Tag: Italian

Book at the restaurant, but don't show up: because today it's even more serious – Italian Cuisine

The health emergency caused by the coronavirus has put – and continues to put – the Italian restaurants and trattorias to the test. That's why the "no show" is likely to further aggravate their situation

In the technical jargon of restaurateurs he is called "No show", but we could easily explain it even with a more generic "don't go to the restaurant after making a reservation". A serious problem? Absolutely yes, because it causes a loss of earnings. A new problem? No, not at all, but that at the time ofsanitary emergency it risks becoming even more serious. And why it is easy to say: since the premises have been forced to reduce – often also drastically – the number of their seats to cope with new anti-coronavirus regulations, the damage of an empty table has now further amplified.

A matter of respect

«Reopening after the lockdown was a mixture of emotions, something halfway between the first day of school and the start of a new job Maybe I could have waited a little longer, waiting for the situation to return a little more to the normal, but turning the lights on again was an act of responsibility for me: towards my employees, whom I love very much, as well as towards my customers . smiles Isis De Cesare, the chef who with his restaurant The little word jealously guards a Michelin star in that of Trevinano, a hamlet of the municipality of Acquapendente set on the hills of Viterbo.

"Respect, as far as I'm concerned, is a basic word," continues the chef. "So yes, when someone happens to book and does not show up without notifying us, I inevitably feel very bad, because the moral damage is added to the economic damage. In the past it has often happened to me, I remember some evenings in which only half of the customers actually showed up: I sincerely hope that after all we have had to suffer as a collective due to the coronavirus there is more attention to others, more awareness. It is essential, especially for restaurants like mine, which are not located in the center of a large city, in a place of great passage, and therefore therefore work almost exclusively through reservations .

Between black lists and credit cards

In short, today the "no show" can prove to be particularly problematic for all those restaurants dedicated to haute cuisine who face management, personnel and raw materials costs. Its impact, however, must not be underestimated also with regard to the restaurants. To remind him, in this case, is Daniele Persegani, known face of the television program The cook's test, which in addition to managing with his sister Nicoletta theOsteria del Pescatore of Castelvetro Piacentino inaugurated the format in mid-February Gustincanto in Fidenza, in the province of Parma.

"Covid-19 took my father away quite suddenly, and this mourning was already very difficult for me and my family to process," says the chef. «To this, then, were added all the difficulties of continuing with the work. We had inaugurated Giustincanto only a few days before the emergency broke out, and therefore this new adventure, which includes a restaurant, but also an academy, an event space, a fitness center and many other services, started uphill. A very steep climb. At the same time, even the situation at the Osteria del Pescatore was not easy: our restaurant in Castelvetro is located on the Emilian side of the Po, but we work a lot with our customers from Lombardy, Cremona and Lodi in the first place. THE regional borders blocked until the beginning of June they obviously affected our work a lot, as I imagine many border activities between different regions have happened ".

Even after the go-ahead for the passage between regions, however, a large part of the problems remained. "To date, as far as the Osteria del Pescatore is concerned, we have practically had to halve the place settings to ensure the spacing between the tables. Before there were about 80, today they are just over 40 , continues Persegani. «For this reason, those who book and do not show up really risk causing great damage. Luckily we have a hard core of our very loyal clientele, but I would like to remind everyone else of a very simple thing: just advise. A phone call is enough to say that there has been a problem and that unfortunately we cannot get there. It can happen, we would miss it, but to warn is an indispensable form of respect.

Any ideas to prevent the dreaded no show? «At the moment we only ask for the name and telephone number, but I would also be absolutely in favor of asking for the number of the credit card, just like in hotels, "says the chef. «Of course, the perplexity of Italian customers should be overcome, but it would only be a protection against rudeness. A black list shared among restaurateurs? Why not, it could be an idea, with names and phone numbers. Protecting yourself has always been important, and today, after what we all went through, it is even more important. Although, of course, one always hopes not to have to go that far, and to be able to trust people .

Technology against the "no show"

The digital booking services can provide concrete help to restaurateurs in identifying the cunning of the bin. It is an example TheFork, the most popular restaurant and similar booking app, which for several years has been committed to supporting locals in this fight. So, for example, the customer who makes the reservation receives a confirmation message that reminds him to cancel the reservation in the house of unexpected events (and that allows him to do it in a few taps on the screen). At the same time, the system prevents the user from simultaneously booking multiple tables for the same service, and keeps track of past no shows: in case of customer accustomed to the no show, the restaurant owner is notified through the application management program.

"Online booking is a tool that can help counter this," he explains Almir Ambeskovic, European manager and board member of TheFork. «Thanks to TheFork Manager, the management that we provide to restaurants when they join our service, merchants can automatically send reminders to customers and benefit from one-click cancellation which greatly reduces the rate of missed visits. In addition, for haute cuisine we plan to introduce a credit card booking soon, recognized by top chefs as the most effective tool to limit no shows ". With a possible penalty for cancellations not communicated.

Modern eggplant Parmigiana recipe – Italian Cuisine

Ingredients

1 kg fiordilatte mozzarella
1 kg long purple eggplants
900 g perini tomatoes
25 g peeled almonds
15 g Grana Padano Dop
3 slices of sandwich bread
basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt

Duration: 3 h 10 min

Level: Easy

Dose: 8 people

For the modern eggplant parmigiana recipe, cut the mozzarella into 3-4 mm thick slices and spread them on a tray lined with kitchen paper; let them rest for at least 2 hours, so that they lose the excess liquid. Slice the aubergines into 2-3 mm thick slices and cook them in a hot pan, with a pinch of salt on the bottom, for about 2 minutes per side. Peel the tomatoes and cut them
round slices (3-4 mm).
Arrange the Parmesan in a round baking dish (diameter 29 cm) alternating the slices of mozzarella, tomato
and eggplant by placing them vertically along the perimeter of the mold. Create three concentric rings, holding
the smaller tomato and eggplant slices for the center. Remove the pancarré crust, cut it into small pieces and blend it together with 15 g of basil leaves, almonds, a tablespoon of oil and grated parmesan. Sprinkle the Parmigiana with this aromatic mince and bake it for about 15-20 minutes at 180 ° C.

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Gricia or griscia? Let's find out why the double name – Italian Cuisine

The griscia takes its name from the country in which it originated, Grisciano, where you have to try it on the Old Wheel. Over time it has spread under the name of gricia and many interesting variations have been brought to the table

Almost everyone always knows it in relation to amatriciana, as its "white" version, or as a cheese and pepper, with the addition of the bacon. But actually the Grisha, known as Grice, is the original version, the oldest one, which was born and takes its name from Grisciano. Grisciano is a small hamlet of Accumuli, in the province of Rieti, on the border with the Marche, where there is only one restaurant that prepares it: it is La Vecchia Ruota, the only one, but also the best ever, where to try a gricia original and truly unforgettable, even if there are some variations born over time, such as those proposed by the young chef Remo Fiscina.

History and origin of the griscia

The griscia was born in a border area, between what was the Kingdom of the two Sicilies and the State of the Church. Grisciano, in fact, was the post station along the old Roman Salaria, a crossroads of ancient routes through the passes with Abruzzo, Marche and Ducati Longobards. Its origin certainly dates back to an era before the discovery of America, given the absence of tomatoes. "It is probably during the Napoleonic conquest period, from 1798 to 1814, that the use of tomato as a pasta sauce sauce spread along the Italian peninsula", writes the French gastronomist Grimond de la Reynière in 1807 in the Almanach des gourmandes. Its only ingredients, in fact, are those available in the area, offered by pastoralism and breeding, easy to transport by shepherds during transhumance, i.e. pig cheek and the pecorino cheese. And still today at the Old Wheel they prepare it just like that, with the products present in the area.

La Vecchia Ruota, the only place to eat the Griscia in Grisciano

The Old Wheel was born in 1991, in one of those places of passage; which sometimes helps, sometimes not. After some collaborations with other members, it becomes a totally family-run restaurant with Gian Piero Cafini in the kitchen, her sister Chiara in the room and the parents in supervision. Then over the years the family expands, with Manuela, wife of Gian Piero who helps in various tasks. In addition to the gricia, they also prepare other dishes to perfection, such as amatriciana, potato gnocchi, bundles with truffle, lamb and so on. But the queen of the restaurant remains the gricia (we are still in Grisciano!) Which they offer with a strictly spicy local bacon and pecorino (not Roman) by Giuseppe Riti di Acquasanta. But the secret lies in knowing how to stir it with cooking water in an aluminum pan, which conducts heat better and obviously in the right amount of pepper.

Gricia or griscia?

"They are subtleties, we don't take it, why should you do it?" In fact, Chiara explains, in Grisciano they are the first to call it gricia and not griscia. Even the party in his honor, which the Associazione Amici di Grisciano organizes every August 18, is called Gricia Festival. The exact term, however, is griscia, as it takes its name from the country. Over time, however, it began to be called in the Gricia dialect, without the s, even by the inhabitants of Grisciano themselves. "It's like Amatriciana or matriciana, there is no difference, it is only dialect," continues Chiara. "We personally do not care, as well as the rigidity that exists on the use of long or short pasta".

Note: long pasta or short pasta?

Another great truth comes to us from the temple of the griscia, this time about the pasta format to use: "Eat it a little as you like!". In fact, Chiara does not understand why so much perseverance over alleged rules with respect to the use of long or short pasta, because there is no original, ancient or "more real" version than others. In the past, he explains, we used the fresh pasta that was prepared from time to time and therefore always different: sometimes it was short, sometimes long, still others with eggs, when they were there! So, even at the Old Wheel, today you can choose the format you prefer: they offer them spaghetti as long pasta, and the short sleeves as short pasta (so you can also find it at the festival). But this does not detract from those who use other formats, such as one of the greatest (and youngest) chefs who is today in the province of Rome: Remo Fiscina, of Cilento origin, who proposes it in some very interesting variants.

The variations of the chef Remo Fiscina

Remo is a very young chef with a thousand resources; one of those who think a hundred and a thousand do, who never stands still, who always has new ideas, ongoing projects. And he never misses one! Originally from Caselle in Pittari, in Cilento, he absorbs the passion for cooking from his mother Concetta, who woke him up every Sunday morning preparing fresh pasta and who transmitted to him the value of what is done at home and the big difference with everything what is industrial. Remo treasures these teachings: already at 13 he starts working in the kitchens and then moves to Rome (mother's hometown), where he works in various restaurants, bringing his skills and above all his flair. Thus, with him, traditional dishes also find new life and life, such as the gricia which, in addition to the sacrosanct classic version, also offers a Cilento variant (bringing some of its origins, to which it remains always very close) . For the pasta prepare some egg noodles with Caselle in Pittari wheat, from Stone Mill of the Terra di Resilienza Social Cooperative; then adds an excellence of the territory, i white figs from Cilento, which with their sweetness create a nice contrast with the flavor of pecorino (Roman) and guanciale (from Norcia). In the absence of figs, depending on the season, you can also use the pears, to have the same result. For Remo what should never be missing is the combination with a glass of white wine Frascati dei Castelli Romani, where he lives today and where he continues to innovate his cuisine in a mix between Cilento and Lazio, each time more and more surprising.