The gentle proliferation of restaurants and bars along Smithdown and Allerton road continues, providing further choice for the discerning diner and drinker alike, although this latest addition is not entirely a new venture, per se. Having seen a few, generally positive, reports of business in Little Italy from various media outlets, there was a level of expectation prior to our visit. Upon walking in, we were confronted by stencilled chipboard, plastic greenery and a reasonably spacious layout. All of this are par for the course when considering previous form in Little Italy’s sister restaurants; Tribeca (immediately next door and a premises on Berry Street in Liverpool) and the previously reviewed Neon Jamon [http://electrokemistcuisine.weebly.com/blogs/electrokemistry-review-neon-jamon-liverpool]. The sound of Dean Martin did admittedly make in wince inwardly for a moment, but thankfully that was the only relatively low moment of the evening. Little Italy is nestled at the side of the Tribeca premises on Smithdown Road and is in fact on the same premises; having been spawned from a side room of Tribeca and although they share premises, Little Italy does promise much more. Essentially in the form of the trendy ‘little plates’ dining, which instantly puts some off, but not here. The Italian style ‘tapas’ have tips of the hat and knowing winks to a variety of Italian influences from North, South and islands. The drinks menu is slanted heavily towards wine, as would be expected for a nation that is heavily bent towards the grape rather than grain. The wines on offer are measured choices and perfectly adequate for the food on offer; with the price range reasonably spread for what is on offer in all three of white, red and sparkling. The beers could do with some additional thought, given the consideration that it is becoming much more acceptable to pair with food and the presence of some much more adventurous and competent beers on the market than Peroni and Moretti and lip service from Roscoe IPA and Amber ale. The service was breezy and friendly for the duration and aside from a delay in settling the bill, little to be concerned about. The staff have obviously been given a tour of the drinks and dishes on offer, thus have a picture in their own minds, which dishes sing for them. We start with some charcuterie, as is standard, it is presented on a wooden board, soft earthy rolls of capocollo toscano. This cured neck had slight a pungency that faded with each mouthful and was replaced with a delicate nuttiness. The service was fairly brisk, so dishes rained onto the table for my accomplices and I, thankfully the tide was stemmed by our hunger and eagerness to savour each of the drops in front of us. The bruschetta with figs and salami was clean, fresh and with a spiced meaty hit from the salami to form a hub to the flavour set. The crab and caper linguine, a delightfully messy dish, leaving me almost reminiscent of a young Italian boy tackling ragu soused lengthy pasta, leaving most of it on the pristine white shirt. The flavours were paired well, although this was by no means a stronger dish from the selection. Crisp and creamy Courgette flavours with mozzarella in batter, the radish and pecorino salad with celeriac and pomegranate and the ravioli of baccala and langoustine were all fresh and light punctuations to the spare ribs and the two stand-out moments of the meal. The beef shin pappardelle was a superbly cooked dish. Thick and generous ribbons of pasta slathered in hunks of deeply flavoured and slowly cooked shin, which gave at the slightest touch of a fork. The ragu sauce was cooked well also, enough acidity and seasoning to play a supporting role to the earthy and sweet beef. Another excellent execution from the menu was the pigeon and hedgerow salad, judged excellently with the complimenting peppery leaves and fruit of orange and blackberries to give an acidic blade through a relatively rich gamey meat; which in itself was cooked slightly crisp outside to a moist, pink centre. Desserts were a little polarised; whilst the chocolate mousse was presented in a tea cup with cream, it lacked enough of an x-rated touch from a swirl right through of the salted caramel it came with, which sadly sat at the bottom of the cup beneath the mousse waiting to be discovered. The baked nectarines however, could not have been more aptly tuned. Sweet and slightly caramelised, the nutty crumb of almond and biscotti contrasted in texture and flavour very well, along with a slightly tart hit from each mouthful of soured cream. There are some excellently thought out dishes on the menu at Little Italy and not many poor ones, although the execution could be slightly fine-tuned, there is little else to pick at here, especially whilst the shin and pigeon are still resonating in one’s brain. Whilst it would be churlish to point out the pricing is a little heavy on some of the dishes on the menu, there is little chance a visit will leave you feeling too short-changed from Little Italy. You won’t even need any Euros. Until next time… ciao! Pedro. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Little Italy 336 - 338 Smithdown Road, Liverpool L15 5AN. 0151 733 4477 Twitter: https://twitter.com/LittleItaly336 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Little-Italy/335130566638857?fref=ts
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Having had some ideas seeded from my sister-in-law, plus the picking of her most competent home-cooking brain, I decided to refine my recipe used to make pizza dough and found the key to use ‘00’ grade flour along with extra rising time and to allow the dough to stay relatively moist. Everyone has their favourite style, although mine remains sticking to a more traditional Italian style and using as little dough as possible, keeping the dish thin, crisp and light with relatively few ingredients as toppings. 2009 saw Italy winning Traditional Speciality Guaranteed status for its Neapolitan Pizza, using a strict list of ingredients and made within the region of Naples. The recipe below should be good starting point for making your own pizzas, but the key is to cook it quickly on a high heat, ensuring that the oven is as hot as it will go before each pizza is placed into the oven. Pizza Dough – Makes 5-6 pizzas 450g ‘00’ Grade Flour (plus extra for dusting/working the dough) 1 tsp Salt 7g sachet of Yeast ~30 tblsp Water (plus more if dough isn’t malleable enough) 4 tblsp Olive Oil plus extra for oiling the proving bowl 1/2 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda ½ tsp Caster Sugar 1 Large Egg For the sauce: 250ml Passata 1 tblsp Tomato Puree 1 tsp of Oregano (optional) ½ tsp White Sugar 1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar 1 Clove of Garlic (crushed in the skin) To make the sauce: 1. Heat the passata until begins to simmer, reduce the heat and add the sugar, garlic, the tomato puree, oregano and vinegar. 2. Continue heating for 5-10 minutes stirring occasionally and then leave to rest. 3. Ensure the sauce is warm and thickened before adding approximately 8-10 tblsp to a pizza base, spreading this out in a circular motion. See the method below for making the dough…. To make the dough: 1. To five tblsp of warmed water add the cast sugar and then the dried yeast; leave this to grow for 5-10 minutes. 2. Mix the ingredients together aside from the yeast and sugar, sieving the flour into a mixing bowl to combine with the salt and then add the egg and oil, adding the rest of the water a little bit at a time to the mix whilst turning with a spoon. Now add the yeast/water/sugar Mixture. 3. Mix the ingredients thoroughly as other bread dough, adding water or additional flour as required. The dough should feel silken and slightly tacky, but not stick too firmly to a work surface. Continue working the dough vigorously for at least 5-10 minutes. 4. Oil a large mixing bowl and place the ball shaped pizza dough (which should also be dusted with flour prior to placing the bowl) in to prove. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm place for at least an hour until doubled in size. 5. Once proved, work the dough gently again, adding flour as required and then repeat the proving process in step 4 above once more. 6. Tear off Balls of approximately 90-100g of dough from the proven pizza dough, use your fingers and knuckles to spread the dough out in a circular motion, finally use a rolling pin to flatten out to a 2-3mm thickness and place this on a baking net or tray (I have found the nets work really well in the absence of a pizza stone, rather than a tray). Add the tomato sauce, cheese and toppings as required (do not overload on any of the toppings, particularly in the centre of the pizza – this will allow the pizza to remain crisp and light). 7. Bake in a preheated oven on a baking tray or preferably a baking net, on the maximum temperature until the cheese is melted completely or the edges of the pizza crust are a golden to dark brown colour. 8. Enjoy! There are a multitude of toppings you can add, bearing in mind that the old adage that less is more usually is right! Whilst the addition of cured meats is a savoury treat, satisfaction from a simple margherita style offering using only tomato (san marzano – strictly speaking), cheese (buffalo mozzarella) and basil (if required) will do a fine job of providing joy. I’m a sucker for pepperoni, speck or chorizo though! Ciao! Pedro. x |
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