For the foodies amongst us, Sicily is a food haven. Thanks to its warm, Mediterranean climate some of the world's best tomatoes, artichokes, olives, citrus fruits, apricots and aubergines are grown here. The island's surrounding coastlines are abundant and famous for their local tuna, sea bream, sea bass, cuttlefish, swordfish and sardines. Being Italy's third largest wine producer, Sicilian wines are also some of world's favourites. For most local farmers, however, these fertile lands carry a dark history. During the many decades of the Cosa Nostra rule, the Mafia bosses took control over a lot of Sicily's best and most fertile plots of lands. For many years, locals have been reluctant to to put their feet on what was considered ‘sacred territory’.

With the decline of the Sicilian Mafia in the early 90's, some of the estates of now imprisoned mafia bosses have been seized. But it was not until 1996 that state legislation allowed these confiscated lands and properties, said to be worth many millions of euros, to be used for the benefit of the people. Centopassi winery is a merger of three local co-operatives fighting together to resurrect the land's dignity.

Located on a plateau at the Upper Belice Corleonese, Centopassi cultivates vineyards originally confiscated from ‘boss of bosses’, Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina, who is serving multiple life sentences for crimes including ordering the asassination of judge Giovanni Falcone. Benefiting from a high altitude and the cooling effect from the nearby Mediterranean sea, this special terroir proved to be particularly suited to the production of quality wines. All the grapes are organically grown, as Centopassi believes that organic viticulture can, literally, cleanse the soil of its sinister past.

Now recognised by Italy's leading wine guides, L'Espresso and Gambero Rosso, the wines of Centopassi are original, full of character and aim to express their land of origin. We are proud to sell them and support their efforts and worthy cause.

These wines and many more are available on our Webstore.

There were enough exciting food shops, restaurants, bakeries, cafes, pop-ups, street kitchens, trucks and diners to make us wonder quite why we’d bought return tickets home. Experimental, exciting, foodie heaven! Every day presented us with another marvel-in-the-mouthful: pastries to get up early and queue for, tempura lemon skin with salt cod croquettes to remember forever, scotch eggs to defy all sense of just-how-good-can-a-scotch-really-be (answer: VERY), magical kale salad with poached egg and garlic crumbs. A few highlights, below, from an incredibly happy, snowy, blessed, fun and fruitful American adventure. . .

Sofra, One Belmont Street, Cambridge MA, 021338 t. 617.661.3161
Ana Sortun is a gem, her cookery book, SPICE, is a treasure and her bakery, Sofra, is the biggest box of delights of them all. Trusting that flavour can come primarily from the artful use of spices and herbs (rather than the fat others often rely on through cream and butter), Ana’s Middle Eastern-inspired cakes and pastries are delicate, delicious and very special. A breakfast here of olive oil granola with orange labne and local honey, semolina pancakes with seasonal jam and a cheeky tahini donut to round off the belly. An inspiration to all of us who think we know how to shake things up at the breakfast table.

Flour bakery and cafe, 190 Mass. Avenue, Cambridge MA, 02139 t. 617.225.2525
‘Make life sweeter. . . eat dessert first!’ is the bakery’s motto and so said both of us as we walked into what felt like the inner santum of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate factory. Move along Mister Wonka as we crown Joanne Chang, chef and owner of FLOUR, the queen of all sweet treats. Homemade oreos and pop-tarts, donuts sparkling with sugar, cookies the size of your hand, chocolate-stuffed croissants, sticky buns, lemon cake, chocolate chip and coconut macaroons, this place was a seriously dangerous discovery.

The Butcher Shop, 552 Tremont Street, Boston Mass. 02118 t. 617.423.4800
A tribute to the old world European boucheries, inspired by chef Barbara Lynch’s travels around France and Italy, far too many hours can be whittled away in this this neighbourhood wine bar and full service butchers shop. With homemade sausages on display, along with slabs of foie gras and exquisite marbled cuts of local beef, this is not one for the strictly vegetarian. I lost a fair few brownie points tweeting out my foie gras-induced delight but, between you, me and the fattened duck, I’d order it all over again and struggle hard not to proclaim. I don’t spread it on my morning toast but, honestly, once in a while?!: divine. . . For a more politically correct menu choice, my beet salad with blue cheese, almonds and citrus vinaigrette was also worth quacking loudly about.

The Gallows, 1395 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02118 t. 617.425.0200
This is a restaurant which knows how to have fun, be confident, surprise, entertain, delight and wow. Gin cured salmon, Guiness fish and chips, scrambled eggs with fries, gravy, cheese curds and bacon, the menu is as loud and decadent as the restaurant’s atmosphere is vibrant. Karl’s absolute-dish-of-the-trip was his gallows’ scotch egg: soft cooked egg wrapped in crispy pork sausage.

Belly Bar, One Kendall Square, Cambridge MA 02139 t. 617.494.0968
Good wine, strong cheese and cured meats: apparently simple ingredients executed to perfection in a very chilled environment. Following the rules of the classic wine bar – small sharing plates of food to accompany your tipple of choice – the comforting formula is shaken up with some real surprises and delights from the homemade charcuterie which arrives on a weathered wooden chopping board. I can’t remember eating better Jamon Iberico and the veal terrine with hints of anise was also very special.

Toro, 1704 Washington Street Boston MA t. 617.536.4300
I adore tapas and I’m addicted to croquettes so thought I’d arrived in heaven here with Toro’s tempura meyer lemon skin with salt cod croquettes. We could have sat there all day, ordering plate after plate. . .

Neptune, 63 Salem Street, Boston MA 02113 t. 617.742.3474
For the freshest local seafood and an impeccable raw bar, Neptune is where it’s at. It’s a tiny joint so the atmosphere is always lively. First class oysters, lobster sandwiches or our favourite dish – the buttermilk ‘johnny cake’ with honey butter, smoked trout tartare and Californian sturgeon caviar all find their perfect companion in an equally focussed and impeccable wine list. These guys know what they are doing and are doing it very well.

Mei Mei
If I could have brought one Boston kitchen back to London it would be this on-the-move food truck. Run by the Li siblings – Andy, Margaret and Irene – they serve up a constantly-changing menu of what they describe as ‘locally sourced Chinese-American food made with love’. With confident riffs on Chinese staples and in-your-face flavour combinations – pork liver paté cone topped with mustard whipped cream, pickle brine sprinkles and a pickled cranberry – this is some of the most creatively delicious food being served in Boston at the moment. My ‘magical kale salad’ with poached egg, feta and garlic did indeed have something magical about it. Street food shouldn’t taste quite this good. . .

Fresh curry leaves and black cardamom makes this curry sing. If you prefer lamb to mutton, reduce the cooking time by 1 hour.

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The ingredients in this recipe marry together with the addition of sherry vinegar and chilli sauce. A healthy, hearty all-in-one meal.
First published in the Guardian, Photographed by Colin Campbell for the Guardian

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The Ottolenghi croissant is something rather rare:
how can so much flour and butter taste like fresh spring air?
Leaf-light layers with a crust light and crisper
“what is the secret?” we often hear our lovely customers whisper
the butter, the kneading, the hand which bakes,
what is the magic ingredient which makes
our puff-pastry parcels the best in town?
(though we say so ourselves, they’ve become quite renowned).
The list of ingredients is no mystery in the least:
flour, butter, milk, sugar, salt and egg and yeast,
the process of their making follows traditions known and old:
knead the dough, let it rise and deflate before it’s rolled;
more rising, chilling, butter and rolling and, as one soon learns,
the all-important layer-producing repeated folds and turns,
repeat again, add more butter, fold and say your prayers
and hope that the resulting croissant has the requisite 36 layers!
The magic’s worked, they’re left to freeze in the bakery overnight
before fresh cooking in our shops, to our customer’s delight.
Served with coffee, spread with jam,
taken home to fill with ham. . .
But the real secret, the one that lies behind this finest treat
is the person who our customers don’t often get to meet
the one whose kneading, the dough’s friend and clock:
our very own and very special Mister Irek Krok:
here from Poland for the past six years,
he’s 36 layers above his baking peers;
for all that one can know the croissant-making drill
it’s years of practise that results in the skill
to make and bake and know the dough,
when it’s rising too quickly and needs to slow
to mix and measure, roll and fold
to feel when the butter’s too hot or cold
to make batch after batch and get it so right
that heaven is thought of in every bite
batons and patterns on tray after tray
we’d like to take a moment to proudly say
that it’s Irek and all those behind the scenes
who make the Ottolenghi food the stuff of dreams. . .

Gonzalo Gonzalo's love story with wine started like so many others have done so before. Born in Logroño, Spain, he grew up among his parents vineyards' in Fuenmayor, Rioja Alta. Following the family tradition, he studied oenology at the university of Rioja before completing his oenologist training in a big industrial winery. The first turning point for Gonzalo came, however, when he went off travelling through France and Italy where he met small vine-growers and winemakers whose natural winemaking practices were about to change his life. Returning from his travels he left a commercial winemaking career behind to set up his own estate. Respect to the land and natural winemaking were at the heart of the estate's philosophy from day one.

The second major turning point in Gonzalo’s journey towards sustainable viticulture and winemaking was the illness of his father, caused by years of daily exposure to chemical fertilizers and herbicides while tending their vineyards in the 1970s. This influenced him profoundly and spurred him on to fight the battle his father had lost. His first objective was to restore the biodiversity in the vineyard lost due to chemical treatment. Rejecting modern chemical treatment, Gonzalo has instead sought out his own methods with respect for the land, his vineyards, and the traditions of his forefathers.

In the weeks prior to the bottling of Gran Cerdo's first vintage, young Gonzalo naively approached the local bank for some financial help to launch the new wine. To his surprise the application was declined on the basis that “wine is not a seizable asset”. Gonzalo eventually managed to launch the wine without the bank's support but did not forget. Ironicallynamed Gran Cerdo (‘big pig’ in Spanish) the wine's back label tells his amusing take on the matter (see below).

And the wine? Made from younger Tempranillo vines, this declassified Rioja is packed with crushed cherries, strawberries and a pleasant softness. This vibrant and juicy little natural wine is phenomenal value and turned out to be an international success. But Gonzallo just can't sit still. Seen by many as Rioja's "Bad Boy", Gonzalo keeps on pushing winemaking limits and is nowadays busy forging relationships with other artistic forms such as painting, music, fashion or architecture, in order to stimulate joint creative talent.

For this wine plus many more, visit our Webstore

Just some of the team who made it another wonderful Christmas at Ottolenghi

Kensington is closing on Saturday, December 22nd at 18:00 and will open again on Monday, January 7th, 2013 at 08:00.

Notting Hill & Motcomb

Christmas
Monday 24th 08.00 – 16.00
Tuesday 25th closed
Wednesday 26th closed
Thursday 27th 09.00 – 20:00
Friday 28th 08:00 – 20:00
Saturday 29th as usual
Sunday 30th as usual
New Year
Monday December 31st 08.00 – 16.00
Tuesday January 1st 2013 closed
Wednesday January 2nd 09:00 – 20:00
Thursday January 3rd 08:00 – 20:00

Islington

Christmas
Monday 24th 08.00 – 16.00
Tuesday 25th closed
Wednesday 26th closed
Thursday 27th 09.00 – 22.30
Friday 28th 08:00 – 22.30
Saturday 29th as usual
Sunday 30th as usual
New Year
Monday December 31st 08.00 – 16.00
Tuesday January 1st 2013 closed
Wednesday January 2nd 09.00 – 22:30
Thursday January 3rd 08:00 – 22:30

NOPI

Christmas
Monday 24th 08:00 – 16:00
Tuesday 25th closed
Wednesday 26th closed
Thursday 27th 10:00 – 22:30
Friday 28th 08:00 – 22:30
Saturday 29th as usual
Sunday 30th as usual
New Year
Monday December 31st 08:00 – 02:00
Tuesday January 1st 2013 closed
Wednesday January 2nd dinner only 5.30pm
Thursday January 3rd 08:00 – 22:30

Christmas time is fine wine time and there's nothing quite as festive
as a row of elegant long glasses filled with bubbles. It’s time,
however, to move on from the often-acidic and underwhelming Champagne
offered by many supermarkets and expand our horizons to find something
new. Not sure how to distinguish one sparkling wine from another? Let
me help you select the right bubbles to see in – and see you through –
2013:

Sparkling English wine: only a few years ago, most of our local fizz
was quietly patronised by those ‘in the know’.. How fast things have
changed! Nowadays, oozing with confidence, accolades pilling up and
comparisons to Champagne being made, English sparkling wines are going
from strength to strength. Set aside your preconceptions and see out
this Jubilee year by filling your glasses with some local pride,
bubbles and joy. . .

Prosecco: the lighter, softer and less formal option, this is the
perfect way to kick off the evening. Light and casual, however, can
also mean delicate and delicious. Try to look for the small,
independent producers found in specialized wine shops or in our online
shop. Coste Piane Prosecco is one of our favourites. Made in the
traditional methode Champenoise, this offers a richness and complexity
usually associated with Champagne but for a Prosecco price.

Cava: not all Cavas are born equal and a lot of the cava we know
gives the drink an unfairly bad name. There are, however, a few
artisanal producers who still make the real thing: rich and elegant
sparkling wines which age gracefully. A far cry from your supermarket
Cava, Josep and Antoni Mata Casanovas from Cava Recaredo produce one
of our absolute favourites, Brut Nature Gran Reserva. Using organic and natural fertilisers
only, with no use of irrigation, their Cava is a real gem: gentle and
very sophisticated. More than five years old it is rich and complex in
style and will surprise all the Cava sceptics out there.

The ginger and copious amount of herbs and spices make these fish cakes sing and dance and jump in the air. They really are overflowing with flavour so all you need is a squeeze of lemon juice. However, the beet and horseradish sauce will add sweetness and heat that will complement these really well.

Try it with: Verdicchio-Dei-Castelli-Di-Jesi-Gino-Fattoria-San-Lorenzo-10. Mineral, pure and elegant it has enough spice to
compliment the ginger and just the right amount of freshness to work
with the fish.

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A successful pairing of fresh tomatoes and pomegranate seeds is something I have only come across recently, when visiting turkey. This salad is so crunchy and sweet you can eat it with a spoon, and never stop.

Try it with: Mano-a-Mano-Domaine-du-Matin-Calme -10. Soft fruity and
silky. Medium bodied, good fruit and spice and fresh acidity all work
well with the sweet-ish flavours and garlic dressing.

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This not-so-traditional shakshuka is a whole meal in one frying pan and its mighty popular. All you need is some good, airy bread that can soak up the sauce and you are equipped to feed any group of fussy eaters.

Try it with: Gran-Cerdo-Gonzalo-Gonzalo-10. Juicy young and fleshy. This vibrant little natural wine is dangerously drinkable and makes the perfect partner for this style of shakshuka.

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This freeform tart can be served with coffee or tea in the afternoon or made into a fully-fledged dessert by warming it up and serving with ice cream or clotted cream. The yeasted pastry can comfortably be replaced with a commercial all-butter puff pastry sheet of similar dimensions.

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The relish will make more than needed but it is completely delicious and will last in the fridge for a couple of weeks at least. Serve it with roasted vegetables, grilled chicken or slow-cooked lamb. Commercial harissa varieties can vary. If yours isn’t very spicy, add a bit of cayenne pepper to it to enhance the kick.

Try it with: Garda-Groppello-San-Biagio-Selva-Capuzza-11. Its soft
fruit, vibrant and fleshy notes balance the meatballs' dominant
flavours.

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The method below involves oven-grilling – simpler and more realistic in the British winter months – but you can easily choose to barbecue your fish instead, as I do in the programme. Red mullets available in the UK are normally larger than those I cooked in Tunisia, so I have adapted the recipe accordingly. If you manage to find small red mullets or choose to use sardines instead (which are also great!), allow 2-3 per portion and reduce the cooking time substantially.

Try it with: Nagy-Somloi-Furmint-Tornai-Pinceszet-08. Its lemony edge and herbaceous character spices up this red mullet.

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