Giorgio Locatelli – författare

In the follow-up to his acclaimed Made in Italy, Britain's favourite Italian chef embarks on a gastronomic tour of Sicily, a beautiful, sun-drenched isle with a rich and unique culture.When Giorgio Locatelli was about ten years old, and had scarcely holidayed outside his native northern Italy, he was captivated by tales of beautiful seas, idyllic beaches and a different way of life, recounted by the few intrepid local friends who had been to Sicily.Some twenty years later he finally visited the island for the first time and, seeing it through the eyes of a chef, he recalls, ‘I was completely blown away. It was so green and gorgeous, the whole island was a garden of wheat and vegetable fields, orange and lemon groves, olive groves and vineyards…’ Now he is producing his own olive oil on the island and the Locatelli family spend a part of every summer there. ‘Sicily has had a big influence on the way I cook,’ says Giorgio. ‘I have always loved simplicity, but there, you have true simplicity. You have no preconceptions, you have a knife and some salt and pepper and then you go out and see what is in the market. It is such a natural way of cooking that makes you feel so free.’This follow-up book to Made in Italy explores the ingredients and history and introduces you to some of the cooks, fishermen and growers that make Sicily what it is, with regional recipes ranging from insalata di rinforzo, a famous island salad made with cauliflower, to four kinds of caponata, pasta with anchovies and breadcrumbs, Sicilian couscous, and the celebrated dessert, cassata. ‘When people talk about Sicilian cooking,’ says Giorgio, ‘they always speak about the influences from the Greeks, the Arabs, the Spanish… but I really believe the biggest influence is the land and the sea. They determine the produce, which has stayed the same, throughout all the cultural changes. What grows together, goes together, as my grandmother used to say, and it is the simple combinations of beautiful ingredients that makes Sicilian food special.’

Over 150 simple family recipes from the best-selling chef and judge on BBC’s The Big Family Cooking Showdown. From Tuscan tomato and bread soup to monkfish stew, simple spaghettis or lemon and pistachio polenta cake, Made at Home is a colourful collection of the food that Giorgio Locatelli loves to prepare for family and friends. With recipes that reflect the places he calls home, from Northern Italy to North London or the holiday house he and his wife Plaxy have found in Puglia, Made at Home is a celebration of favourite vegetables combined in vibrant salads or fresh seasonal stews, along with generous fish and meat dishes and cakes to share. Early every evening, Giorgio’s ‘other family’, the chefs and front of house staff at his restaurant, Locanda Locatelli, sit down together to eat, and Giorgio reveals the recipes for their best-loved meals, the Tuesday Pizza and the Saturday ‘Italian’ Burger.In a series of features he also takes favourite ingredients or themes and develops them in four different ways, amid ideas for wholesome snacks, from mozzarella and ham calzoncini (pasties) to ricotta and swiss chard erbazzone (a traditional pie), crostini to put out with drinks, and fresh fruit ice creams and sorbets to round off a meal in true Italian style.

In this exquisitely designed and photographed volume, Britain's favourite Italian chef brings forth the work of a lifetime: combining old Locatelli family stories and recipes with the contemporary must-have dishes from his celebrated London restaurants.‘I am an Italian chef who has cooked in Paris and come of age in London,’ says Giorgio Locatelli. ‘Innovative, imaginative food is what people expect from me, but everything I do has its roots in classical, regional Italian cooking.’This is the book that fans of Locatelli have been waiting for ever since he first made his name at Zafferano. The recent opening of Locanda Locatelli, widely regarded as one of the most exciting restaurants in London, has fuelled interest in this master chef.Locatelli lights up Locanda with his big, welcoming personality, seamlessly marrying style with an all-Italian mission simply to bring people together at the table to share food, relax and enjoy good company and conversation. In the same way, his delight in food shines through on every page of this exciting new book. Whether he is reminiscing about the dishes of his native Lombardy, suggesting a starter combining the simplest and freshest ingredients, or explaining how to make the ultimate risotto, Locatelli transports the reader into his own kitchen to savour the real tastes of Italy.Full of the insight and historical detail you might expect from a food writer, combined with the hands-on expertise of a top chef, peppered with evocative stories, and funny and often outspoken observations on the state of food today, this is the contemporary Italian food bible, from the acknowledged master of modern Italian cooking.