Antonio Carluccio - live webchat Tues 27 Nov 2-3pm

underwhere

Hi Antonio, You have gone from running (I think) one very posh restaurant in Neal Street in Covent Garden to restaurants on every high street in the UK, pretty much. Which do you prefer? Are they very different? And do you still own the business?

Neither. One (Neal Street) was my real jewel with which I could experiment with dishes quite a lot while catering for many afficionados. The significance of Italian food is to make it available to many people and share ideas, the good quality of freshly prepared food and that's what I had in mind with Carluccio's but more modestly priced. The result thanks to all of you is wonderful.

Alphafemale

This is such a difficult time of year to eat healthily - not many vegetables, no salads to speak of. Do you have a good recipe for a winter salad or vegetable dish?

Yes - now is particularly time for Swiss chard and spinach. A good time to keep some vitamins in by steaming or braising briefly with a bit of olive oil, garlic and chilli. A bit of lemon.

boudoirbabe

Hi Antonio, this is a slightly weird question, but how would you recommend cooking rabbit? I've just been given a couple (skinned and ready to go - no idea what to do with them, really)

Chop. Coat with flour. Fry in oil to brown. Remove rabbit and put in the same oil peeled and cut potatoes, olives, rosemary (possibly Ligurian olives) and onions (cliced). Mix everything in the oil and season. Add the rabbit. Bang in the over at 220C for about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with a bit of white wine and cook another 30-40 mins. And eat!!

whippit

I am always a bit nervous of polenta. But I have a bag sitting in the larder at the moment....what should I do with it?!

I agree that for you British polenta sounds like a punishing porridge. It is a porridge if you like, however if you add parmesan, butter and good fontina cheese and mix it with that it becomes such flavoursome mixture that you can eat with anything and it's very good. It's called polenta concia. The recipe is in one of my books!

Zorro

Is it true (I think I read it in a review of one of your books) that you don't think bolognese should go on spaghetti - and if so, why not?

No - you are right. For the last time I repeat... (!) that the tagliatelle alla bolognese is an original dish from Emilia Romagna. The combination of a ragu made with just two meats and no herbs whatsoever - just a little bit of onion and tomatoes is ideal to complement the local homemade tagliatelle. The squarish shape pf the tagliatelle gives an extra sensation to the palate that spaghetti can't. A comparison would be to make steak and kidney pie with liver!

thickofit

Do you think British attitudes to food and cooking have changed in the time you've been living in this country? Have you learnt anything from us Brits about food or has it all been one way?

Yes! From the situation I found in 1975 when I came here and now it has changed quite a lot. However I still don't see British chefs embracing in full the abundance of excellent ingredients that there are in this country - game, fish, meat and vegetables.

Unfortunately many of the young chefs want to be trendy and they use ingredients from other countries to be interesting. Try with the British ingredients more and keep it pure according to your culture.

The second question is very interesting. Italian food and British food are two worlds apart. In England little interest - in Italy over interest. I am enthusiastic of the idea to enjoy both.

geekygran

What are your store cupboard essentials for every day Italian meals?

Basically pasta, oil and tomatoes in a tin or jar,. Should you have a bit of bacon, pancetta or even ham it would go nicely. And I always keep a can of good beans such as borlotti.

popster

Hi, Antonio! Which mushrooms do you think work best in mushroom risotto?

The best is fresh porcini - or a mixture of fresh wild mushrooms. Saying that it's possible to achieve a good result by using normal button mushrooms as the fresh element with the addition of dried porcinis - and even adding a porcini cube (available in Carluccio's!)

muddyboots

Oh and another question - I've read that you studied languages - what made you change your career choice?

I studied languages because I wanted to communicate - to learn as much as I could about the food and customs of other countries.

muddyboots

Hello Antonio. What's your signature dish?

I have many dishes that I like particularly but none of them is really better than the other.

ticktock

What cuisine do you opt for when you eat out? Are there other types of food (Chinese/Indian/Russian etc) you'd love to try out?

I like Chinese, Indian - any food that is cooked properly according to original recipes and cooked by the ethnic people that it belongs to.

mincepie

Hello. Do you consider your restaurants to be family friendly?

Yes!

theMulberryTree

Hi Antonio! Lots of restaurants like Ask, Strada, Cafe Rouge have various discounts (2 for 1, 25% off etc) for more affordable eating. Have you thought about offering discounts and money off vouchers (I assume you don't do this already, as I haven't come across any..)?

They have discounts because they are worried that otherwise everyone will go to Carluccio!

I consult management to have a scheme of little rewards for the more serious customers. We will see what happens

Laineyd

How do you make a spaghetti Carbonara? I have tried it once and it turned out to be spaghetti with scrambled eggs. It was disgusting! Thankfully my husband eats anything but both me and my daughter ended up with toast for dinner that night.

What did I do wrong? How can I do right?

Carbonara is made only with guanciale - and there is enough fat that when it's rendered in the pan you don't need to add more. Cut in cubes and fry - then add the pasta - buccatini or spaghetti al dente. On the side beat a couple of eggs and add a bit of pepper, salt (not much) and pecorino or parmesan according to your taste. A little trick that I use is adding a little bit of water - just a spoonful - to the egg mixture so it becomes more liquid. Take the pasta from the water. Put it in the pan and take the pan off the heat and toss it with some black pepper until the temperature has reduced slightly. Add the mixture which should just coat every string but not be like an omelette - and then it is ready to eat.

Banbury

Huge fan!

Could you please tell us a lovely simple pasta recipe for when you come in from a long day and want to throw a few delicious ingredients together for a quick dinner?

My husband and I cook the same simple dish that we love all the time: chilli, garlic tomatoes and prawns tossed in spaghetti. It's amazing, but I'd love to add another to our repertoire!

Thank you

I love spaghetti aglio, olio and peperoncino. And if you are struggling add an anchovy. It takes altogether seven minutes - while the pasta is cooking you can do the sauce. Fry a bit of garlic and chili in olive oil but the garlic shouldn't become brown. Then add the anchovy (fillet in oil) chopped. And seasoning.

HOTNANA

Hi Antonio- is it better to use plum tomatoes or fresh tomatoes for a ragu? Thanks

Considering fresh tomatoes are usually slightly sour because they're not fully ripe better to use crushed tomatoes from tins or jars which are bottled when they are ripe.

kittyp

Which area of Italy do you like best foodwise? They're so very different.

Every region has wonderful food. Italians - they are very parochial about it. But I am slightly unbiased. However I like the regions where my mother and father come from Campagna and Abruzzi and the one where I was brought up - Piemonte.

rosiemus

ooh I am all excited about Antonio Carluccio

I like the fresh tagliatelle you can buy in bags at the supermarket but no matter how I try (and follow the instructions) it always comes out as one big starchy clump. Where am I going wrong?

A very interesting question! For fresh tagliatelle you need one litre of water per 100g pasta. And 10g salt per litre of water. The water has to be boiling when you put the pasta in. No oil is necessary - just stir it for a few seconds after pasta immersion. And stir from time to time until the pasta is cooked. Don't wash under water. Just lift it from the water pan and put in the sauce.