Perfect pasta: A lesson in food from Jamie’s mentor

I pick up some tricks of the trade from Italian master Gennaro Contaldo at the Guildford branch of the restaurant chain he set up with his protégé, Jamie Oliver. 

 Gennaro shows me how to make the perfect pasta - photos by Steve Porter

Whether you love or loathe him, there’s no denying that Jamie Oliver is passionate about food, particularly the Italian variety.

That’s one of the many attributes he no doubt picked up from his mentor, Gennaro Contaldo, who he first met while working as a pastry chef at the Neal Street Restaurant in London.

“Jamie has always cooked Italian and I am all about Italian, so when he worked with me at Neal Street I would show him whatever I could show to him,” Gennaro said of his protégé as he welcomed me
into Jamie’s Italian restaurant at the bottom of Guildford High Street.

Although cheeky celebrity chef Jamie is the face of the restaurant chain, which aims to make good Italian cuisine accessible to everyone, not many people know Gennaro is very much a driving force behind
the business, developing menus and training the chefs.

“When Jamie first came to me and said he wanted to open not only one but two, three, in fact many restaurants all over the country I told him I didn’t understand why he wanted to do it - he had put so much time, energy and money into Fifteen and almost went bankrupt.

“However, he managed to talk me round and now I am working in every single restaurant. “It was always his dream to give something back and a few years ago it became mine,” said the 63-year-old, who presents
the Two Greedy Italians series of television programmes with his close friend and mentor, Antonio Carluccio.

Gennaro, who grew up on Italy’s Amalfi coast but moved to the UK in the 1960s, truly believes that food helps the soul and that cooking as a family can help create strong bonds.

And the chef was particularly shocked when I told him I had never made fresh pasta before, telling me that watching his mother and aunty make fresh pasta as a child was one of the things that started his love affair with food.

“Making your own pasta is something everyone can do,” the father of six said. “In my family it was my
mamma who used to do it but anyone can, your mother, husband, boyfriend, the children. People say they have no time but it is so quick, it takes about five minutes.”

To feed about four people, you need 200g of 00 flour and two eggs, he told me. Mix together with a bit of salt and pepper and then need into a dough. Wrap this in cling film and leave for 30 minutes and then you are ready to create whatever type of pasta you want.

Genarro suggests investing in a pasta machine to roll out the pasta but you can use a rolling pin - it will just take a lot longer. Once rolled thin enough (you should be able to lift the rolled out dough by blowing underneath it) you can cut into shapes to make the different types of pasta you want, such as tagliatelle (strips) farfalle (bows) maltagliati (off cuts) or fill with something for ravioli.

“Making ravioli is a great way of using up your leftovers,” Gennaro said. “In Italy we use lots of ravioli for this reason. You make roast beef, what do you do with the leftovers? You make some ravioli. You can use
anything vegetables, spinach, salami.”

For our ravioli we used Buffalo ricotta, nutmeg and lemon juice. Gennaro the showed me how to create a variety of different ravioli styles, although I’m sure mine didn’t look like they were supposed to.

“That is what is good about it though, it doesn't really matter what it looks like, it makes it rustic and unique. The rougher it is the more it will soak up the sauce,” Gennaro said, perhaps trying to make me feel better.

A move from the table to the kitchen and an infusion of a few additional simple ingredients such as olive oil, basil, sage, tomatoes mussels and pumpkin and what started out as just 200g or flour and two eggs had become four completely different pasta dishes.

“It’s simplicity”, Gennaro added. “Italian cuisine is all about that. You open the fridge, you see what’s there and you use it. If you use what is in season, it’s going to taste great.”

• Let’s Cook Italian by Gennaro Contaldo is published by Pavilion Books RRP £20.

This article first appeared in the Surrey Advertiser on 21 May, 2012

Rigby & Peller arrives in Surrey

Premium lingerie retailer, Rigby & Peller, will open a brand new boutique in Guildford this Friday (July 20).

The new store, at 16 Tunsgate, is the brand's third boutique outside of London and promises to bring luxurious lingerie solutions to the ladies of Surrey.

"I've been working for Rigby & Peller, helping ladies achieve a flawless silhouette, intermittently for the past 20 years and cannot wait to bring this experience to Guildford," said store manager, Amanda Menikou. "It is great to see local ladies with such style and pride in their appearance, so it is my mission to help enhance this even further."

To celebrate the launch, Rigby & Peller is offering women who visit the store on Friday the chance of winning a free lingerie set. Customers will also be able to view the extensive Rigby & Peller range including luxurious lingerie, swimwear and nightwear pieces, as well as take advantage of the complimentary fitting service.

For more information, visit www.rigbyandpeller.com or call the Guildford branch on 01483 533969.

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New denim label for Donna Ida

Denim boutique owner Donna Ida is set to launch a new denim label.

The new label, Ida by Donna Ida, will comprise a collection of true-waisted, tailored jeans with classic co-ordinates and will be available at her Guildford store on Swan Lane from Spring 2013.

"IDA was born from a need to satisfy an increasing customer demand towards high-waisted fashion styles," said Donna, who is originally from Australia.

"I am constantly reaching for high-waisted styles within my own denim wardrobe but find I am limited from a fashion point of view. High-waisted is chic, stylish, and comfortable to wear and creates a beautiful silhouette. For me this is the modern yet timeless way to wear denim."

Retail prices for jeans will range from £150 to £170.

The Guildford boutique can be contacted on 01483 569330. Alternatively visit ww.donnaida.com to view the current collections available in store.

French Connection launches homeware in Guildford

The Guildford branch of French Connection is one of just 10 of the fashion brand's stores, which will stock its new homeware collection.

Launched this month, the new range, is described by the brand as "bringing sophistication and sleekness to any home environment by introducing a clean fusion where minimal sits with rustic antique".

Mango Lamp £95

Although it seems FC is just the latest in a long list of High Street fashion labels to make the increasingly inevitable leap from clothes to homeware, this is in fact its second crack at the homeware whip.

Around 10 years ago the company launched homeware for the first time with a selection of bed linen and other soft furnishings but it was panned by critics and soon pulled from stores.

Breton Stripe Cushions £35-£45



Let's hope the new line, which has been designed with the help of Lorraine Brennan (who has previously designed for The Conran Shop) and includes soft furnishings, glassware, lighting,ceramics and a few choice furniture pieces, will be received more favourably than the last.

French Connection Home can be found at 67-68 North Street, Guildford.