#vongole video 8 : why no cheese ?

In this 8th and final video Francesco Mazzei Chef Patron of the award winning L'Anima in London explains why cheese is not required in this dish.

Pasta has become popular all over the world as has Parmegiano Reggiaono however it is often added to dishes that do not require the addition of any cheese or this particular cheese. Even in Italy other cheeses form the essential ingredients of a specific pasta dish be it Sicilian Ricotta , Mozzarella or one of the many regional Pecorinos. Also many dishes do not need cheese because it's just one ingredient too many and it unbalances the dish by masking or clashing with the main ingredients.

7 #vongole video - parsley a herb worth waiting for

In this 7th video Francesco Mazzei Chef Patron of the award winning L'Anima in London talks about parsley .

Again the selection of parsley is important to ensure the dish is balanced so the taste should not be too strong . Francesco prefers to use Southern Italian , Ligurian or Greek flat parsley and also likes to chop it roughly again to ensure the flavour does not overwhelm the dish.

6th #vongole video :"emulsione" with "emozione"

In this 6th video Francesco Mazzei Chef Patron of the award winning L'Anima in London focuses on "emulsione" with both "emozione" and his unparalleled "passione".

This video beautifully illustrates the points of difference one gets with Francesco and his team at L'Anima . Here we see the extra effort and energy that goes into executing a perfect dish time and time again.

The "emulsione" is a kind of Gastronomic Alchemy produced by shaking the pan to and fro and combining the starchy pasta water with olive oil and the natural juices from the clams. The result is a true taste sensation !

5th #vongole video : how and when to add white wine

In this 5th video Francesco Mazzei Chef Patron of the award winning L'Anima in London explains when and why you add white wine during the cooking of Linguine alle Vongole.

# 4th vongole video : extra virgin understatement

In this 4th video Francesco Mazzei Chef Patron of L'Anima in London explains why the choice of olive oil in this dish is so important.

Francesco recommends extra virgin olive oil that is quasi neutral in taste thus allowing the key ingredients of the dish to prosper and combine without being over powered by a strong flavoured olive oil that can "kill" the dish.

This lesson so to speak applies to practically all dishes and cuisines . How often do we find just that extra ingredient to many or that the balance of the dish is wrong because there is to much of something .

Being able to select, combine and balance the right ingredients to execute the perfect dish is one of the key points of difference one finds in great cooks and chefs .

#3rd vogole video : it is essential use bronze die/cut pasta

Here Francesco Mazzei explains the reason for using better quality bronze die/cut pasta.

The quality and choice of pasta is very important as it affects the pasta water needed to create the perfect "emulsione" and determine retention ratio of this almost creamy sauce.

Better quality and artisanal pasta have certain key advantages over the key industrial brands . Firtstly they extrude their pasta through bronze dies hat leave microstriations (ridges, grooves, etc.) to capture and hold the sauce.

Second, they dry the pasta at lower temperatures. While this takes longer, it preserves the fine flavors of the wheat.

And finally I also have the impression that the quality of the starch in the pasta water (essential in this dish) is far superior.

I use Garofalo one of the producers from Gragnano reputed to be the best areas for dry pasta making as well as Guiseppe Cocco from Abruzzo another highly rated area . The latter is available in Waitrose whilst most good delis will sell at least one brand of high quality pasta.

2nd #vongole video – linguine or spaghetti: the necessity of long, slender & dry

In part 2 of “linguine alle vongole – the finer points of a perfect pasta”, Francesco Mazzei explains why it is essential to use a pasta that’s long, slender and dry.

1st #vongole video – “spurgare le vongole”: the ritual of cleaning the clams

“linguine alle vongole – the finer points of a perfect pasta” is a series of eight short videos starring Francesco Mazzei, the chef at London’s L’Anima. In part 1 of the series – spurgare le vongole – Francesco explains the ritual of cleaning the clams. In Italian, spurgare means “to clean, purge” and can apply to forms of purging other than the removal of sand from clams.

Linguine alle Vongole - The Finer Points of Perfect Pasta

I have gone on record to say L’Anima is my favourite Italian Restaurant in London here . In fact it’s now one of my favourite restaurants in the UK.

Through a number of discussions on Twitter with Daniel Young @youngandfoodish and Rejina Sabur @gastrogeek1 I got involved in a debate about Linguine alle Vongole that led to meeting and getting to know Francesco Mazzei the brilliant Chef and co Owner of L’Anima.

Eating regularly in a restaurant obviously tells you a lot about the philosophy and passion of the Chef. What is striking about L’Anima is the attention to detail be it the home made bread, choice of olives, the carefully constructed wine list and of course perfectly executed dishes that transport you to Calabria’s, Sicily and Sardinia.

What I like about Linguine alle Vongole is that like many Italian dishes it appears on the surface to be very simple, boil some pasta and throw in a few ingredients

Linguine or Spaghetti alle Vongole is an essentially contested dish just like many others that transcend regionalism and can be found in all corners of the country and beyond. Every aspect is debated and contested, rosso or bianco, chilli or no chilli, white wine or no white wine, choice and quality of pasta, fine or coarsely chopped parsley, cooking time and so on.

In reality when you deconstruct this dish you start to understand Italian Cooking, the importance of good quality ingredients and the dialectic between apparent simplicity and the combination of few ingredients to produce the synthesis of a perfectly executed dish.

Through this project I have been lucky enough to watch a master cook one of my favourite dishes, whilst explaining each of it’s finer points. I am of course even more fortunate to have eaten this glorious dish cooked by Francesco Mazzei from scratch in less than 12 minutes.

Now you to have the opportunity to see Francesco cook Linguine alle Vongole and then eat the dish at this unique event.


Francesco will demo and effectively deconstruct this deceptively simple dish through a series of short web videos and then at a special October 2009 tasting dinner in the private dining room of L'Anima. The first of the vongole vids, "Spurgare le Vongole: The Ritual of Cleaning the Clams" will begin appearing on Thursday 17th of September on youtube and twiddeo. 7 additional videos will be released over the next 7 days.

Tell us why you love linguine vongole in 140 characters or less and post it on twitter before the 25th of September, including the hashtag #vongole somewhere within your response. (If you don't use twitter, post your reply as a comment below). If your verse on vongole is voted the best, you and a guest will be invited by Francesco to attend the special linguine alle vongole tasting dinner at L'Anima in October.

Educating Teens at L'Anima

Many people ask both Mrs Gastro and I how we managed to get our two boys (7 and 10 respectively) to love food and try absolutely everything. Well the answer is simple education, education and on going education. We talk to them about food take them to great restaurants and involve them in growing and sourcing. Our boys are well known to our Butcher and Fishmongers as well as many chefs and restaurateurs both in the UK and abroad.

Today at L'Anima I witnessed a wonderful birthday gift offered to their daughter (Ellen) by Martin and Katie Wright a delightful couple from Suffolk.

Martin is a Partner in City Law Firm based a stones throw from L'Anima and is a regular customer. Francesco Mazei Chef and co owner holds regular cooking classes for adults on a Saturday morning when the restaurant is closed. Between them they came up with the idea of inviting nine of Ellen's teenage girlfriends as well as her ten year old brother Alistair to have lunch at L'Anima as a birthday treat. The twist as they found out on arrival was that they would have to help prepare the food with Francesco and his craque kitchen brigade! Also while lunch was being finished off they would have a special wine tasting session given by Head Sommelier and Wine Evangelist Gal Zohar.

@MsMarmitelover and I acted as provocateurs and in loco parentis whilst Mr and Mrs Wright went shopping and returned to join everyone for lunch.

The Menu

Aubergine Parmigiana
Fettuccine a la Bolognese
Chicken Milanese
Classic Tiramisu

Wine Tasting

Prosecco, Bisol
Pinot Grigio Ramato, Grion 2007
Rosso Picerno Superiore, Aurora, 2004
Solita Fattoria le Pupille , 2005

The children had a tour of the entire Kitchen set up and then participated in the preparation of all of the dishes from frying aubergines and making fresh pasta to how to make a classic Ragu Bolognese.

Francesco is a natural communicator and he was supported by Luca and Christian who ensured each one of the teens understood and participated fully.

As @MsMarmitelover mentioned at the time it was wonderful to hear and see the teens describe so vividly the wines they smelt and tasted.

After all the work every one sat down and enjoyed eating wonderful food and drinking the wines from the tasting with it. All the plates for each course came back to the kitchen clean!

Bravo Francesco and Martin !