Where everything began

Labronicus from Labronico, inhabitant of Livorno, Tuscany, where everything began in 1979. Yes that's right, because Livorno is the place where I come from, the city where I enjoyed all my food experiences, wisely driven by all my feminine relatives, mum, grannies and aunts. Always sure of the pure goodness of what I had in front of me ready to be eaten, without bother too much of all the work that was behind it.

Then in 2003 something happened....I moved to London. Yes that's right again and therefore I had to help myself for any meals issues, from shopping to cooking and I did it. Once in England I was barely able to boil an egg but now, after training, books and advices, I happily cook for everybody who wants to. Here in London and even back in Italy I'm always by the stove. I'm not exactly a three stars Michelin chef, but still few people complained and more often than I could hope the plate were always wiped out.

I'm not glorifyng my chef skills, but I'm just trying to make clear my thoughts about food and cooking. In fact I believe, at least as far as I'm concerned, that is quite difficult make something inedible or anyway with an awful taste. I think demands much more efforts cooking something extremely revolting and reject able by your guests than something fairly good or anyway enough good to be eaten and make the night enjoyable.

It is also true that is not enough follow a recipe to get the best result or to get the taste of that particular dish as much as you aim close the original. Otherwise we'd all run a restaurant or a bistro.... As everything experience and passion are needed as well as some basic skills.

This blog come for both unemployness and passion for food, and most of the recipes will be from Italy and my hometown. Beside I'm going to post other recipe taken from friends, especially from Sweden and Galicia for the peace of mind of my girlfriend Jennie and my great friends Pablo and Ana.

All the recipes I'm going to post, they've been done at least once in my kitchen. However the followings it's not. It's a tribute to my hometown, to my sea.

It' a fish stew that come straight from the cliffs and the rocks leading south, a soup that cannot be beaten from any other fish soup. Ladies and gentlemen please welcome the mighty:

CACCIUCCO ALLA LIVORNESE

Ingredients (makes 6):
500gr cuttlefish
500gr octopus
300gr dogfish
500gr mix no less than 5 types (red gurnard, scorpion fish, weevers, goby, moray eels or basically whathever little your fishmonger have that day for the making of fish stew. Just make sure you have gurnard and scorpion fish)
500gr mantis shrimps or langoustines
White vine
1 spoon tomato puree
Olive oil, garlic, sage and chili pepper
12 slices of stale Tuscan bread (unsalted), (farmhouse loaf)

Method:

Take a casserole and put some olive oil, garlic sage leaves and chili pepper. Brown for a little while then add octopus and cuttlefish roughly chopped, pour the white wine and also add the tomato puree. Cook for about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Add the fishes and the smooth hound cut (the heads of the fishes should be cook aside in broth with herbs and then sieved. The result, quite thick, is going to gain a lot the quantity and the flavour). Keep cooking and when the octopus and the cuttlefish are tender and the mantis shrimps, cook other 5-6 minutes.

Meanwhile roast the bread and spread with garlic cloves and pepper. Put the bread on the bottom of a bowl and with a big spoon serve fish and sauce in equal parts.

Despite is a fish stew the wine to match this recipe must red better if young.