All Work & Play

Ciao All

My apologies, it's been awhile since I last blogged.. Only half way through July and already this month has been quite hectic, with parties, BBQ's, markets and charity events..

The month kicked off with my birthday party BBQ which wasn't so much a party for me, as I spent all day and evening cooking 'Yorkshire Buffalo Burgers', some Yorkshire Topside of Beef, which I slow cooked before hand for 24 hours, then just finished off on the BBQ, sausages, with some nice salad side dishes..

All finished off with a yummy birthday cake baked by my good friend Lisa (aka The Yummy Yank')

Next up was a Fancy Dress party for charity hosted by our friend, where for once I could just kick back and enjoy myself as catering was one of the best English dishes 'Fish & Chips'.. where I sampled for the first time Battered Sausage. First and last time for me, thank you.. lol

The theme was The Mad Hatters Tea Party.. the costumes were fantastic. I went as a mad Tea Party guest and my partner went as 'The Queen of Hearts'.. he we are with our friend 'The White Bunny Girl'.. lol

The morning after I dragged myself out of bed at daft o'clock to finish preparing for the Donkey Sanctuary Summer Fayre, which was a brilliant day for all involved with plenty of money raised.. and fortunately for me, I was kept going with plenty of caffeine kicks from my friend Tracey of 'Cafe 2 You' (Thank you Tracey.. )

My next blog will be a recipe and photo's of my son 'Gusto Italiano Jnr' when he cooked his first dish..

Until then, take care

Ciao

Mario

Wild Sea Bass in Aromatic Salt

Ciao All Just a quick blog this month, I thought I would share with you a recipe that is one of my favourites. I made this dish on 'Britains Best Dish' last year. I like this dish, because it is simple and easy to prepare. Wild Sea Bass cooked in an Aromatic Salt. You will need: 1.1kilogram of Wild Sea Bass 2. 4 kilogram of Sea Salt 3. 1 Medium white egg 4. 1 table spoon of Fennel seeds 5. Zest of 1 Lemon 6. 1 sprig of Rosemary 7. 1 Fennel (with leaf) 8. 1 Courgette 9. 1 Aubergine 10. 1 Red Pepper 11. 1 Yellow Pepper 12. 1 Red Onion 13. Sea Salt 14. Cracked Black Pepper 15. 1 table spoon of granulated white sugar 16. 50ml of Olive Oil 17. 100gram of Bread crumbs 18. 50gram of Parmesan Cheese 19. 200gram of Butter 20. 1 Clove of Garlic To prepare the dish: For making the Aromatic Salt Put 4kilo of Salt in a bowl. Add Zest of 1 Lemon, the Fennel Seeds, Rosemary and 1 Egg Mix together Lay a bed of 2 kilo of salt on a baking tray Lay Gutted Wild Sea Bass Make of a filling of Fennel Leaf and 2 Slices of Lemon (This stops salt getting inside the fish) Cover with rest of salt Place in  the middle of a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees centigrade for 30 minutes. Side Dish: Chop in to cubes the Aubergine, Courgette, Red Onion and Yellow and Red Pepper. Place on a baking tray with a table spoon of Sugar Add salt, Pepper, Rosemary, 50g of Olive Oil and 50g of butter and a finely chopped garlic clove. Mix together and place on top shelf of oven for 30 minutes at 300 degrees. Slice Fennel Simmer for 5-10 minutes Remove from Water Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan and 50g of butter Gratin (Place under grill) until golden brown Warm garlic butter sauce for the fish: Warm butter in a pan with garlic. Total Prep Time: 30 minutes Total Cooking Time:  Approx 60 minutes Then serve on an oval plate. With the fish presented in the centre of the plate, with a fan of Fennel and a tower of roasted vegetables.  Warm garlic butter drizzled over the fish. Hopefully you find this dish as easy to prepare and as delicious as I do. Ciao Mario

Sunshine, birthday and BBQ

The weekend just past saw yet another long bank holiday weekend, here in the UK and the weather, while not as hot as the Easter weekend, was still warm with bright sunshine.

While most people were caught up with the pomp and ceremony of the Royal Wedding (I am fast learning that nobody quite does pomp and ceremony like the British..) we had our own special day to celebrate in our household, with the 6^th birthday of my eldest son, Raffaele.

A house full of screaming kids all enjoying themselves playing on the Bouncy castle, swings and slides or taking part in a treasure hunt or on the Piñata. While their parents relaxed with a drink in the sunshine…. All while yours truly was slaving away behind the BBQ cooking buffalo burgers from Yorkshire, sausages, vegetable kebabs.  With seafood salads and mozzarella salads, puff pastry filled with beef and spinach and ricotta and lots more, I made sure there was enough choice for everybody. Not to mention the big, homemade, chocolate cake inspired by the fantastic Yummy Yank to finish off with.

The day was a huge success.

Sign in next time  for the recipe of a dish I prepared and cooked on 'Britains Best Dish'

Ciao for now

Mario

So, this is my first blog..
Let me tell you a bit myself.

My name is Mario and I am nearly 29 years old. I have a beautiful wife to be and 2 fantastic little boys.

I am the eldest of 4 kids from a Sardinian family. My father is a fisherman in the small village of Cannigione.

I moved to beautiful Yorkshire in 2001 to learn English and fell in love with Yorkshire and met my wife to be.

I enjoy many things in life, but the one thing I am passionate about is cooking and my aim is to turn that passion into a successful business and who knows, maybe one day I will attain my dream of becoming a TV Chef..


I have stalls at many farmers markets throughout West and North Yorkshire where I sell classic homecooked Italian food using local Yorkshire produce when I can.

On my blog, I hope to share the steps I take to reach my dreams, and also some of the dishes I love to cook.

Ciao for now

Mario