Latest news with #Giancarlo
The Guardian
18 hours ago
- General
- The Guardian
How to make the perfect fritto misto – recipe
Fritto misto (the term for 'mixed fry' sounds so much better in Italian, somehow) is, in the words of Katie Caldesi, 'an assortment of deep-fried vegetables, fish or meats … all bite-size, intended to be eaten with fingers and a wedge of lemon'. And she should know, because she loves the stuff so much that she served fritto misto at her wedding to chef Giancarlo. It's pure crisp, relaxed holiday pleasure – a simple crowdpleaser that everyone can dig into together, with, as Caldesi observes, a winning element of surprise: 'You don't know what is hidden beneath the batter until you've bitten into it.' On that note, and because my memories of the dish involve rustling salty piles washed down with well-chilled carafes of vino della casa at seaside restaurants, I always think of the fishy version (properly fritto misto di mare), but I've given suggestions below for a vegetable alternative so everyone can enjoy the feast. After all, as the Tuscans say, fritta è buona anche una suola di scarpa (even the sole of a shoe tastes good fried). Alan Davidson's magisterial 1972 work Mediterranean Seafood explains that, while fritto misto is 'one of the most common fish dishes in restaurants on the Italian coast … the composition varies according to what is available, and there are scores of possible combinations. In Venice,' he adds, 'a typical mixture would be from the following range: inkfish or squid; soft-shell crabs; prawns or shrimp; eel; sardines. In Naples, the list would be shorter.' Quoting one signora Jeanne Caròla, he writes: 'Our fritto di pesce, the ultra-classical one, is not too varied: red mullet and squid only.' With such a simple recipe, you should be guided by what's freshest, or what looks best, at the fishmonger – that's the Italian way. However, my job here is to test recipes as written, so obediently I went out to find large raw prawns, which most recipes call for, along with baby squid. Cesare Casella and Stephanie Lyness's The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Italian Cuisine demands fish fillets; Tessa Kiros' Twelve specifies red mullet, so, happening upon a fine Cornish example at my local fishmonger, I use that in both. Sasha Marx's recipe for Serious Eats, meanwhile, substitutes the usual sardines and anchovies for the North American smelt, which I swap back to anchovies. Caldesi, too, goes for anchovies, though she sandwiches tinned ones in fresh sage leaves, thereby adding a pop of salty perfume that proves irresistible; in fact, one of my testers asks why I can't just make a whole plate of those instead. The River Cafe Classic Italian Cookbook simply calls for 'mixed small fish' (though its authors note that the day they went to the market, they were lucky enough to find 'langoustines, soles, mullets, eels, prawns and moscardini [baby octopus]'), which, in my case, means the anchovies and the whitebait I've already bought for Russell Norman's version. These are soaked in milk for 15 minutes before cooking – though Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray don't say why, it's said to reduce the 'fishy' flavour. Fresh fish ought not to need this treatment, so I've thrown caution to the wind and skipped this step. Whatever you go for (do play about with my suggested selection below), it's very easy to overcook seafood – to my mind, the prawns stand up best to the fierce heat of the hot oil, even more so if, like Marx, you leave the shells on. But if crunching through them isn't your idea of fun, you might prefer to remove them first. If you fancy using fish (and the more textures and flavours here, the merrier, as far as I'm concerned), I find that small whole ones work better than fillets or cubes of mullet, which are difficult to cook perfectly and have a tendency to stick or fall apart. You could also use soft-shell crabs, scallops, mussels, even oysters; anything that appeals, really. Vegetables are very much an optional extra, but I like the freshness that they bring to the dish – or as much as anything that's been deep-fried can be said to be 'fresh'. Caldesi suggests cauliflower and artichokes, Kiros artichokes, asparagus, courgettes and tomatoes, and Casella and Lynness courgettes and aubergine, plus sprigs of sage, parsley and basil. The artichokes, to my and my testers' surprise, prove the favourites; they don't seem to give off much water (courgettes and aubergines, on the other hand, are prone to turning soggy) and their shape provides lots of interesting ridges for the batter to cling to. But they're so seasonal that I've substituted the more easily sourced fennel bulb, whose aniseed flavour I think pairs better with fish. If you'd prefer to keep things vegetarian, use a mixture of vegetables that take your fancy, but avoid anything with a high water content such as mushrooms and ripe tomatoes. Where the recipes really differ is in the batter they use, which varies from chef Pasquale Torrente's mere dusting of semolina flour to the enriched, beer-spiked batter in the Caldesis' The Italian Cookery Course. Being a sucker for carbs, I admit to a fatal weakness for the more robust and shatteringly crisp batter shell – somewhere between tempura and a fish supper – produced by Caldesi, Kiros and Angela Hartnett's recipes. As with so much here, however, it's a matter of personal preference; if you like your seafood plain and simple, just dip it in seasoned semolina, or in the mixture of semolina and cornflour used by Marx, which does indeed help to keep it crisper for longer, or in the River Cafe's flour before frying. (Semolina gives a grittier consistency; Casella and Lynness mix cornmeal and flour for a similar, but even craggier result.) Flour, according to Harold McGee's seminal On Food & Cooking, is the ingredient that has the 'largest influence on batter quality … the gluten proteins in ordinary wheat flour are valuable for the clinginess they provide, but they form elastic gluten and absorb moisture and fat, and so are responsible for chewiness and oiliness in the fried crust. For these reasons, moderate-protein flours make better batters than bread flour.' Though I don't find any recipes that call for bread flour, several mention the finely milled 00 flour traditionally used in pasta making, possibly because it's one that's often found in Italian kitchens. The example I buy, however, proves higher in protein than my standard plain variety, so I've stuck with the latter, cut with cornflour, which, as McGee explains, 'improves crispness because its relatively large particles are less absorbent, and its proteins dilute wheat gluten and reduce the chewiness of the crust'. Much as I appreciate an excuse to crack open a bottle while cooking, I favour the plainer, water-based batters to those made with beer and wine, or indeed eggs and milk (with a special mention to the whisked egg whites in Norman's book Polpo, which give his dredge an ethereal, tempura-like effect). Cold sparkling water, in particular, produces a deliciously light, crisp result. If you're a real perfectionist, you might take Hartnett's advice and stir the batter over a bowl of iced water, because the colder the batter, the slower the gluten formation. I find simply using fridge-cold water and being careful not to overmix (chopsticks are, as she says, ideal for the purpose) work well enough for me. I don't think Marx's baking powder is necessary, given the sparkling water, nor Caldesi's pinch of sugar, which I suspect is, like the milk in many recipes, more there to encourage the batter to brown than to add an overt sweetness. Fritto misto tends to be rather paler than, say, an onion ring; more a ghostly tentacle than a bronzed rubber band. This is one recipe that you must, I'm afraid, get out the oil for: the clue is in the name. A high heat is best – Casella and Lynness's 165C feels too cool, and the seafood takes ages to brown, leaving some of it overcooked. Better to go in hot and fast, as Hartnett and several others recommend – though, unless you have a huge fryer, I'd also urge you to cook the different elements separately, to prevent the squid overcooking while the prawns are still floppy and wan. It's also best, if doing both vegetables and seafood, to cook the former first, or everything will end up tasting of fish. Serve hot, with plenty of salt and wedges of lemon to squeeze over the top. The ingredients list is just a guide, so feel free to swap in seafood and vegetables as desired. Prep 25 min Cook 10 min (depending on the size of your pan) Serves 4 2 fennel bulbs 300g squid, baby or large, cleaned if necessary8 large raw shell-on prawns, or 12 medium ones200g small whole fish (ie, whitebait)16 sage leaves 8 anchovy fillets in oil, drained 125g plain flour, plus extra for dusting25g cornflour Salt Neutral oil, for frying250ml very cold sparkling water Lemon wedges, to serve Trim the fennel and cut it into chunky wedges. Give the squid a wash, then remove the tentacles, and cut off and discard the head at the top of them. If the squid are large, you might need to peel off the outer membrane (look online for advice) before cutting the body into chunky rings; if using baby squid, leave the bodies whole. Wash the prawns, cut a slit down the back of each one and pull out and discard the dark 'vein' running along the prawn's back. Wash the small fish. Pat everything dry. Pair up the sage leaves with ones of fairly equal size, then sandwich an anchovy fillet between each pair (you may need to trim one end off some of the anchovies for neatness). Put the flours in a large bowl and season with salt. Put a little more plain flour on a plate. Pour enough neutral oil into a large, heavy saucepan to fill it by no more than a third and heat to 190C (alternatively, set a deep-fat fryer to heat to 190C). Turn on the oven to low and line a baking tray with kitchen paper. When the oil is almost up to temperature, quickly stir the cold sparkling water into the bowl of seasoned flours, mixing as little as possible; don't worry if there are lumps. As soon as the oil is ready, toss the fennel in the plate of flour to coat, shake off the excess, then dip it in the batter. Shake the excess back into the bowl and carefully drop the fennel into the hot oil (don't overcrowd the pan or the oil will cool down too far and its contents will go soggy, so if necessary fry everything in batches), stirring once so it doesn't stick or clump. Fry for a couple of minutes, until pale golden brown, then scoop out with a slotted spoon on to the kitchen paper, blot off any excess oil and put in the low oven to keep warm. Repeat with the prawns, followed by the squid, then the little fish, and finally the sage and anchovy sandwiches, making sure the oil comes back up to temperature each time, and bearing in mind that the prawns will probably take a little longer (three or so minutes if they're large specimens) than the squid. Go by eye: the batter should be crisp and pale gold, rather than bronzed. Once everything is fried and ready, tip on to a serving plate, season with salt and serve with lemon wedges to squeeze over the top (and with a bowl for the prawn heads and shells). Fritto misto: the capo of all fried foods, or does someone else fry seafood better? Do you prefer a light semolina dredge or a crunchy batter jacket? Or will you make the case for the vegetable, meat or even sweet versions?
Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Inside Pure Storage's vision to redefine enterprise data management
'I have three backups,' Pure Storage CEO Charles Giancarlo said as we discussed cyber resilience. 'Local drive, network attached storage for the house, and the cloud.'It's not every day that a CEO opens with a personal anecdote about his own risk-averse habits. But then again, Giancarlo isn't an everyday tech executive. That moment set the tone for a wide-ranging conversation on the sidelines of Pure//Accelerate 2025 in Las Vegas — one that spanned agentic AI, hyperscalers, reverse cloud migrations, and the fast-growing talent base in emerged was a vision shaped not just by technical superiority, but by first principles thinking — reimagining data storage as a strategic function, not a siloed, manual process. From bespoke to cloud-like: Rethinking enterprise storage 'It's enterprise data architecture catching up with the modern world and IT environment, because everything else in our personal lives has, in many ways, become virtualized,' Giancarlo said. Enterprise data storage has traditionally been heavily customized for each application — a patchwork of bespoke setups. But now, there's a shift in recognizing that data storage within an enterprise can be transformed to resemble its own private cloud, no matter where the physical infrastructure resides — on-prem, hybrid, or in the public cloud. By making storage appear and behave like a cloud, organizations can access data from anywhere within the enterprise, automate protection through policies like backups or snapshots, and apply specific handling rules for different types of data. At the centre of this vision is Pure's new platform — the Enterprise Data Cloud (EDC) — announced at the event. 'It gives organizations the ability to easily manage their data across their estate with unrivaled agility, efficiency and simplicity,' said Giancarlo. With EDC, IT teams can centrally manage a virtualized cloud of data with unified control—spanning on-premises, public cloud, and hybrid environments—and enable intelligent, autonomous data management and governance. Pure fusion: Unified and intelligent by design At the heart of this autonomous approach is Pure Fusion, which unifies storage into a dynamic pool of adaptable resources. Arrays are self-discoverable and can automatically detect and integrate with a broader fleet. Admins can manage the entire system from any array, as every array functions as an endpoint. This is a continuation of Pure's founding belief in simplification. 'We started Pure with the belief that flash would replace all disks,' Giancarlo recalled. 'And we decided all modalities — file, object, block — should be built on one core software, Purity.' Avoiding the fragmentation that typically follows M&A-driven expansion, Pure chose to build internally. 'We brought in software engineers — not storage people. We treated data storage as high technology.' Analyst Matt Kimball , VP & Principal Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, noted: 'Pure's Enterprise Data Cloud represents a tangible shift in how enterprises manage data. By abstracting the complexity of hybrid environments into a unified, policy-driven platform, Pure is delivering on the vision in a way that's actionable today.' Evolving beyond hardware: The software trajectory Despite being known for its hardware, Pure is actively expanding its software play through platforms like Portworx and extending Fusion to third-party storage systems. 'Over the next five years or so, I believe that we will be doing more and more that does not necessarily require our hardware,' Giancarlo said. 'That being said, some of the capabilities we've developed in Purity for direct flash are quite unique and will keep us in the physical part of the market for quite some time. I think more of our revenue will come from outside of the hardware.' A new dynamic with hyperscalers As Fusion extends to integrate with hyperscalers, Pure is repositioning itself within the enterprise ecosystem. 'It allows hyperscalers to actually be a closer and more fundamental part of an enterprise data strategy,' Giancarlo said. He envisions a 'cloud of clouds' approach — a unified enterprise cloud that includes SaaS, hyperscalers, and on-prem infrastructure. So, does EDC challenge the hyperscalers, complement them, or rebalance the equation for customers? 'In situations like this, it is a little bit of all of the above. There's a very common term in high technology called coopetition. You have to cooperate with companies even though there's some overlap. But when there's some overlap, it is actually good for customers in a number of ways,' Giancarlo said. 'Us selling into the hyperscalers — that's very exciting for us right now. We continue to expect, at Meta, to ship one to two exabytes this year, which is quite a large amount of storage. And next year, we're expecting shipments in the low double digits. What's very exciting about Meta is that they've certified us for every level of storage in their environment — from the highest performance down to the lowest cost,' he added. The AI shift: From storage to infrastructure intelligence Alongside EDC, Pure is leaning heavily into intelligence and automation. The AI Copilot is an always-on assistant that delivers fleet-aware, personalized insights across topics like security, performance, sustainable operations, and support. 'By doing more in automating storage, we also allow our customers to do a better job of managing their data. We want to get to the point where the storage is managed automatically, completely autonomously,' Giancarlo said. The bedrock of Agentic AI is Model Context Protocol. Giancarlo said, 'It shows the AI agent exactly how the storage works and provides the real-time state of our arrays — performance, capacity, functionality.' The agent can then either recommend an action to the user or, if permitted, carry it out autonomously, Giancarlo said, with the additional caveat that many customers are not yet willing or ready to allow an agent to do it autonomously. India at the centre of innovation Where does the next wave of growth come from? Giancarlo is clear: Market share gains in enterprise, and deeper integration with hyperscalers. 'Fusion creates more value for the enterprise.' India plays a central role in both product development and go-to-market momentum. 'God's honest truth, our growth in India and Bangalore is the highest in the world,' he said. Leadership from the India R&D centre is responsible for core capabilities, especially around file storage. The combination of low power consumption, compact footprint, and high reliability aligns well with market needs in India. Giancarlo expects to see 'continued strong growth' in the region. Pure's North Star for the next few years? AI, cloud infrastructure, and the Enterprise Data Cloud—each reinforcing the other. From its early bet on flash to its emerging leadership in autonomous data platforms, Pure Storage isn't just iterating, it's redefining.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Daughter searching for answers after father killed on motorcycle in South Linden hit-and-run
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – In 2024, the Ohio State Highway Patrol recorded more than 200 motorcycle crash fatalities; one of them was the fatal crash that killed 61-year-old Giancarol Del Vita. It's been almost a year since his daughters, Claire and Audrey, have been without their dad. Claire Del Vita shared her story as she works to navigate this loss. She graduated college in the months before the crash and today she's still searching for answers and pleading with others to watch out for motorcycles on the road. One dead in East Columbus stabbing 'I didn't know how loved he was until after he died, and I wish he could have known how loved he was,' she said. Giancarlo Del Vita was an Italian immigrant working in Columbus as an architect, and one of the things he loved the most was riding his motorcycle. 'My dad loved his bike,' said Claire 'He had a limited edition V7 racer by Moto Guzzi.' It was a hit and run that took his life on July 18, 2024; Columbus police said the driver of a Honda Fit failed to yield, killing Giancarlo at the intersection of Cleveland and Chittenden avenues in South Linden. Giancarlo was wearing his helmet. Several witnesses called 911 following the crash, with some saying they didn't see the car that hit him on the scene. The police report states the driver got out of her car, then got back in and left. 'Video footage caught her getting out of the car, seeing my dad unconscious and getting back in and driving away,' said Claire. Eventually, police were able to track the driver down. The report said the 64-year-old woman driving the Honda did not have a drivers license or insurance at the time of the crash. As of today, nearly 11 months later, the woman has not been charged. 'I just want to know that my dad is going to get justice,' said Claire. As Claire waits for the legal process to play out, she hopes this can now serve as a reminder for other drivers. 'Always look out for motorcycles,' she said. 'I think that goes without saying they have no protection outside of them, and yes, they choose to ride those bikes. But I mean, like for my dad, that's their therapy. They love that.' LinkUs progress: Construction for some bike, pedestrian paths slated to begin next year Though this crash took the life of just one person, the ripple of Giancarlo's death has changed the lives of all who loved him forever. 'Tell the people you love, you love them,' said Claire. 'I mean, the last time I saw him was three days before the accident. He had come up to Cleveland and I got to hug him one last time and tell him see you soon.' NBC4 reached out to Columbus Police and asked about the status of any charges against the driver of the Honda — they said, 'A recommendation for felony hit-and-run has been made to the prosecutor's office, which will be sent for direct indictment to the grand jury.' The Franklin County Prosecutors' Office said there are no charges yet because the crash is still under investigation by their office. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Vancouver Sun
30-05-2025
- Business
- Vancouver Sun
Dolce Amore enlists A-list chef Pino Posteraro for new project
Dolce Amore has been known for its gelato but the brand is kicking it up a couple notches. Owners Giancarlo and Daniela Cusano will open a trifecta of offerings under one roof — a gelateria, a bar and café, and an enoteca at 6011 Hastings St. in Burnaby on June 14. None other than Pino Posteraro (of the late, great Cioppino's) will be creating the menus, and selecting the team as culinary director. A restaurant chef will soon be announced. Gelato Mafia TGM Terrazza will be a gelato shop with patio and pickup window; Dolce Amore Bar and Caffetteria will offer coffee, pizza, pasta, baked goods and drinks; Il Cappello Enoteca will be a full-service restaurant serving regional Italian dishes. Discover the best of B.C.'s recipes, restaurants and wine. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of West Coast Table will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The couple lost their Commercial Drive gelateria to a fire in 2023 and it's slated to finally reopen in 2026. Meanwhile, they've operated Dolce Amore in North Vancouver and the Burnaby location had been the production facility after the fire. 'Now, with Burnaby as our new home base, we are rising from the ashes, stronger and more passionate than ever. We can't wait to welcome the neighbourhood and community to visit all three concepts,' they said in a press release. 'Chef Pino has always been someone we've looked up to … we're excited to grow this next chapter with him on our team.'
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Yankees injured slugger takes key step forward in his recovery
For the New York Yankees, the 2025 season has carried on without one of its biggest bats. Giancarlo Stanton, the muscle-bound power hitter who once terrorized pitchers with tape-measure home runs, has been sidelined since spring training, battling a uniquely brutal injury—torn elbow tendons in both arms. Not one, but both. Imagine trying to swing a sledgehammer with frayed rubber bands holding your elbows together. That's been Stanton's reality. Recovery hasn't been as simple as a few days of rest and a trip to the trainer's table. It's been a cocktail of platelet-rich plasma injections, rehab exercises, and enough downtime to test the patience of even the most zen-like athlete. And yet, the Yankees have begun to see a glimmer of the old Stanton shining through. Advertisement Small Steps, Big Significance April 22 marked a hopeful moment. Stanton was spotted taking batting practice on the field, a sight that must have felt like a sunny break in a weeks-long storm for Yankees fans. It was controlled, cautious—no fireworks, but symbolic of movement in the right direction. Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Then came Tuesday. Stanton stepped in for live batting practice against reliever Jake Cousins, who's also rehabbing. This wasn't just another round of soft toss or cage work. This was real, unpredictable pitching. According to a post from SleeperYankees on X, Stanton made contact—sharply, in fact—smacking a grounder to short. That's the kind of muscle memory you can't fully simulate until you're staring down a pitcher again. His second at-bat ended in a walk, per Bryan Hoch, but even that showed restraint and plate awareness. Little things, yes. But for a man trying to put together a broken swing, they're like learning to walk again before running a marathon. Advertisement Next Stop: Rehab Assignment If all continues to trend upward, the next logical checkpoint is a rehab assignment—likely a lengthy one. There's no shortcut for a player who's been out this long. Stanton will need to grind through at-bats in the minors, rediscover his timing, and shake off the rust of inactivity. The Yankees aren't rushing it, and Stanton himself will have the final say on when his body feels ready. Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images Fans might be looking ahead to the box scores and dreaming of his postseason magic—not long ago, he blasted seven home runs and posted a jaw-dropping 183 wRC+ in October. Before that, he had a solid regular season, cracking 27 homers with a 116 wRC+, proving that when he's healthy, he's still a force. Not just a name. Not just a contract. A true difference-maker. Advertisement And in a Yankees lineup that could always use a little more thunder, Stanton's return—whenever it comes—will feel less like a luxury and more like getting the missing piece of a puzzle back. Related Headlines
