Get Floured Up!

The weekend is a kingdom of possibility. Free time is precious, as is family time, and we want you to bring both together this week, along with a little food! We’ve been focussing on the family this month at Oregano and we thought it was high time you spent a little quality time with the kids.

For Italians, the only thing more important than food is family, and we want you to bring both together this weekend by making your own pizzas! They’re easy, they’re quick, they’re tasty, and they’re great fun to make!

Let’s start off with…

The Dough

Ingredients

• 300g strong bread flour
• 1 sachet quick action yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 200ml water
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. Put all your dry ingredients in a bowl. OR – if you’re really brave – on a counter or kitchen surface.
2. Make a well in the centre of your flour, salt, and yeast, and pour in your water. (Yeh, a bowl is probably wiser if you have littlies about!)
3. Add your olive oil and mix together until you have a soft, wet dough.
4. This is the fun bit! Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knead it! (This is a perfect way to get out any tension for the week, and calm the stress of cooking with the children…)
5. Pre-heat your oven to 240◦c.
6. Pop the dough back in the bowl and cover with oiled cling-film then leave to rise for 10-15mins. (This is a bit the kids will love. Gather round the bowl and watch the dough do its thing!)
7. Once risen, roll your dough out to your preferred size – Teeny-weeny pizzette or one big family-sized pizza to share, it’s up to you – but make sure it’s very thin.
8. Place on a floured baking tray and it’s ready to top and then bake!

The Toppings

Ingredients

This is up to you really! Whatever floats your family boat! As a base you could have:

• Tomato Sauce
• White Sauce (Such as cream cheese with lemon and garlic)
• BBQ Sauce (If you want to get a bit Tex-Mex) 

And you could top it with any or all of these:

• Ham/Bacon/Prosciutto/Pepperoni/Chorizo (Meat from your country of choice!)
• Mushrooms
• Spinach
• Onions
• An egg! (find some inspiration for Egg Pizzas HERE)
• Pineapple (If you’re feeling Hawaiian)
• Peppers
• Cherry tomatoes
• Any number of herbs or spices

Basically any animal, vegetable, or mineral which you and your kids love (ok, perhaps not so much the minerals…) chuck it on there then cover it with your cheese of choice – which should, really, be mozzarella, and pop it in the oven! Your oven should have been pre-heated to 240◦c, bake it for 8-10 minutes until perfectly crisp.

This is the most delicious way to have fun with the family – make sure everyone gets involved, one person chopping, one person mixing, add your toppings with care and love and, if you aren’t all covered in flour by the end of it, you’re not doing it right! And if it all goes horribly wrong, just pootle on over to Pizzeria Oregano and we’ll give you the finished product for afabulous family price. 

Family Fettucine Fun

Whether it be for a grand-scale family Sunday lunch or a quick weekday dinner, this delicious pasta dish is always a family favourite. Simple, quick, and tasty – it’s bound to be popular with big and little kids alike.

Ingredients

Per person

• 125g - Porcini Mushrooms (OR to make it a bit more exciting, have a mix of lots of different mushrooms)
• 150g  - Fettucine
• Mint
• Parsley
• 10ml - Single Cream
• Garlic
• Salt and Pepper

Method

• Slice all your mushrooms roughly – you don’t want them to be too small or too even.
• Thinly slice your garlic then fry in olive oil until it turns golden-brown.
• Add your mushrooms to the pan along with finely-chopped parsley and mint.
• Fry until the mushrooms have softened.
• Bring a pan of water to the boil, add salt and your pasta. Cook according to packet instructions until pasta is al dente.
• While your pasta is boiling, add double cream, more garlic, salt and pepper (to taste) to your mushrooms and leave to simmer gently.
• Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the mushrooms.
• Take off the heat and stir until mixed, then serve.

Are you a fan of our fettucine? Get in touch on Facebook or Twitter and let us know! And if you don’t fancy cooking, assemble the family and head on over to Oregano and we shall feed youall handsomely ourselves… 

The Perfect Family Sunday - Italian-Style.

Family is “the only Italian institution” – Father Lydio Tomasi (Founder of the Center for Migration Studies)

This month, at Pizzeria Oregano, we are focussing on what matters the most - family. Until the beginning of September, we want you to assemble your favourite people and head over to Oregano where we will feed you handsomely for just £10 each! 

But we also want to encourage you to embrace Italian family life at home, so this week we are giving you all that you need to plan the perfect Italian Sunday family meal.

At the heart of Italian culture is family, and at the heart of the Italian family is the “gioie della tavola” or “the joys of the table”. Apparently, only 5% of Italians choose to eat out on a Sunday, so we can’t think of a better day to set your traditional Roast aside in favour of a more Mediterranean Sabbath. The key to a perfect Italian Sunday is food prepared with love and care, lots of people and lively conversation.

First step: assemble the relatives! If you live too far away, or simply do not have an arsenal of aunts and grandparents and cousins at your disposal, invite your neighbours, and your friends, and their kids and Bob’s your uncle!

The typical meal structure for a special Italian festa is something like this: aperitivo, antipasto, primo, secondo and contorno, dolce, caffe, digestivo. The primo is usually pasta or risotto, or something similar, and the secondo tends to be the meat or fish course. In any case – there’s a lot of courses there so we suggest assigning a course to each of your favourite guests, and just taking care of the secondo yourself.

Now, let’s get started. While everyone arrives, share an aperitivo – we suggest a glass of Prosecco and some olives. Then – a tavola! – Get yourselves seated, as many people as you can fit in your house. If you need a special table for the bambini, you know you’re doing it right.

The menu should be simple but delicious, using as much locally-sourced produce as possible.

1) Antipasto – Bruschetta (Grilled sourdough bread, rubbed with garlic, then topped with roasted veg, cannellini beans, and fresh tomatoes)

2) Primo – Fettucine ai Funghi Porcini (A delicious pasta dish which is both rich and fresh, as well as incredibly simple – nothing but mushrooms, parsley, mint, and garlic is needed)

3) Secondo – Stinco di agnello (Lamb shank, we suggest giving it a good roasting with red wine and herbs)

4) Contorno – Insalata Caprese (The famous red, white, and green salad with fresh tomatoes, fragrant basil, and delicious Mozarella di bufala)

5) Dolce – Tiramisu (Can’t beat it really, the Italian trifle equivalent, make a trough of it so people can come back for more)

Send the kids out to run amok, while you crack out the coffee (espresso – hot, strong, and in very small cups!) Round things up with a limoncello digestivo as you sit back and loosen your belt.

If you’re serious about doing things the Italian way, you’ll be taking this SLOW, enjoying every morsel of conversation as well as every morsel of food. Things should eventually wrap up around 8pm. And there you have it – the perfect Sunday, Italian-style. Get in touch on Facebook or Twitter and let us know how you got on!

Feed the Family for £40!

Feed the Family for £10 each! 2 large pizzas + 2 small pizzas + 1 bottle house wine + 2 soft drinks = just £40! OR add another £15 and get 4 large pizzas and 2 bottles of house wine, if you're dining with bigger kids... Book Now!

The Avellino "Tomato, Mozzarella, Provola, Rocket and Cherry Tomatoes" To trick the little 'uns into eating veg. The Emilia "Tomato, Mozzarella, Parma Ham and Rocket Salad" For the Teenager with refined tastes.

Pizza, wine, family time - key ingredients for a great day out. *Terms and Conditions - Please mention offer to your server. Subject to availability. Offer valid until 05/09/2015. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer. Service not included.

The Umbria  "Tomato and Mozzarella, Ham, and Mushrooms" Because Mums need a little decadence too. The Sardegna  "Tomato sauce with a selection of cheeses." A cheesy pizza to match cheesy Dad jokes.

Pasta Recipes for Dinner Parties and Duvet Days

Only a week and a half left of our fabulous pasta offer – where you can get 5 of our most classic pasta dishes for just £5 each! These 5 represent some of the best-known pasta dishes Italy has produced, but this week we thought we would share a couple which are a little less famous.

We’ve chosen a creamy-but-hot, endlessly comforting Roman dish – Cacio e Pepe – and a dinner party showstopper for the keen chefs among you with spicy Squid-Ink Pasta with Prawns.

Let us start off easy…

Cacio e Pepe

Ingredients

400g Spaghetti

160g Pecorino Romano cheese

Loads and loads of freshly-ground black pepper

Pinch of salt

Cooking time: 15mins

Method

1. Boil water and add a pinch of salt before popping in your spaghetti.
2. You'll want your pasta to be al dente so check the packet for cooking time. It's usually about 6-10 mins.
3. 1-2 minutes before the pasta is done, get yourself a deep bowl, that is wider than the pan you are using, and place it on top of the pan to warm it. This is a surprisingly important step, since the temperature of the pasta is what will determine the creaminess of your sauce.
4. Grate your cheese.
5. When your pasta is done, remove it from the pan and pop it in the bowl. Warning: DO NOT THROW AWAY YOUR PASTA WATER. This step is also key! Firstly, the heat of the pasta water will help to melt the cheese slightly, and secondly the starch, which the pasta has released into the water, will help to bind the cheese and the pepper to the spaghetti.
6. Add two ladles worth of the pasta water to the bowl of pasta, then add your cheese.
7. Stir together, adding more water if the mix is too dry, and more cheese if it is too watery.
8. Add as much pepper as you would like.
9. Stir until the cheese and pepper have formed a creamy sauce which clings to the pasta.

And now for something a little more complex…

Squid Ink Pasta with Prawns, Chilli and Herbs

Ingredients

3 tbsp of flat-leaf parsley

2 thinly-sliced spring onions

1 tbsp of mint leaves

1 tbsp of basil

1 tbsp of rinsed capers

3 rinsed tinned anchovies

2 tbsp of olive oil

250g of squid ink pasta

14 prawns; cooked, peeled and shells removed.

1 small, deseeded, thinly sliced fresh chilli

A squeeze of lemon juice

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to the boil.
2. Set 1bsp of flat-leafed parsley and 2 tbsp of the sliced green parts of the spring onion to one side for later.
3. 2. Place the remaining parsley and spring onion in a food processor. Add the mint, basil, capers and anchovies; blending until the mixture is well combined and finely chopped.
4. Slowly add olive oil to give the sauce consistency. Add seasoning if needed.
5. 3. Once the water begins to boil, add the pasta and a pinch of salt; cook until the pasta is al dente (see the packet for cooking time).
6. Return the pasta to the pan and add the herb sauce, chilli, prawns and lemon juice to taste.
7. Toss well and serve.
8. Garnish with the parsley and spring onion you set aside, sprinkling generously with salt and pepper.

Pasta perfection - which one will you choose? Will you stun with Squid ink or chill with Cacio e Pepe? Get in touch on Facebook or Twitter and let us know! 

Quiz: How well do you know Pasta?

We're still doing 5 classic pastas for £5 here at Pizzeria Oregano, but which one should you go for? Well take our Pasta Shapes Quiz and find out!

Pasta: The Facts

“Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” ― Sophia Loren

Well, if it’s good enough for Sophia, it’s certainly good enough for us - and we’re not stopping at spaghetti, oh no! This month is all about that most glorious Italian dish: pasta.

Ahhh, pasta. We can barely imagine a world without it, but there was a time when it didn’t exist. So this week we’re starting at that time and then moving forwards to share all our favourite pasta facts!

1) The first mention to pasta can be found in Sicily in 1154 – that’s over 850 years ago!

2) But it wasn’t referred to in English until 720 years later in 1874.

3) The word “Pasta” comes from Latin and means “dough, pastry cake.”

4) Pasta is flavoured and paired with all sorts of ingredients, but traditionally it is all made from durum wheat and water.

5) There are over 300 different shapes of pasta, with over 1300 different names (the pasta most-commonly known as “cavatelli”, for example, has 28 different names depending on region and town)!

6) Pasta is divided by two main classifications, pasta fresca (fresh) and pasta secca (dried).

7) Pasta secca is only considered real pasta if it is made the proper Italian way. This means slow-drying it for more than 50 hours in a copper mould and then in the open air. (The rest of the world usually dries pasta in steel moulds at extremely high temperatures for short periods of time, resulting in an inferior product.)

8) Unlike here in the UK, in Italy, pasta is traditionally served as a first course, in small, simple portions.

9) There are three different types of pasta dish:

a) Pastasciutta = cooked pasta served with a sauce. (e.g. Spaghetti Bolognese)

b) Pasta in brodo = pasta as part of a soup dish. (“Brodo” means “broth”.)

c) Pasta al forno = pasta as part of a dish which is baked. (e.g. Lasagne)

10) You can’t just slop any old sauce on any old pasta! Pair your pasta carefully with your sauce. Take these examples:

a) Pesto = goes with long, thin strands of pasta that it can stick to.

b) Tomato sauce = better with thicker pasta.

c) Chunky sauces = better with tubular or twisted pastas so it can sit in the holes etc.

11) Get your proportions right! You should never have too much sauce – you’ve got to be able to taste the pasta too!

12) It is estimated that Italians eat over 60lbs (27kg) of pasta per person per year. That’s 3 times as much as they eat in the US!

13) In fact, Italians eat so much pasta that the country can’t produce enough wheat to keep up, which has led to Italy actually importing wheat from other countries to make its pasta!

And there you have it, all you need to know about pasta. And if you want to see how it’s done the real Italian way, head on over to Pizzeria Oregano now and try one of our 5 classic pasta dishes for just £5!

Our Top 5 classic pasta dishes

Orecchiette Broccoli e Salsiccia

Tortelloni Ricotta e Spinaci

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Penne all’Amatriciana

Tagliatelle alla Bolognese

Find more HERE.

Picking the Perfect Picnic Wine

Well, we’re coming to the end of picnic month here at Oregano. But that doesn’t mean that picnicking season is over – oh no – it is just beginning. Two weeks’ ago we talked to Dawn from TheSampler – a fabulous Islington wine merchant and our top choice for your alcoholic al fresco beverages. This week, we’ll be sharing Dawn’s picks for the perfect picnic wine to go with your pizza. Commence drooling…now!

1) “Passitivo” – Primitivo, Puglia, 2013

Dawn’s first choice comes - very aptly - from the same place as owner Stefano! One of Puglia’s greatest wines, Primitivo is produced using a rare winemaking technique called ‘il giro del picciolo’ which involves twisting the grape bunch stems so that no further nourishment reaches the grapes about days before picking. This causes the grapes to dry out naturally on the vine, thus concentrating the flavours. This Primitivo is a full-bodied, smooth red with an intense plum and blackcurrant nose, perfect for when you’re getting closer to nature!

2) “E Solo” – Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, 2013

A great Italian favourite, you can’t beat a good Montepulciano. The area from which this wine comes is famous for making delicious food-friendly wines and this one is no different! With flavours of cherry, blackcurrant, and plum, this easy-drinker is perfect with a plate of pasta…or a pizza!

3)“Saint Pierre Rosé Tradition” – Provence, 2014

Coming from a château which has been around since 11th century, the wine-makers from this country estate have had plenty of time to perfect this stunning Provence rosé. Pale pink, with hints of spice and white peach, and stronger strains of tropical fruits, we’d say this is your perfect summer wine, right here!

4)"Artuke Pies Negros” – Rioja, 2013

This dark, fruity Rioja from boutique producer Artuke, may seem a little heavy for a warm day, with its dark fruits, cherries, and cocoa, but this wine pairs beautifully with cheeses and cold or roasted meats, making it perfect for a picnic or BBQ.

5) "The Matador” - Garnacha, 2013 

With notes of strawberries, cherries, and raspberries, this flavoursome Spanish red packs a real palate punch, the perfect pairing for your pizza picnic. 

6)"Badoz Benoit” – Cremant du Jura Brut

And we couldn’t have a picnic wine list without including a little sparkle! This fabulous Cremant du Jura Blanc Brut is elegant and balanced, with fine bubbles, and light citrus notes – well-suited to toasting the summer season.

To buy any of these, or other perfect picnic wines – head to The Sampler on Islington’s Upper Street. And don’t forget a little food to go with your booze! Pop along to see us at Pizzeria Oregano and we’ll fix you up your perfect Italian picnic to take to one of Islington’s finest al fresco spots! Picnic perfection. 

Oregano’s Outdoor Cinema Picnic Picks.

Nothing beats a great film. Except maybe a great film al fresco…

 

We love our cinema here at Oregano so we have picked some of our favourite London places to kick back and enjoy a movie, some fresh air, and maybe even a tasty pizza! Of course, our favourite outdoor cinemas are the ones which let us bring our own delicious Italian food, but we’re such film fans we’ve even included a couple of film clubs where you can’t.  

1) Nomad Cinema - CAN bring your own food

• Where: Various locations
• What to see:
• O Brother, Where Art Thou = Saturday 27th June (Paddington Gardens)
• The Coen Brothers – arguably – at their best. Funny, dark, and weird. With George Clooney.
• The Breakfast Club = Friday 10th July (Grosvenor Square)
• The 80s blueprint for Empire Records and coming-of-age films in general. Amazing and wonderful. A personal favourite.

2) Rooftop Film Club: Queen of Hoxton - CANNOT bring your own food

• Where: Shoreditch
• What to see:
• The Lost Boys = Monday 29th June
• An 80s vampire movie with Jack Bauer in it. Good stuff. 
• Empire Records = Wednesday 1st July
• Top-notch coming-of-age, covers-serious-issues-but-is-still-feel-good 90s film. Do not miss.

3) Drive-in Film Club - CANNOT bring your own food

• Where: Alexandra Palace
• What to see:
• 50 Shades of Grey = Tuesday 30th June
• Not for the faint-hearted or squeamish, but maybe good for those who are game for a laugh?
• The Notebook = Wednesday 1st July
• The ultimate slushy romance. Bring tissues and something fluffy you can stroke to soothe yourself.

4) Luna Cinema - CAN bring your own food

• Where:Various Locations
• What to see:
• Labyrinth = Wednesday 1st July (Tooting Common)
• 80s Fantasy film involving hilarious special effects and David Bowie as the Goblin King. We think yes.
• Top Gun = Saturday 18th July (Crystal Palace Park)
• Like Labyrinth, Top Gun was also made in 1986. Just replace Bowie with Tom Cruise and Fantasy with…planes…

5) Kew the Movies - CAN bring your own food

• Where: Kew Gardens 
• What to see:
• Grand Budapest Hotel = Wednesday 22nd July
• Wes Anderson’s lushly colourful comedy on the big screen in the great outdoors? How could you say no?
• Back to the Future = Thursday 23rd July
• An absolute classic. The science fiction comedy extravaganza celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.

6) Backyard Cinema - CANNOT bring your  own food

• Where: Camden Lock Market
• What to see:
• Whiplash = Wednesday 29th July
• Drama exploring the fractious relationship between a jazz student and his abrasive instructor.
• Clueless = Thursday 30th July
• Jane Austen’s Emma, re-cast and re-set in 1995 Beverly Hills. Sounds ridiculous and… is ridiculous. But also ridiculously good fun.

 

That looks like the next two months sorted to me! Now get out there and enjoy the fruits of the London summer. Alternatively – why not try hosting your own outdoor cinema night – find a friend with a garden and hey presto! We’ll even help you cater it.

Have we missed off any of YOUR favourites? Get in touch and let us know!