The godfather of Italian gastronomy, Antonio Carluccio is the UK’s most famous exponent of Italian food. Famous chef, food lover, restaurant owner and TV host, Antonio is a well known by his authentic Italian accent. He wrote 20 books about Italian cuisine.
Antonio Carluccio opened his first Carluccio’s restaurant in 1991, “to show people they can eat simple, decent food with nice surroundings and nice smiley service for a fair price”, Antonio said. In following years, the Carluccio’s growth into a serious chain of restaurants, with more than 80 locations. In 2005, Antonio sold his shares for £5million.
The host of the series Antonio Carluccio’s Italian Feasts, Antonio recently appeared in the BBC series called Two Greedy Italians, with his friend and Italian colleague Gennari Contaldo. Antonio is the chef who believed in Jamie Oliver and gave him his very first job at Carluccio’s Neal Street restaurant, as a pastry chef.
Antonio Carluccio explains what does food really mean to him
Antonio Carluccio was born in Vietri sul Mare, Salerno, Italy. He was passionate about the food and cooking since a young age. Antonio thinks of the food as a way to connect cultures, and believe that food and procreation are impossible one without the other.
The Italian food expert Antonio Carluccio reveals his secret for the perfect pizza
Antonio Carluccio’s recipe is based on just a few, but very good ingredients. He explains the perfect pizza for him is “the Margherita pizza which is the most simple, with good flour and yeast. Let the dough rise very well, then flatten it. Don’t put too many things on top, people tend to overdo it and then the pizza doesn’t cook. A little bit of tomato and mozzarella and a little bit of basil and that’s it, Bob’s me Uncle.“
Carluccio’s breakfast menu – Scrambled eggs with sautéed mushrooms
Antonio Carluccio’s recipe for perfect scrambled eggs: “You just have to pay attention. When you have them in the pan, just stir them, and don’t leave it too long or they’ll become too hard. They just need a very short time and then you have lovely creamy eggs, otherwise, they become like polyfill. It’s just a question of controlling the temperature.”
Which is the best Italian food region?
Antonio says every region in Italy has something to offer, like vegetables from Tuscany or Neapolitan pizza from Naples: “Italy is made of 20 regions and each one has its own food. You can eat in every region something completely different, but extremely well.”
