh greens from the garden, garlic, olives, and olive oil, and it's a delicious dish that can feed an army.

This caprese salad, also made from fresh-from-the-garden veggies, was a smash hit too. Seriously refreshing on a hot July day. Add a baguette, some wine, and BLAMMO - it's a seriously good vibey meal.

As night fell, we enjoyed our camp feast by lantern and candle light.

Magic Hat Brewing Co. did not, to my knowledge, pay Kip for this shameless endorsement of their beer. But hey, who doesn't like some Magic Hat? We also sampled creations from Long Trail, Switchback and Otter Creek. All awesome.

The legendary summer salads return for lunch the following day! We love it.

Top the weekend off with some fireworks and stories around the campfire, and there you have it!

Independence never tasted so delicious.

** Special thanks to the Jacobsons and the Mortons for all their hospitality and good vibes!

Significant Dumplings

Imagine this:

You have been shrunk by an evil professor, and are now only 12 inches tall.
The professor is subsequently arrested, but his laboratory equipment is destroyed in the struggle, and there is no way for you to return to normal size.

Are you following me so far?



You must adapt to daily life at such a tiny stature. Most things are fine; you are able to purchase miniature versions of electrical appliances on the internet, and many brands of action-figure offer stylish clothing in your precise measurements. The one thing that seems to bug you the most however, is eating.

You must break everything down into little bite-size pieces. You are unable to chomp on anything as a whole, sitting it atop your tongue and chewing through it's constituant parts. Sure, a friend will be happy to thinly slice little slivers of his chicken-wings down for you to share, but you don't get to sink your teeth into the crispy skin and bite down against the bone. M & M's aren't nearly as much fun when held like a bagel, and slowly gnawed through. In fact, once you have eliminated the colourful sugar-shell, the rest of it is kind of samey.



The thing you miss most of all (or at least I would, if this far-fetched scenario were to ever come to pass) are the Pork Gyoza Dumplings from Brighton's E-Kagen on Sydney Street, that you can see pictured at the top of this post.



DINNERGEDDON fans, we proudly present to you, what are without a doubt, the greatest gyoza we have ever had. If you were in fact 12 inches in height, you would simply not be able to enjoy them on the same level, as the crux of their magic; the warm, loving heart at the centre of this dumpling-creature, is the sensation of them bursting in your mouth while eaten whole. You must be large enough to encompass them fully, if they are to win you over. The reason for this, I think, is that they are greater than the sum of their parts.



That's not to imply E-Kagen only know dumplings... The salmon roe sushi you see above is stunningly beautiful; elegantly constructed, and crazy fresh. These work on a similar principle to the gyoza, as the tiny orange orbs explode with a deeply satisfying feeling akin to Pop-Rocks (remember them?), you'll almost want to hold off swallowing, just to keep the tongue-party rocking. (PS: Perhaps do not use the term "tongue-party" whilst on a dinner-date.)



Look at this guy's face as he eats. Doesn't he look happy? Also, slightly aroused...



That's the lesson to be gleaned from E-Kagen. Food is not just about taste, or aroma; just important as both of those factors is texture, and the tactile pleasure of biting.

OM. NOM. NOM.

Mooli's

After reading DJKneedriver's posts about the excellent value for money eats to be had in the Big Apple, I'm sort of ashamed to report that the Big Smoke cannot really compete. I'm happy to be proved wrong on this, but to my knowledge, essential eating cannot be reliably had for teh cheap.

BUT - we can get close. If you're like me, you definitely crave spicy indian food that is also easy to hold. The solution? Go to Mooli's.

Mooli's

50 Frith Street
London W1D 4SQ
020 7494 9075

http://www.moolis.com
@moolis

For this visit, I had a (spicy) World Cup special Lamb Bobotie Mini Mooli (£3.50), delicious lamb and egg tightly wrapped in hot roti. The 'classic' flavours are chicken, beef, pork, asparagus, paneer and the super-top #1 knockout, GOAT. These are accompanied by a wide variety of other fillings, such as potato, salsas and chutney's and just the right amount of crunchy salad leaves. A mooli is available in 2 sizes (mini mooli is pictured in this post), or in a nice cardboard salad box with the roti substituted for extra salad ingredients and seperate dressings.


Bobotie Mooli as a salad.

The Mooli

As it arrives it is like a beautiful gift waiting to be unwrapped, and unwrap it you must. You will not be able to stop yourself. As you tear off a strip of the foil, you're greeted with a heartily packed wrap, bursting with colour. The first bites are an explosion of flavour, every ingredient punches you right on the tongue - POW. If you're hungry this thing won't last long, but it is TASTE, TASTE, TASTE all the way down. When the world cup mooli goes back to the holding-pen, I can totally recommend the Goat mooli, packed with soft potato and chutney. Goat meat is kind of a rarity in the UK, and in the mooli it comes out beautifully tender, reminiscent of Moroccan tagine cooking.

There is only 1 downside:

Inevitable heartbreak: A finished Mooli.

Part of the charm of Mooli's is the unique stamp that everything in sight has; From the decor, fun colouring and weird posters, to the staff in the bright bright bright 'Mooli Madly Deeply' T's. This definitely extends to the food. Right there on the counter, ready to be served up, is a giant cooker of Dal (£1.50 a bowl, take THAT NEW YORK), deliciously crisp roasted pappadoms with a hot salsa, and crazy, mini-milk style, kulfi iced-creams. There are fun, bespoke, drinks on offer too - refreshing mango lassi (kind of like a light milk-shake), hot masala chai tea or a mind-bending Havana Club-injected mojito with either Guava, Lychee or Pomegranate with chilli's.

Mooli's is a really great place to sit and eat and drink for half an hour, and due to the care in which everything is presented, from boxes to wrappings, their food is also eminently transportable. A lovely treat to enjoy in the sunshine of soho. There are also weekly drinks offers for twitter followers, so follow them @moolis!

Just take it easy on those mojitos!