Welcome back to What’s Cooking, Metro’s food series where we find out exactly what’s going on behind the scenes in the nation’s kitchens.
This week we’re rifling through Michele Pascarella’s kitchen in London, to find out what he really has in his cupboard, fridge and freezer.
Michele is the owner of Napoli on the Road with pizzerias in Richmond and Chiswick which were crowned the best in Europe in the 50 Top Pizza Awards 2024.
And if that weren’t enough, at the age of just 33, Michele has been named the world’s best pizza chef.
The chef, who hails from Naples, has been making pizza since he was just 11 years old and realised very quickly that it was his calling. Aged 19, he came to the UK and began working in various restaurants, including Sartori in Soho, before finally setting up his own business selling wood-fired pizza from a van, hence the name.
If you’ve ever wondered where a top chef goes to eat in the city, their kitchen must-haves and what they actually cook for dinner after work, we’ve got the answers…
Before we raid your kitchen, we have to know… what’s the secret to being the world’s best pizza chef?
Lots of people might think the ingredients are the secret, but from my point of view it’s that I never stop learning. I’m always trying to get better.
Learning is key in any job, because if you keep working hard every day then you’ll get better and better.
And it’s important to learn from those around you, when you work with new people, they’ll have something to each you – whether it’s a new chef in a kitchen or a new waitress in a restaurant, you can always learn something.
Are there any ingredients that don’t belong on a pizza?
At Napoli on the Road we get a lot of questions about chicken and pineapple, but I don’t like to put these things on pizza.
If we were going to do a dessert pizza, I might put fresh fruit on it, but the idea of opening up a tin of pineapple and just slapping it on a pizza is horrendous.
In Italy we used to eat lots of chicken, but that was always with a main, so we’d have it after some pasta and do grilled chicken and potatoes, or something like that. We’d just never think about putting chicken on a pizza.
Cooked meat can also be tricky as a topping, as it can be very dry and when you’re putting it into the oven, it’ll be even worse.
Aside from your own restaurants, where are your favourite places to eat in London?
I’m working so much in the restaurants and see so much pizza every day, so when I go out, I try to go to a regular restaurant instead of a pizzeria.
I love Dalla in Hackney, which is an Italian restaurant, and I discovered a new one near Queen’s Park called Ida – it’s very good.
If I were going for pizza, there’s a place in Stoke Newington called Oi Vita, it’s run by a friend of mine and he’s doing more classic Neopolitan pizza, more Roma style. I like that it’s very crispy.
When you’re at home, what’s your ultimately guilty pleasure food?
Sometimes I don’t get home from work until 9pm, so I’m tired and don’t really want to cook dinner. I just go and buy bread, or get some from my restaurant, and toss it together with some olives and cheese.
Name one storecupboard item you can’t live without?
It’s not really very Italian, but I love garlic powder.
If I need to cook any chicken, I’ll use it and some chilli powder as well to season the meat.
And something that always has to be in your fridge?
I always have tomatoes in the fridge and I’m very lucky because I can buy lots of them from Italy and they’re very, very good, especially the San Marzano ones.
I use them to make my favourite dish in the world, which is pasta pomodoro (pasta with fresh tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, basil, and salt).
What about the freezer, what do you keep in there at all times?
There’s lots of bread in there, as I don’t want to throw away anything. And I always have a box of Parmesan rinds.
In Italy, we cut a little piece off the big wheel of Parmesan and when we do pasta with lentils, pasta with potatoes or soup, we put this inside to make it more cheesy. You don’t defrost it, just put it straight in there.
Is there an item you’re always willing to splurge on?
I really hate the little bags of mozzarella in water you get at the supermarket. Cheese, for me, needs to be quality and those little balls of mozzarella don’t taste of anything, it’s better to do without.
I get lots of cheese from Italy, but I do really like the cheese shop in Neal’s Yard and there’s a very good one in Borough Market. It’s fun trying new cheeses on my pizzas.
It’s also very important to have good olive oil. If you’re doing toast with ham, or a salad, or you want to finish some spaghetti with some extra virgin olive oil it has to be good, because if not it’ll be too bitter and ruin it. I’ve spent £27 on a bottle of olive oil before.
Alternatively, which kitchen staple isn’t worth splashing the cash on?
I never buy expensive beer, but I like to have some at home. I’m not a big drinker, so I love the Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0%, it’s always welcome in the fridge.
Finally… what’s been cooking in your kitchen lately?
I really love Greek salads. I’ve always got some Feta cheese and some vegetables to make it and the veg coming up from British farmers is amazing, sometimes even better than from Italian lands, to be honest.
I’ve also been enjoying fresh strawberries and cherries while they’re in season.
Want to take part in What’s Cooking and let Metro raid your kitchen at home? Email courtney.pochin@metro.co.uk
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