A chef, who specialises in Italian cooking, says Brits often overlook a rather unusual ingredient that creates the perfect tomato-based dish. Having trained under Salvatore Ferrara, a chef nutritionist who has collaborated with Marco Pierre White and Aldo Zilli, Nima Safaei is well-versed in professional kitchens and clever cooking methods.
Also the chef and owner of 40 Dean Street in Soho, an Italian restaurant and bar, he’s poured his expertise into the dishes on his menu. Now revealing the secrets to creating the perfect Italian dish such as pasta, Nima said there is one ingredient that is often “overlooked” by Brits.
He shared: “One that Brits often overlook in Italian cooking is anchovies, but it has to be those preserved in olive oil, not brine. Anchovy, unlike other fish, easily melts into sauces, offering up a rich, umami depth perfect for tomato-based sauces.”
Should you not be a fan of fish, Nima offers an alternative.
He shared: “The other go-to ingredient has to be San Marzano tomatoes, aka the gold standard of tomato.
“They’re grown in the mineral-rich soil of Mount Vesuvius and are sweet, velvety and have a very deep flavour.”
Typical ingredients in Italian dishes usually include tomatoes, onions and garlic.
Should you opt to use the latter, Nima said cold-infusing the garlic instead of frying it guarantees a better taste.
This cooking method involves extracting flavours from an ingredient without using high heat.
Rather than frying or roasting, the ingredient is placed into a cool or slightly warmed medium (such as oil, water, or alcohol) and left to release its flavours slowly.
Nima shared: “One trick I swear by is cold-infusing garlic into olive oil rather than frying it. I gently warm the oil, turn off the heat, add sliced garlic, and let it sit.”
The chef went on to say that preparing the bulb vegetable in this way helps avoid the bitter taste that can be the result of overcooked garlic.
“You get all the aroma and sweetness of garlic without the bitterness that comes from overcooking,” he added.
“That garlic-infused oil becomes the perfect base for pasta, seafood, or even a simple bruschetta.”
Garlic-infused oil can be enjoyed as part of various pasta dishes such as spaghetti bolognese or a creamy tagliatelle recipe.
And while ingredients are important, Nima said a simple one-minute cooking trick also helps with the outcome of a dish.
“Remember to rest your pasta for one minute before serving, just like you rest a steak,” he added.
“Letting it sit in the sauce off the heat allows the flavours to settle and the texture to become perfectly supple.”
Dining and Cooking