Big Mamma Cucina Popolare: Contemporary Italian Recipes

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You heard right -real Italian carbonara sauce is made without cream. Chef Filippo La Gattuta makes a spectacle of serving it straight out of a big pecorino wheel at London trattoria Gloria. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and fry for about 10 minutes until lightly coloured. Pour the mixture into a bowl. Squeeze the gelatine and incorporate it. Add the lemon zest. Use an immersion blender to mix well. Put into an airtight container and rest overnight in the refrigerator.

This isn’t all that confuses. Why does the serving suggestion say “per 4 amici”, but “prep time”, “cooking time” and “cool to know” fun facts (did you know: carbonara classically has no cream in it?!), are all in English. And since when was avocado on toast Italian? Or chocolate mousse? Or Eton mess? This book has a lot to answer for, and we haven’t even got to the recipes. The recipeThis is an ideal cookbook for readers who are looking to create Italian dishes with a contemporary twist." — Publishers Weekly

Cut the ends off the mushroom stalks (stems). In a frying pan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat and fry the mushrooms for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. If you're yet to hit up cult London eateries Gloria and Circolo Popolare, Big Mamma, the group behind the buzz, are bringing their twist on Italian cooking straight to your kitchen with a cookbook."— Living Etc magazine

This little corner of Italy hosted an explosive menu, mixing old Italian classics with ingredients sourced direct from small producers in Italy, plus a few fun twists from Head Chef Filippo La Gattuta. Take a small piece of dough and roll it over a floured work surface into a long cylinder about 2 cm/¾ inch wide. Cut the cylinder into 2-cm/¾-inch-wide pieces. Repeat with the remaining dough. In the meantime, add the guanciale slices to a dry frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat and sear for 5 minutes, or until crispy.

The one thing that unites them all is that everything enjoys a fresh and modern twist - making this the perfect collection of recipes for a new generation of food lovers and Italophiles. The Italian restaurants from Big Mamma, Gloria and Circolo Popolare have been huge successes since they opened. Serving up quality Italian food at good prices and huge portions, they've earned themselves a legion of followers over here.Is this restaurants' last hurrah before Brexit? French owners, Italian staff, ingredients imported from Italy, an atmosphere of optimism and glee currently in short supply on this side of the channel."— Fay Maschler, Evening Standard on Gloria Virginia is our mamma. She has prepared practically every recipe in this book and is THE diva when it comes to tomato confit.

To make a serving of four you’ll need 240 g/8½ oz Agria potatoes, or other floury potatoes such as Maris Piper or Yukon Gold; 80 g/3 oz (1 cup) grated Parmesan cheese; two eggs; 60 g/2¼ oz (½ cup) plain (all-purpose) flour; and 50 g/2 oz of rice flour or durum wheat flour, as well as some salt.Make the Italian meringue. Dissolve the sugar into 2 tablespoons of water and the lemon juice in a pan over a low heat. Bring to the boil and cook until the mixture reads 120°C/250°F on a cooking thermometer. If you don’t have a cooking thermometer, put a little of the syrup in a spoon and let one drop fall into a glass of cold water. If it forms a small, softball, the syrup is ready. In a grease-free bowl, whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks. Pour the syrup in a thin stream into the meringue while whisking until the mixture cools. The following recipe is an Italian classic from Big Mamma, and is normally served up in a huge pecorino wheel at Gloria in Shoreditch. The Big Mamma founders know much of their success lies with their team, “because you can’t put a price on being served with a smile, by passionate people who put so much more into what they do,” they write, “not to mention our incredible team of chefs.” This is an ideal cookbook for readers who are looking to create Italian dishes with a contemporary twist."— Publishers Weekly