Talking Italian Imports and Spaghetti con Bottarga with Sift

If you follow us on Facebook, you know we have a big business crush on Quinciple! They just featured our Spaghetti con Bottarga recipe, as well as some of Beatrice’s thoughts from a recent chat with Kate, in their Sift Magazine.

“Do you ever wonder where the best chefs in the city get their Italian ingredients? Chances are, from Beatrice Ughi, president and founder of Gustiamo, which imports the top names in Italian food products, such as pasta, tomatoes and olive oil, which has appeared in past Quinciple boxes.

Ughi has developed a reputation as tastemaker and sells to restaurants like Del Posto and Franny’s. She only brings in products that pass her muster, and finding the right products can take awhile. A few years back, when she was looking to bring on a new pasta producer, it took her three years to find the right one. ‘When I work with a producer, it’s like a marriage,’ she says. ‘It’s a lot of work on both of our parts, so I want it to last, and that means taking my time.‘

Quinciple: Name three things that you always have in your fridge?

BU: I always have good pasta, extra-virgin olive oil, and canned or jarred tomatoes on hand.

Quinciple: What’s your favorite thing to cook right now?

BU: The great thing about high-quality ingredients is that you don’t have to work very hard to make them taste good. They are delicious on their own, which makes cooking very simple. The other night a sauteed a little bit of zucchini with some red rice and olive oil and it was delicious.

My staple dish is spaghetti with a sauce of olive oil and bottarga, which is pressed mullet roe. It adds incredible flavor. Guests are always blown away by it, but can never guess what it is.”