Mario Matassa’s seafood antipasto is delicious and versatile – try it without the tomatoes (just wine, garlic and parsley)… it’s delicious either way! Serves 4 Preparation 5 minutes Cooking 7-10 minutes Ingredients: • 1kg fresh mussels • 500g fresh clams • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 1-2 garlic cloves, peeled • a handful of […]
Mario Matassa’s recipe for sardines includes sultanas and pine nuts. You’ll have to remove the fish’s head but don’t be too fastidious about the bones. Just take out the main spinal bone and the larger bones will follow Serves 4 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 5-7 minutes Ingredients: • 2 slices of fresh white bread • 50g […]
The variations of recipes for sea bream (orata) are countless, depending on where in Italy you happen to be. Mario Matassa’s – baked in an oven with potatoes – is a classic version… Serves 2 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time 20-25 minutes Ingredients: • 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced wafer […]
Join Mario Matassa for the second instalment in his series uncovering the secrets of Italian food. This time he goes to the sea, where he braves an early morning, much indecision and the fiery Italian passion for all things seafood Photos by Mario Matassa Going on a road trip is something that just happens when […]
Sicily has countless charms to tempt visitors, and here Francesca Unsworth visits the island’s second largest city to discover why it is a food-lover’s paradise Catania and I didn’t get off to the greatest start. “Take a hike,” was the censored version of […]
Campania is a place that’s very much on the rise as far as its wines are concerned, and we’ve uncovered some real finds from this productive southern region! Campania’s winemaking history goes back a long way: to the ancient Greeks and possibly even earlier than that, with many Greek-introduced grape varieties very much in evidence […]
Add the perfect finish to your Italian dishes with our selection of dried herbs and flavoured salts this month – from truffles to ginger, these will add zing to your culinary exploits! Whether it’s a simple twist of the black pepper mill, a pinch of sea salt flakes or something more aromatic, there aren’t that […]
Food writer Mario Matassa introduces some Italian classics – traditional dishes that are known all over the world, yet rarely prepared properly outside of Italy – and shows us how they should be made… Photos by Mario Matassa Everyone loves ‘spag bol’. It’s possibly Britain’s favourite meal. Yet many people would be surprised to learn that […]
Fancy making a real saffron risotto (risotto alla milanese)? Mario Matassa shows us how. Remember that it should be creamy and soft, and each grain of rice should be separate but joined together by the sauce. Buonissimo! Serves 2 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time none Ingredients: • 50g unsalted butter • 30g beef marrow • 2 tbsp […]
The mozzarella, tomato and basil salad (or insalate caprese) is an Italian classic – the secret to its success lies in its simplicity and the quality of the ingredients used. Mario Matassa shares the recipe for this iconic dish… Serves 2 Preparation time 10 minutes Cooking time none Ingredients: • 2 large ripe tomatoes • 200g […]