In the heart of super trendy Chelsea, a stone’s throw from the fashionable Kings Road, I discovered a restaurant that marries tradition, innovation and creativity with a simple and confident attitude. It is Elystan Street, at the helm of which we find Phil Howard,  highly respected figure in the industry with a multitude of awards to his name and without doubt a true chef’s chef. Phil has always cooked with harmony of flavour being his absolute mantra – and this being achieved through classical flavours and rigorously seasonal and ingredient-led cooking. None of this has changed at Elystan Street but an increased focus on vegetables and a lightness of touch now prevails.With over 30 years of experience in running some of London’s finest and most respected neighbourhood restaurants Rebecca Mascarenhas brings her immense experience and passion to Elystan Street. As a pro restaurant goer she has not only amassed a hard-earned diner’s opinion but a perspective to help ensure that her own businesses never rest on their laurels.

Phil is one of Britain’s most acclaimed chefs. He currently holds one Michelin star at his Chelsea restaurant Elystan Street and previously held two at The Square in Mayfair.
He is also about to open in Covent Garden his second restaurant with an Italian menu, the Pasta Bar Notto, featuring italian inspired dishes such as burrata with black cabbage and anchovy, garlic & orange dressing, veal with tuna sauce, gnocchetti with smashed sausage, white wine, fennel & chilli, pumpkin & chestnut ravioli with pine nuts, brown butter, sage & parmesan, just to name few. Phil’s prerogative is using 100% classic flavors, which doesn’t mean not being creative, but invites freshness, therefore tradition without being too heavy.I met Phil at Elystan Street

Phil co-owns Elystan Street and Kitchen W8 with Rebecca Mascarenhas. He’s about to open his second Notto in Covent Garden with another business partner, Julian Dyer.

Hi Phil, your first memory in the kitchen?
The slightly toasted scent of the lake fish that I had just caught and which was cooked by my parents on their farm. It was simple cuisine, basic dishes, everything always very fresh.
Do you enjoy cooking fish?
I love fish dishes, England is surrounded by seas, I think that here you can find some of the best fish in the world and I assure you… I have traveled (and enjoyed) a lot, I have just returned from Tokyo and Kyoto and I love traveling in Africa.

Mine is a job in which pleasure is important, and I think that Italian cuisine is its spokesperson. I have been cooking for 35 years and there has always been a pasta dish on my menuDo you cook at home?
Yes, simple dishes: fish, meat and then my wife Jennie is a fantastic cook. I also like to browse other restaurants, although I tend to always return to my favourites.
For example?
Riva, an Italian restaurant on Church Rd, in business for many years. I find them to offer the best cotoletta alla milanese.
Passionate about Italian cuisine?
Mine is a job where the key word is “pleasure”. I think Italian cuisine is its spokesperson. I have been cooking for 35 years and a pasta dish has always appeared on my menu, often combined with local excellences, such as my Orkney scallop ravioli, a type of crustacean that is harvested by hand in the pristine waters of the Orkney Islands in Scotland.
One of your favorite dishes?
Cashew hummus, a dish that has evolved over the years.

Cashew nut hummus with roasted vegetables, a light curry dressing, nut milk and lime

INFO
https://www.elystanstreet.com/
https://www.nottopastabar.com/

Quando BALLETTO incontra SL’UK

Bratislava, Il rinnovato Teatro Nazionale dell’Opera e del Balletto della Capitale slovacca ha ospitato un meraviglioso incontro di danza , dove la classicità del balletto incontra l’ironia e la tradizione folk della danza slovacca.
Oltre a magistrali pas de deux sulle musiche di Chaikowsky, Bozzo, Massenet , Dvorak, i ballerini si sono alternati a musiche popolari, canti e suoni della tradizione folk in una parata di virtuosismo, agilità e forza.
Un applauso a tutti gli artisti , tra cui sono spiccati Olga Chelpalnova e Vladislav Bosenko  nella loro interpretazione di Esmeralda di Drigo Pugni e Marenco 

English

Bratislava, The renovated National Opera and Ballet Theater of the Slovak capital hosted a wonderful dance meeting, where the classicism of ballet meets the irony and folk tradition of Slovak dance.
In addition to masterful pas de deux on the music of Chaikowsky, Bozzo, Massenet, Dvorak, the dancers alternated with popular music, songs and sounds of the folk tradition in a parade of virtuosity, agility and strength.
An applause to all the artists, among which Olga Chelpalnova and Vladislav Bosenko stood out in their interpretation of Esmeralda by Drigo, Pugni and Marenco

My instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/CyIjpQcsAbU/

Text and photos by Cesare Zucca
Amazing venues, extraordinary castles, vibrant nature and breathtaking views…
Welcome on the Euganean Hills where beauty, history, art and great local food are waiting for you…Ready to tour?
Our exceptional guide will be Francesco Petrarca, most celebrated Italian  “Sommo Poeta” who loved this land and lived in the suggestive “borgo” Arquà.
Petrarca arrived in Padua, guest of the Carraresi lordship who cared very much about the presence of this famous poet ,disputed by the powerful families of the time.
As always, the city is too small for him, he is looking for an environment where he can find space for quiet, but also for contact with nature. What better choice than the Euganean Hills and the village of Arquà, where he lived the last years of his life with his family. He fall in love with this land, considered the green and literary heart of the Veneto, where physical places and places of the soul coincide to this once marshy territory that the poet dedicates some words in one of his letters, remembered in one of the literary plaques of the route of the via poetica of the Petrarca Park “Since in no other way can you so adorn the appearance of a beautiful region and thus restore the Euganean Hills besieged by these marshes, widely known and noble for the branches of Minerva and the very fruitful branch of an illustrious Bacchus, to their true appearance of excellent land, and indeed restore fertile fields to Ceres, which is excluded from it , who are now oppressed by a foul and excessive mood”Thanks to him that many writers and poets were attracted to this territory which then impressed them so much that it became the setting for many of their works, from Byron to Andrea Zanzotto, Mary and Percy Shelley, d’Annunzio and many others  who were inspired by the enchantment of these rolling hills.

So, let’s start your journey from Arquà Petrarca, which preserves its fourteenth-century medieval appearance, the tomb, the Oratory where he retreated to pray and his house, now a museum.

At the ” That house in Arquà” you will discover the garden where he cultivated vegetables and aromatic herbs that we find in the garden and which will be used to create a themed menu, such as bay leaves, dill, basil, chives, fennel, lavender, lovage, marjoram, lemon balm, mint, oregano, parsley , rosemary, savory, celery, thyme, mallow.

Pay a visit to the Evo del Borgo oil mill, which among the many oils could not miss the laurel oil, a plant loved by the poet, a symbol of fame and celebrity, then the Loreggian Winery that aims to enhance the cultural context also in wine, given that the main wine labels feature phrases from the poet.

In the past, many arrived near the village of Arquà Petrarca by boat, using a dense network of navigable canals, including the Battaglia Canal, an important artificial water road built between the 11th and 12th centuries. You can experiment the amazing the thrill of navigating on a real “gondola”, just like I did, beginning my emotional  gondola cruise after paying a visit to the Museo Navigazione Fluviale, in Battagia Terme, This journey is enriched by an artifact from 1923, a navigation basin which is among the largest in Europe and which allows a drop of water of 7 meters . You will pass through the river village for an interesting perspective that could only be from the water, for this village which owes its fame to it. Water which was important for the activity of the Baths, whose history we will tell and then for the commercial activity of the boatmen, who managed tons of goods transported on the typical “burci” which are still on display in the widespread museum

The Praglia Abbey
A national monument, still inhabited by monks today, owes its existence to great writer Antonio Fogazzaro who collaborated in the reopening of the monastery after its closure in 1868, which only occurred in 1903, Don’t miss the monumental library  featuring a collection of books donated by the writer familyMuseum of the Euganean Hills, Galzignano Terme:
Symbol of the love of the inhabitants of the neibourgh villages. It is in fact the result of a series of donations which over the years have been enhanced by some projects concerning social inclusion, the removal of architectural barriers, the telling of the history of the territory and which is constantly work in progress, thanks also to the study and research of many young scholarship holders and trainees from the nearby University of Padua.Valbona Castle
Thanks to his owner this manor reopened it after years of neglect. Today it presents itself as an original, perfect small venue with multiple possibilities for visits and food and wine experiences https://www.castellodivalbona.eu/_it/ For a light dinner.stop at the internal restaurant https://www.tavernatreleoni.it/

Where to eat 
Antica Trattoria Ballotta
Legendary restaurant serving traditional local food, including the one and only “torresano”,  an antique dish once reserved for the tables of the nobles who raised it in the dovecotes placed on the towers. The Torresano made on the spit was traditionally consumed during summe,  when the young and tender wild pigeons had reached adult size weighing around 500-600 grams. A delicacy!!!Where to sleep
Villa del Poeta cosy hotel with the restaurant “The Canzoniere”
Borgo Buzzaccarini

THANKS
Arcadia Arte, which is part of a temporary association of companies, made up of 20 economic operators who supported a destination project TERME E COLLI EUGANEI: THE LAND OF HEALTH AND EMOTION, financed with the POC of the Region Veneto –
OGD Terme and Colli Euganei area, welcomes tourists with an integrated and coordinated slow-type experiential proposal, capable of embracing the different souls of the destination and enhance them both at a national and international level on themes such as Art & Culture.
And finally…
Claudia Baldin, my brilliant guide for this unforgettable adventure.

Come cucinare GUSTOSO e SANO ?
Nessuno meglio della Dottoressa Samantha di Geso  del Centro DnA Milano  , biologo nutrizionista ed esperta di alimentazione poteva rispondermi.

Dottoressa, come si è avvicinata al mondo della pasta di legumi?
Devo esseres sincera: da biologa ho inizialmente pensato che fosse arrivato l’ennesimo prodotto chimico e industriale, invenzione new-age e fregatura per la salute.
Ho approfondito andando anche a fondo sui processi di lavorazione e mi sono dovuta ricredere, scoprendo che con la pasta di legume si possono, addirittura, evitare tossicità dei legumi non cotti in maniera buona e opportuna.
I legumi fanno parte della storica cucina italiana?
Certo, I nostri antenati avevano un’alimentazione che utilizzava i legumi ma, con amore e cura, li mettevano a bagno 24-48 ore, dopodichè li cucinavano con alloro. impiegando tempi giustamente lunghi e temperature corrette. Ho fatto ricerche sui processi di lavorazione e ho scoperto che, grazie questo tipo si può evitare la pericolosa tossicità dei legumi non cotti in maniera opportuna.
Quali sono i vantaggi della pasta di legumi?
La pasta di legumi evita il gonfiore di pancia frutto delle difficoltà di digerire le pareti del legume, senza però perdere i nutrimenti in essa contenuti. Si presta, a parità di calorie (circa 350 calorie per 100 grammi di pasta) e alto contenuto di proteine e fibre, a essere benissimo un sostituito di un pasto completo. Inoltre piace molto anche ai nostri bifidobatteri, che detengono lo scettro delle nostre difese immunitarie.
E’ vero che in una dieta dimagrante si può mangiare la pasta, se è di legumi?
Certo e non solo: Il suo basso indice glicemico e il suo alto contenuto di fibre sono “oro” per l’intestino di tutti e, soprattutto di chi ha problemi intestinali, glicemici o semplicemente per un controllo del peso. Il suo potere saziante dà la possibilità di diminuire le quantità e le calorie introdotte, quindi si presta bene a coloro che vogliono perdere peso senza rinunciare ad un buon piatto di pasta.
E’ una pasta saporita?
Il gusto ovviamente è quello dei legumi per cui le ricette semplici aiutano a gustare meglio questa pasta, specialmente quelle che la accoppiano a pesce fresco, pescato in giornata e a verdure di stagione. Provatela con il filetto di tonno tagliato a cubetti e cotto leggermente in padella con olio, capperi e olive, una delizia estiva!

Paladina delle paste ai legumi è Felicia, l’unico pastificio italiano allergen free con molino multigrain integrato,  usando materie prime biologiche e naturalmente senza glutine, come il grano saraceno, il riso integrale e l’avena.
È totalmente naturale è ipocalorica, molto proteica e fatta solo di acqua e farina di  legumi e offre un’infinità di formati: spaghetti, penne e mezze penne, ditalini , fusilli. risoni ai legumi e cereali, tra cui lenticchie rosse e gialle, ceci, piselli, fagioli verdi Mung.
La cosa interessante di questo prodotto, oltre al conteggio delle calorie, è il tempo di cottura, di molto inferiore rispetto a quello di una pasta di grano duro classica.

Pronti per la vostra avventura surfcasting? 
Il mio augurio è “buon appetito e buona salute a tavola”!

english version

Dr.Samantha di Geso  of DnA Milano , nutritionist biologist and food expert could answer me.

Doctor, how did you approach the world of legume pasta?
I have to be honest: as a biologist I initially thought that yet another chemical and industrial product had arrived, a new-age invention and a rip-off for health.
I also went deeper into the manufacturing processes and I had to change my mind, discovering that with legume paste you can even avoid the toxicity of uncooked legumes in a good and appropriate way.
Are legumes part of historic Italian cuisine?
Sure, our ancestors had a diet that used legumes but, with love and care, they soaked them for 24-48 hours, then cooked them with laurel. using appropriately long times and correct temperatures. I did research on manufacturing processes and I discovered that, thanks to this type, the dangerous toxicity of uncooked legumes can be avoided.
What are the benefits of legume pasta?
The legume paste avoids belly swelling resulting from the difficulty of digesting the walls of the legume, without however losing the nutrients it contains. With the same calories (about 350 calories per 100 grams of pasta) and high protein and fiber content, it lends itself to being a perfect substitute for a complete meal. Furthermore, our bifidobacteria also like it very much, which hold the scepter of our immune defenses.Is it true that in a slimming diet you can eat pasta, if it is made with legumes?
Certainly and not only: its low glycemic index and its high fiber content are “gold” for everyone’s intestines and, above all, for those with intestinal or glycemic problems or simply for weight control. Its satiating power makes it possible to reduce the quantities and calories introduced, therefore it lends itself well to those who want to lose weight without giving up a good plate of pasta.
Is it a tasty pasta?
The taste is obviously that of legumes, so simple recipes help you enjoy this pasta better, especially those that pair it with fresh fish, caught on the day and seasonal vegetables. Try it with tuna fillet cut into cubes and lightly cooked in a pan with oil, capers and olives, a summer delight!

Felicia’s red lentil fusilli, served in a legume and sea bass broth

The champion of legume pasta is Felicia, the only allergen-free Italian pasta factory with an integrated multigrain mill, using organic and naturally gluten-free raw materials, such as buckwheat, brown rice and oats.
It is totally natural, low-calorie, high in protein and made only of water and legume flour and offers an infinite number of formats: spaghetti, penne and mezze penne, ditalini, fusilli. risoni with legumes and cereals, including red and yellow lentils, chickpeas, peas, mung green beans.

The interesting thing about this product, in addition to the calorie count, is the cooking time, which is much less than that of a classic durum wheat pasta.

Ready for your surfcasting adventure?
“Buon appetito & and good health at the table”!

CESARE ZUCCA Travel, food & lifestyle.
Milanese by birth, Cesare lives between New York, Milan and the rest of the world. For WEEKEND PREMIUM he photographs and writes about cities, cultures, lifestyles.art, entertainment. He likes to discover both traditional and innovative gastronomic delights. Cesare meets and interview top chefs from all over the world, ‘steals’ their recipes in a ” non touristy tourist ” style 

NON TOURISTY TOURISTWEEKEND PREMIUM

By Cesare Zucca.
History, Mithology, Art, Culture, Beauty and Taste…
That is what the amazing Italian Oils will bring to your table.
The world has over 1,600 olive cultivars: Italy, on its own, has 600 of them.
The historic and cultural roots of Italian taste are appreciated around the globe, and are enriched with meaning and value through our products.

From Taste 2025 , Florence
ORGOLIO DELLA PODERINA
https://www.orgoliodellapoderina.com/

Orgolio is an extra virgin olive oil produced by the La Poderina farm in Siena, in the heart of Tuscany, which comes from the beauty of a unique land and from the obsessive search for quality. The Frantoio variety gives an intense green color with faint yellow notes, medium-strong intensity, elegance and broad vegetal tones that refer to thistle and artichoke on an almond base; the Moraiolo, rustic and imposing, makes the oil intensely fruity, decidedly bitter and spicy with hints of leaves and fine woody notes, the Leccino gives the aroma of ripe olives and vegetable aromas, and a slight bitter and spicy sensation.
Orgolio della Poderina is a product of the highest quality, elegant, with a marked scent of freshly mown grass and a strong character like its balanced spicy and bitter aroma.
The result is an extra virgin olive oil naturally rich in polyphenols that give a magnificent aroma to any pairing, from freshly picked garden salads to the highest gastronomy dishes.

.RAVELLO BY FRANTOIO D’ORAZIO
https://www.frantoiodorazio.it/

This “Oro verde “oil was born in a corner of Puglia (Apulia) where scents and flavors cloak the landscape dotted with monumental olive trees with atmosphere. The Apulian oil is as intense as the ancient peasant culture that the Frantoio D’Orazio has always preserved and exalted, to give every palate taste and beauty, with every taste. The Ravello boasts shades of blue and green that follow each other without interruption, like the rows of centuries-old olive trees on the rolling hills of Puglia, between small lakes and sinkholes of karst origin. All of Frantoio D’Orazio’s love for his land is revived in this bottle. Love that is also reflected in the processing of extra virgin olive oil, which still takes place with the same care and attention as in the past.
Leaf green color tending towards golden yellow. We recommend it for fresh salads, vegetable purées, rice soups and savory soups, dishes based on beans, artichokes, asparagus, cooked vegetables, with white meats, bruschetta, salsa, mixed legumes, baked tomatoes, truffle sauce.

MIMI
https://www.oliomimi.com/en/

The Peranzana di Mimì extra virgin olive oil was born from the passion of Donato and Michele and their mother Giuditta who fulfilled the dream of their father Domenico also known as Mimì. Their olive grove is spread over 80 hectares where they cultivate 24,000 olive trees with dedication, which produce about 500 hectoliters of oil every year.
Peranzana di Mimì extra virgin olive oil is a medium intensity fruity oil with many vegetable and herbaceous scents on the nose, with a marked note of tomato and green apple. When I tasted, the freshness of the apple and green tomato reappeared and showed a spicy and bitter character while maintaining an elegant harmony between the two components. Ideal for pairing with raw dishes as a condiment for salads or vegetables but also for seasoning grilled meats and fish or soups. Perfect raw condiment on grilled dishes, salads or soups.

TESTE DI MORO Dop Monte ETNA
by Romano
https://www.romanovincenzo.com/en/teste-di-moro-line/

The legend of the “Moro” (Arabic) head dates back to the 11th century, when the Mori’s invaded Sicily and became part of the population, so much so that it blended perfectly with the Sicilian population. The history of this vase will be included in the label of the bottle, also to provide the consumer with all the details of the origin of this vase which is found throughout Sicily.The project was born from the idea of creating a bottle that would represent the “Sicily” of a fine oil, through one of the most famous “symbols” of Sicily.

The bottle is made of heavy glass from a mold made by a registered drawing, on one side the drawing of the female face, on the other the drawing of the male face, it is made of dark glass or painted in white, possibly decorated in some details (the mouth, eyes, necklace, etc.), to make different versions of the bottle to the retailer.

The production areas of this oil are the slopes of Etna Vulcan., the colour is intensevely green, the smell is medium fruity with hints of grass just cutted, I found notes of bitter and spicy with after taste of tomato flavor. Great to consume: raw, special with Mediterranean dishes

PUJJE
www.pujje.it

The Pujje company was born in the heart of the Murgia Tarantina from the idea of ​​three young people in love with their land – an agronomist, a manager and a communication professional. Pujje Evo Oil has a heart. The heart of those who imagined it and then created it. Its flavor is an ode to the hand-made olive harvest, among the majestic olive trees born and raised in our land and pampered by its enveloping wind, a handcrafted cold-pressed  Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Its perfume reveals the genuineness of the raw materials used, evokes the notes of a past time, rediscovering the values ​​of authenticity and tradition.
Pujje Oil is a container of mithology and values: Amphitrite, a beautiful sea nymph who, not wanting to marry, sought protection from Poseidon from Atlas. A dolphin, sent by the God of the Sea, found her and convinced her to marry him.This oil was born on the coasts bathed by the Ionian Sea, it is light fruity with notes of freshly mown green grass, which marries simpler and seafood dishes, enhancing them all; Rea, Goddess of earth, nature and abundance.  Perfect  for meat dishes,  medium fruity,  with notes of tomato leaves and aromatic herbs, with a prevalence of almond, which gives its best with equally robust and earthy dishes, Finally Helios, God of the solar star, every morning, driving the golden chariot of the Sun crossing the sky from the east and in the evening it plunged into the west. Perfect for vegetable, fruit and sweet dishes. Helios which, with a single olive full of taste and a vegetable scent, evokes a slight hint of leaves and fresh fruit. A the medium fruity taste which goes perfectly with vegetable recipes, sweets and artisan desserts.

FRANTOIO MURAGLIA
https://www.frantoiomuraglia.it/en/

Frantoio Muraglia was founded in Andria, the oil capital of Apulia, five generations ago, but family’s patriarch has lived through 460 springs. It is a majestic coratina olive tree.

Rainbow is a true style icon. The ceramic jar, handmade by craftsmen, colours the table, warms up the kitchen and preserves all the scents and flavour of extra virgin olive oil.
The quality of the extra virgin olive oil combined with the design of original ceramic jars handmade by Apulian craftsmen will leave your friends and family with a delicious and special memory.

Monocultivar Coratina olive, intense green with golden hues. Aromas of dill, fennel, artichoke, pepper and hay. It leaves a tasty spicy flavour, colourful, stylish, 100% made in Italy and handmade Ceramic plates hand-painted by our Apulian ceramists with a rainbow pattern echoing that of designer jars. Format: 20 cm – 25 cm – 30 cm

I DEDICATI by OLITALIA
https://www.olitalia.com/ww-en/

Olitalia is managed by the family of founder Giuseppe Cremonini: children Angelo, Elisabetta and Camillo. For over 50 years, this family-owned company name stands for excellence, quality and tradition in Italian cuisine around the world. Today we are one of the most trusted brands in the food and condiments sector: thanks to our total devotion to our roots, while at the same time moving forward on the path of excellence with a healthy ambition to achieve future results.
Olitalia selecta olives in the most careful and rigorous way: a solid guarantee of constant quality, ensured year after year by maintaining the same standards of quality and quantity in cultivation.
The “Dedicati” collection represents a careful selection of raw materials and the naturalness of a development process involving the best chefs ensure the high quality of these products, which were designed and intended to amaze.
Dedicati For Meat
This oil has great character, it is rich in fragrances and vegetable notes. It is important that the oil chosen is aromatic and can enhance the taste of any type of meat.
Dedicati for Vegetables
This oil has strong herbaceous notes: such feature can enhance the taste of vegetables at best and match perfectly diverse and quite sharp tastes.
Dedicati for Fish
This is a delicate oil with a harmonious profile and notes of apple and fresh almond. For a perfect match with fish, it is important that the oil does not cover the taste of ingredients, but matches and enhances it.

What a great selection and variety of different virgin olive oils!
But.. wait a minute, here comes a sunflower seed rosemary scented frying oil..
Yes from same Olitalia producers, here comes…

FRIENN Frittura Italiana
https://shop.olitalia.com/it-it/

FRIENN is the frying oil with an innovative recipe, without palm oil, which allows you to obtain professional quality, crispy and dry fried food. It is obtained from high oleic sunflower seeds grown and processed exclusively in Italy. Its composition, protected by an Italian patent, gives the product unique properties. The combination of sunflower oil with a high oleic acid content and antioxidants guarantees high stability at high temperatures, avoiding the unpleasant onset of bad smells. FRIENN frying oil respects the original flavor of the ingredients, without transferring color and flavor to the food. Perfect for frying savory and sweet foods, both in a pan and in the fryer.
I tried, I loved it! please take a note of it!