FOOD | LIFESTYLE | RECIPES | PEOPLE

The artisan food journal www.casalinga.co

CASALINGA

Introducing Casalinga, a new range of Italian food that celebrates nature, heritage and flavour

Magazine

Issue 1

fieldFrom

to fork

Gino D’AcampoExclusive

recipes

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A little introductionBontà Italia Ltd is the parent company of Casalinga. We are the speciality Italian food importer established in 2003 by celebrated chef Gino D’Acampo and food expert Marco Silvagni. Bontà Italia offers an extensive range of Italian ingredients which are consumed in every channel of the UK food sector. In Italy, Bontà Italia means goodness of Italy and we’re one of the UK and Ireland’s leading Italian food importers.

04 The tomato harvest12 The foodies16 The Casalinga range

Welcome to Casalinga magazine

Contents

For our newest brand, Casalinga, we wanted to go back to the roots of the Italian family kitchen, where a love of the land, the ingredient and the flavour is celebrated. This is the ethos behind our range: great-tasting sustainable food, naturally produced the way our ancestors did it. Discover the true taste of Italy.

Gino & Marco

Editor Ian Dickson Art Director Jamie MarsdenCreative direction & design by thisistheconcept.comFor Bontà Italia Marco Silvagni and Gino D’AcampoThanks this issue to Paul Hargreaves and Antonio Cardella

Lifelong friends and foodie adventurers Marco Silvagni (left) and Gino D’Acampo

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The tomato harvest The Bontà Italia Magazine Spring

EVERY SUMMER IN A SMALL TOWN IN SOUTHERN ITALY, THE SMELL OF TOMATOES HANGS IN THE AIR AMID THE EXCITEMENT OF THE FIRST CROP OF THE SEASON. THIS IS THE TOMATO HARVEST.

On thetomatotrail

W e’re driving across the Gargano mountain range in southern Italy. Past mediaeval hill towns, terraces of almond trees and ancient olive grows that roll gently down to the sparkling blue Adriatic Sea below.

It’s the middle of July and we’re making our journey in a classic Fiat 124 Spider. Roof down, the cool sea breeze masks the intensity of the summer sun. The inland plains of Foggia are our destination. We’re going to see – and taste – the first tomatoes of the harvest season where we will explore the process of how sun-dried and semi-dried tomatoes are produced.

WORDS IAN DICKSON PHOTOGRAPHY SAM CHRISTMAS

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Unlike sun-dried tomatoes, which grow on the ground and dry in the sun, semi dried are round tomatoes that grow on the vine in open greenhouses. Seasonally picked over the summer, they are washed and cut into quarters before being sent to the oven to dry for 10 hours at a low temperature to lock in their flavour. Semi dried tomatoes are juicier than sun dried and are used as an appetiser with antipasti or in salads.

SEMI DRIED V SUN DRIED TOMATOES

The tomato harvest Casalinga magazine: issue 1

My guide is someone who knows the tomato business well. Antonio Cardella is the commercial director of Fiordelisi, an artisanal food producer that specialises in sun dried and semi-dried tomatoes. The trained lawyer moved from Sicily to Foggia 35 years ago. He has spent his life working with tomatoes. A proud grin spreads across his face when we call him the tomato king.

Accompanying us on our tomato adventure is lifelong foodie Marco Silvagni. Marco is the co-founder of Bontà Italia, a UK-based distributor of fine Italian produce including the exceptional Casalinga range. Marco is retracing a road trip he made 26 years ago, when he toured Puglia and the Amalfi Coast in a Fiat 127 Sport while as a student.

As we near the tomato fields, Marco and Antonio’s excitement builds. Despite the years they’ve been doing this, their passion has not diminished. The earthy, herby, viney smell of tomatoes cuts through the thick summer air.

Nature in Foggia has conspired to create a wonderful serendipity for tomato growing, one where the climate, the land and the people have come together in perfect harmony. Indeed, so imbedded are tomatoes to this region that the farmers of Fiordelisi have been growing here for hundreds of years. But it is the enterprising current generation of owners who started to dry tomatoes commercially, allowing them to be preserved and sold internationally. We’re here to follow this process, from field to fork.

Our first stop is Fiordelisi’s growing fields. Antonio stops the car, picks up a handful of soil, and says: “The

tomatoes that grow here are very natural. This earth wants tomatoes to grow. It is full of natural fertilisers so if you drop a seed, it will flourish. It’s really because of the location that the tomatoes do so well. We experience a dry heat, and there’s always a little bit of wind, so you don’t get any humidity. That means insects and fungus are less likely to infect the plants.”

Marco brings out a little machine to test what he calls the brix of the tomato, its natural sugar level. Freshly picked tomatoes are measured on a scale of 1 to 10, Marco says the literal sweetspot is 7.2. “The higher the brix content, the sweeter and fleshier the tomato is and that means the sauce will be thicker. Cheaper tomatoes have a lower brix content, which leads to watery sauces,” he expertly adds.

The process is reassuringly hands on. Tomatoes are picked and sun dried in the summer and kept in chillers, ready to be processed on demand. After harvesting, the tomatoes are transported a short distance to the drying fields where they are carefully selected and washed. Here workers skilfully butterfly them with razor-sharp knives, before laying them out on the vast rows of tables to dry in the hot Italian sun. It’s a beautiful sight.

“With a plum tomato, which is the one we use for our sun-dried product, it has to be done by hand. You have to cut it right bang in the middle. It’s an irregular elongated shape so a machine couldn’t do it,” insists Antonio.

Next is the salt. Spraying the tomatoes with salt after cutting is hugely important, he explains. “The earlier you put on the salt the better because it has

Right, testing the brix of the tomatoes, a test of its sweetness. The higher the number, the better the tomato.Top right, Marco explores the Arctic-like landscape of one of the largest sea salt plains in the world.

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The tomato harvest Casalinga magazine: issue 1

“With a plum tomato, it has

to be sliced by hand. You have to cut it right bang in

the middle. It’s an irregular

elongated shape so a machine

couldn’t do it,”

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two important functions. First, to make the drying process faster. Second, it will keep away insects.”

A day earlier we visited the sea salt pans of Margherita di Savoia, a short drive away. This is where Fiordelisi’s salt comes from, and it’s as famous for its salt as it is for its colony of pink flamingos. Causeways criss-cross huge pools where it takes the water four years to evaporate, leaving behind dried beds of pure white salt. “It’s the second biggest sea salt area in the world. There are more than 40km of pools,” remarks Antonio.

Back at the drying tables, we taste a few tomatoes that are in the process of being dried for four days. They are divine; piquant, sweet and rich. After less than a week drying in the sun the tomatoes go to Fiordelisi’s factory a few kilometres away where they go through a comprehensive process before being ready for delivery to customers around the world.

We make the short drive along winding tree-lined roads to the factory. Before we’re allowed on to the factory floor, we dress in unflattering-but-necessary protective clothing and hats. The first surprise is how few machines there are. This is a place where people are crucial to the finished product.

The raw, sun-dried tomatoes go through numerous stages to ensure they are free of foreign objects that could contaminate them. It’s very hands on, with workers discarding tomatoes that don’t have the right colour, shape or texture. The few machines there are have very specific jobs to do that couldn’t be done by hand, such as the sieve, X-ray and metal detector.

For some customers, the tomatoes are ready to be

bagged, but as Marco explains, there’s a huge demand for the ready-to-eat market. So for this product the tomatoes are sent off to be rehydrated with water from the well (which is later reused to water the fields). They are then put in industrial ovens at a low temperature to dry off the excess water.

In the next room, the pungent smell of fresh garlic and herbs fills the air. It is here where the tomatoes are marinated in herbs and bottled in oil for an exclusive Bontà Italia recipe. We sneak one from the batch. Marco makes satisfying oohing and aahing noises. I think they’ve passed his taste test. “I could eat them all day,” he purrs. Now that they’re packed, they can last up to three years.

While we’re touring the factory, we stop by the cherry peppers that are being hand-piped with goats’ cheese. “These are from our Casalinga range,” beams Marco, as he passes me one to try. His enthusiasm is infectious. The cherry peppers are delicious. Marco visits the factory four times a year, which might seem excessive but he’s exacting in his standards. “We won’t rest until it’s right.”

After the factory tour, it’s time for a typically Italian lunch. Our hosts are preparing a Southern Italian feast of Orecchiette pasta, bruschetta with sun-dried peppers, Caprese salad and Stracciatella di bufala cheese with basil. They laugh, joke, sample the ingredients. This is clearly their favourite time of the day. The food is simple, unfussy, delicious. However, the undisputed star of the show for me is our antipasti of sundried tomatoes, made only a few metres away from where we’re sat.

Marco (left) explores the medieval hill town of Monte Sant’Angelo in the Italian province of Foggia before a simple Italian lunch with Antonio

The tomato harvest Casalinga magazine: issue 1

In the foothills of the Gargano mountain range, Marco and Antonio stop to tour an olive grove. “This hill has some of the world’s oldest olive trees,” says Marco, as he surveys a carpet of trees before us. “Some of these trees are older than Christ,” adds Antonio. He explains how to date them. “The trees grow by 10cm every 100 years – and when they reach 200 years they start to split,” he says as he points out trees that are at least 2,000 years old. The trees here are of the Leccino variety, one of the primary olives used in the production of extra virgin olive oil.

THE WORLD’S OLDEST OLIVE TREES

As the sun sets over the Puglia countryside, Marco and Antonio inspect the progress of the tomatoes being grown in an organic field

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The foodies Casalinga magazine: issue 1

SERVES 4

4 tablespoons olive oil300g Italian pork sausages (optional)2 small red onions, peeled and chopped3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped2 carrots, peeled and chopped3 celery sticks, chopped1 potato, peeled and cut into 5mm cubesPinch of fennel seeds, crushed1 bay leafPinch of dried chilli fakes2 fresh plum tomatoes, diced1 x 400g tins of Casalinga Marzanino tomatoes2 large handfuls of stale country-style bread, torn into chunks700ml hot vegetable stock1 x 400g tin of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained300g kale, leaves and stalks finely sliced6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oilSea salt and freshly ground black pepper

TUSCAN VEGETABLE, CANNELLINI BEAN AND BREAD SOUP

1. If using the sausages, heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan. Add the sausages and fry for about 12–15 minutes, turning frequently until browned and cooked through. Set aside. When cool, cut into slices.

2. Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots, celery and potato, then the fennel, bay leaf and chilli fakes. Reduce the heat and cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar. Cook gently for 15–20 minutes or until softened but not brown, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the fresh and tinned tomatoes. Increase the heat and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, put the bread in a medium bowl and pour over 200ml of the stock. Leave until the bread soaks up the stock (about 2 minutes).

4. Add the beans and the remaining stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Stir in the kale then the moistened bread. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

5. Season with salt and pepper and add the extra virgin olive oil. Stir in the sausage, if using, heat through and then serve.

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What was your first job?“Cleaning pizza ovens, 28 years ago.”Where does your foodiness come from? “I knew I wanted to work in kitchens when I visited my grandfather’s restaurant for the first time.”Describe your style...“Simple recipes based on fresh fruit, vegetables, fish and meat. My grandfather said that a good recipe doesn’t need lots of ingredients because if the ingredients are top quality and full of flavour, why would you want to cover up or change their taste?”What was your big break?“After training at the Luigi de Medici Catering

NAME Gino D’Acampo

JOB TITLE CEO, Bontà Italia

NATIONALITY Italian

30 seconds with celebrity chef and Bontà Italia co-founder Gino D’Acampo on his love of food.

“Keep itsimple”

College, I came to London at 19 and worked at The Orchard Restaurant in Hampstead and then at the Cambio restaurant in Surrey.”What new ingredients are you using?“I really love the versatility of the Marzanino tomato. It’s said to be the world’s finest tomato.One taste, and it’s easy to see why. It has a distinct colour and shape, and is deliciously sweet. I use it to make wonderful sauces for pasta, pizza or meat. It is also high in lycopene which is a powerful antioxidant.”

To try Casalinga Marzanino tomatoes, visit Cotswold Fayres website to find your locally supplied shop.

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“My earliest memories are of food,” explains Marco Silvagni, the co-founder of Bontà Italia, the speciality Italian food brand he started with celebrity chef Gino D’Acampo in 2003. Having lived in Italy for 15 years, and with a background in restaurant management, it seems like a fitting destiny that Marco now heads one of the UK’s biggest Italian food companies. What he doesn’t know about Italian food isn’t worth knowing. “I can remember cooking with my grandparents in Italy,” he says. “Everyone had a role to play in the kitchen. I recall picking grapes off the vine and crushing them with my feet to make wine. Collecting bags of peaches to take to the beach as a kid. Visiting the local market with my nonno and coming home with crates of fresh tomatoes that we would use to make dozens of jars of passata to see us through winter. Everything we did was seasonal, natural and all about the ingredients.”

NAME Marco Silvagni

JOB TITLE MD, Bontà Italia

NATIONALITY Scottish-Italian

Naturalborn

foodieIf he’s not eating it, he’s talking about it. Meet Marco, the food-loving entrepreneur.

The foodies Casalinga magazine: issue 1

SERVES 4

8 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on), about 1kg in total, trimmed5 tablespoons olive oil1 large red onion, peeled and finely sliced250g smoked pancetta, diced2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary2 teaspoons dried chilli flakes80ml heavy-bodied red wine (preferably Cannonau)2 x 400g tins of Casalinga Marzanino tomatoes4 bay leavesSalt

CHICKEN ARRABBIATA WITH PANCETTA & RED WINE

1. Season the chicken with salt. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flame-proof casserole dish over a medium to high heat. When very hot, add half the chicken, skin-side down, and fry for about five minutes each side until golden brown all over. Transfer to a large plate using a slotted spoon and set aside. Repeat for the remaining chicken.

2. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and pancetta to the casserole and fry for five minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to release any sticky bits left from the chicken. Add the rosemary and chilli flakes and fry for one minute.

3. Increase the heat and pour in the wine. Bring to the boil and let it bubble rapidly for one or two minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves.

4. Return the chicken and its juices to the casserole and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

5. Remove the lid and continue to cook over a high heat for about five minutes or until the chicken is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.

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BAKERY

OLIVES PESTOS - 160g

ANTIPASTI - 220g ANTIPASTI - 2kg

THE FULL OLIVE RANGE:Nocellara of Castelvetrano 300g jarPitted Nocellara of Castelvetrano 300g jarGiant Green Aperitivo Olives 300g jarPitted Leccino of Abruzzo Olives 290g jarPitted Italian Antipasto Olives 290g jarPitted Nocellara Etnea 290g jar

THE FULL ANTIPASTI 220G RANGE:Cherry peppers with goat cheese 220g jarBorettane onions 220g jarChargrilled borettane onions 220g jarSemi-dried cherry tomatoes 220g jarChargrilled baby artichoke 220g jarSemi-dried peppers 220g jar

THE FULL PESTO 160G RANGE:Basil 160g jarOnion 160g jarChilli 160g jarRocket 160g jarBeetroot 160g jarRed pepper 160g jar

THE FULL ANTIPASTI 2KG RANGE:Cherry peppers with goats cheese 2kg trayBorettane onions 2kg trayChargrilled borettane onions 2kg traySemi-dried cherry tomatoes 2kg trayCarciofotto 1.4kg tray

PESTOS - 950g

THE FULL PESTO 950G RANGE:Basil 950g tubOnion 950g tubChilli 950g tubRocket 950g tubRed pepper 950g tubVegan 950g tubBeetroot 950g tubCourgette & saffron 950g tub

THE FULL BAKERY RANGE:Artisan grissini with cereals 200g bagArtisan grissini torinesi 200g bagCrackers with tomato 200g bagCrackers with black olive 200g bagCrackers with rosemary 200g bagCracker bread with tomato, garlic & chilli 120g bag Cracker bread with tomato 120g bagCracker bread with rosemary 120g bag

The Casalinga range Casalinga magazine: issue 1

Classic Italianfood TOMATOES BRUSCHETTA

With Casalinga, we wanted to go back to our Italian roots and traditions where simple, natural ingredients let the flavour do the talking.

THE FULL TOMATO RANGE:Plum 400g canChopped 400g canMarzanino 400g canCorbarino 560g jarPassata with Basil 580ml jar

THE FULL BRUSCHETTA RANGE:Mixed vegetable 160g jarCourgette & saffron 160g jarAubergine & mint 160g jar

Harvested in the fields around the port of Brindisi, the Marzanino resembles a mini San Marzano. Its a deliciously sweet tomato ripened on the vine. We use it to make glorious sauces for pasta, pizza or meat.Visit casalinga.co to see the full range

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casalinga.co