Gennaro's Cucina: A cookbook of classic Italian recipes that help to budget during a cost-of-living crisis

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Contaldo left Italy in 1969 for England where he worked in the kitchen at Barnet General hospital. He married in 1974 and had three children - he later had two more children with his current partner. He briefly established an Italian antiques business before returning to cooking. Contaldo's inspiration to cook in England was partly due to the availability of game and fungi, both important components of Amalfitan cuisine. In media interviews, Contaldo has frequently voiced his enthusiasm for foraged wild food, especially mushrooms. [1] [2] [3] Contaldo is also known for his association with Jamie Oliver, whom he first met at Neal Street Restaurant in the 1990s. The two chefs have since maintained a close friendship and professional relationship. Oliver even once put up a reward for information when Contaldo's restaurant, Passione, was burgled in 2003. [5] Contaldo has appeared on many of Oliver's television shows, such as The Naked Chef. He made a comic appearance as one of Oliver's sous-chefs on Food Network's Iron Chef America, in a battle against famed Italian-American chef Mario Batali. Contaldo also developed menus for Oliver's UK restaurant chain Jamie's Italian, in which he is a business partner.

Gennaro Contaldo’s cheap, delicious Italian On my plate: Chef Gennaro Contaldo’s cheap, delicious Italian

Iron Chef America - Served as one of Jamie Oliver's sous chefs during his battle with Mario Batali (2007) Contaldo grew up in the small village of Minori on the Amalfi Coast, developing his love for food from days he spent hunting with his father and grandfather, and collecting herbs for his mother. He began working in local restaurants at the age of eight. Gennaro Contaldo puts a bowl of penne in front of me. “Eat! Enjoy it!” he says. It’s 10am, but you don’t turn down pasta at an Italian chef’s house – no matter what time it is.Heat plenty of vegetable oil in a deep frying pan until hot, then add the pumpkin slices (you may need to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pan) and deep-fry for a couple of minutes on each side. Remove using a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. In 2011 he toured the Italian regions alongside Antonio Carluccio in a four-part series for the BBC, "The Two Greedy Italians". This was followed up by a second series which aired in 2012, "The Two Greedy Italians: Still Hungry". On working with the young Jamie Oliver, the Italian chef said: “He was already talented. He knew what he was doing.

About Gennaro | Gennaro Contaldo About Gennaro | Gennaro Contaldo

And I hate expiry dates, just smell it, look at it – there’s nothing wrong with it except when it’s rotting. Even if you’ve got some milk left, when it goes sour you’ve got lovely ricotta.” He learned to cook because, everyone did. “Inside my house papa wanted to cook, grandfather wanted to cook, grandma would cook, my mama would cook, my sister was taught by my grandma. Classic Italian cooking, at its very heart, is cost-effective. The basis of many of the most famous dishes is known as “cucina povera” literally translating to “poor kitchen” or “poor cooking”. The chef says: “There was not much, so whatever you had you cooked in many different ways and nothing used to be thrown away.” Along with the majority of post-war Italian families, a young Gennaro was raised on a diet harvested on a limited budget. Restricted choice of scarce ingredients meant they learnt the value what they had, how to cook dishes lovingly and use imaginative methods of preservation to make simple dishes go far: including salting, drying and curing.Gennaro explained: “He’d just come out from college. Don't forget, Jamie’s very talented, and also he used to cook since he was a little child, because his mother and father had the restaurant, a pub. So, one way or the other, he was there. In this inspirational cookbook, Gennaro takes you on a culinary journey of regional basic Italian staples and turns them into beautiful meals. With tips and ideas of what to do with leftovers, Gennaro helps home cooks squeeze maximum use from the ‘cucina povera’ ethos, turning humble ingredients into nourishing feasts without taste sacrifice.