Dubai: Antonio De Crecchio started his career in 2006, working as a pizza chef in Naples, Italy. According to him, he was only 14 years old.
“I’ve always loved food and cooking, but that’s when I really fell in love with cooking,” he told Arab News. “My first boss was tough on me, but he taught me a lot about getting things done and pushing myself to be better.”
He went on to work as a pizza chef at various Rossopodoro outlets across the UK, including London, Birmingham and Newcastle, before returning to Italy to lead the team at Rossopodoro outlets in Turin and Milan. He moved to the UAE in 2019 and took a job as a pizza chef at Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Dubai. He currently serves as executive chef at his Amò in Via Toledo, Address Beach Resort, Dubai.
“Working here was emotional for me,” he says. “After years in casual dining restaurants, opening a fine dining restaurant feels like reaching a higher level,” he said.
Here, De Crecchio, affectionately known as Chef Toto, shares tips for amateur chefs, his love of Italian cuisine, and his most challenging dishes.
What is your top tip for amateur chefs when cooking at home?
Invest in Bimby. It’s the perfect tool for making pizza dough, ensuring the end result is just like the one you’d get at a restaurant. Plus, it saves you a lot of time so you can focus on other tasks. It takes a lot of experience to make dough correctly, so having the right equipment can make a big difference.
When you go out to eat, do you find yourself critiquing the food?
yes. frequent.
What are the most common problems you see in other restaurants?
One thing I notice, especially with Italian food, is that pasta isn’t always cooked the way it should be al dente. This can be difficult for me since I have a strong attachment to traditional Italian food that my grandmother used to make.
What is your favorite dish to eat when you go out?
My favorite cuisine is Italian food, especially pasta. It reminds me of my home country and brings back nostalgic memories.
What customer request or behavior frustrates you the most?
The request that annoys me the most is when I ask for chicken pasta and pineapple pizza.
What is your favorite dish to make?
My favorite dish is pasta. Because it reminds her of Sundays in her hometown, when her mother would make pasta for her family’s lunch.
What is the most difficult dish to get right for you?
The most difficult dish to perfect for me is egg dishes. It needs to be cooked at a low temperature to keep the interior soft, and it’s important to achieve the right texture of the accompanying bubbles. If you don’t get the balance right, the dish will lose its individuality.
What is it like being a head chef? Are you a disciplinarian? Or are you more laid back?
As a head chef, I prioritize discipline, but I avoid yelling at my staff. In the kitchen, maintaining both discipline and empathy for your team are essential to success.
Chef Antonio’s Gnocchi with Duck Ragu
material
1 kg of potatoes. 100g Parmesan cheese; 15g salt; 1 egg. 375g all-purpose flour; 1kg duck feet. 250g carrots, chopped. 250g white onion, chopped. 250g celery (chopped)
Instructions
For the duck ragu:
1. Heat a pot on the stove until it reaches smoking point. Add blended oil.
2. Sprinkle salt on the skin side of the duck legs. Bake until the surface of the meat is charred, then transfer to a deep baking tray, sprinkle with fat, and bake in an oven at 150℃ for 2 hours.
3. In the same pot used for searing, add the celery, white onions, and carrots to the duck fat and deglaze with about 4 quarts of chicken stock.
4. Bring the stock to a boil and slowly add each leg to the boiling stock.
5. Transfer the stock and duck leg to a large baking dish and heat in the oven at 160°C for 2 hours.
6. Remove the dish from the oven, remove the duck leg from the liquid, gently pull the meat from the duck leg and set aside.
7. Transfer the remaining liquid to a saucepan and simmer for 1 hour.
8. Let the mixture cool and mix with the duck meat to make duck ragu.
For the gnocchi
1. Steam and mash the potatoes until soft.
2. Add grated Parmesan cheese, salt, eggs and flour and mix to form a dough.
3. Roll the dough into a rope shape and cut into small pieces to make gnocchi.
4. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook until the gnocchi float to the surface. Remove and set aside.
5. Add the butter and extra Parmesan to the cooked gnocchi and toast in a skillet until lightly browned.
6. Serve the gnocchi and top with the prepared duck ragu.
