Taste of the Med

Despite the influx of cuisine styles into the UK, there is still room for the Italian dishes that remain a favourite with consumers. But what is being done to keep them competitive, innovative and affordable? Sheila Eggleston reports.

Consumers are the best barometer for measuring what's hot and what's not and according to a recent poll of more than 2,500 travellers by Hotels.com, Italian food is claimed to be the world's top cuisine.

The survey found that 21% of international travellers said it was their favourite, compared to 12% who preferred French and 11% who picked Thai. There's no doubt its universal appeal and perceived value for money helps pizza, pasta and other typical Italian dishes hold their own on menus.

Researcher Kantar World panel says pizza has become the UK's favourite food, outselling former top seller curry by more than two to one.

Also with more discerning consumers now demanding more authentic and innovative meals, it says caterers are being made to search for more creative ways to enhance these dishes.

Contract caterers such as Alliance in Partnership (AiP), which specialises in the education sector, says pasta and pizza have always been firm favourites with pupils across its 145 strong contract base and in many, more than 90 pasta pots are served every day, all freshly prepared with sauces made following the caterer's own recipes to ensure consistent quality. "Pasta is a very cost effective dish for us to offer," explains managing director David Weller, "packed full of nutrition and hidden vegetables providing a heart warming meal."

As well as pasta pots, lasagne, spaghetti Bolognese and pizzas with a selection of toppings are served.

If options are limited AiP says it would choose to serve cheese and tomato pizzas and tomato pasta pots as they are the most popular pasta dishes, although special dietary requirements, promotional days and taste preferences contribute to the added value and varieties it offers.

The company says that with dishes being home cooked, there is no need to stock and serve high street brands.

The beauty of Italian food, says Roy Shortland, development chef for Dolmio at Mars Foodservice, is its versatility and simplicity. "You can make 1,001 things using everything from poultry to butternut squash – from a pasta bake to an Italian casserole with white beans.

"In the cost sector, where you might be serving the same customers daily, this helps to keep the menu interesting, satisfying those who enjoy Italian food but don't always want to see the same predictable dishes regularly appearing every week."

Mars recently relaunched its ready to use Italian cooking sauces with new recipes. These include arrabbiata, Bolognese, creamy tomato and pesto, and tomato and basil.

Each sauce can be used straight from the jar as a marinade, dip, sandwich filling or jacket potato topping. Each 2.2–2.54kg jar delivers 25-30 portions as a culinary sauce, 50 plus portions as a dip and 75-100 portions as a filling. Mars also supplies nutritionally analysed recipe cards and ideas to schools on request.

Shortland says that having a sauce base ready in a few minutes is particularly welcome on a Monday morning when you are starting from scratch.

"I give regular demos on how to use the sauces, and I realise how important versatility is when it comes to maximising the use of ingredients in a cost constrained kitchen," he says.

"For example if you haven't used all your Bolognese sauce, use it as a pizza base. An alternative is to make a calzone, a folded over pizza shaped like a crescent. Putting Bolognese or arrabbiata sauce in the dough with some chopped spinach and feta and you easily liven up the bread.

"Sandwich sized calzone can provide a great grab and go alternative for cost sector caterers, enabling them to meet the needs of time pushed workers.

"They are often sold at Italian lunch counters or by street vendors because they are easy to eat while standing or walking, giving caterers the ideal opportunity to replicate the high street, which is a definite threat to many foodservice operations."

He says veggie options are becoming more popular because of perceived health benefits, even with meat eaters, so it's worth thinking about blending roasted vegetables with some pasta and tomato, and pesto sauce.

Marlow Foods echoes this view and says it has a host of ideas for meat free Italian dishes using Quorn. Commercial manager for foodservice, Tony Davison, says you can easily switch from meat to Quorn products, using it to produce healthy, meat free, low fat dishes.

"Caterers should remember that pizzas can still be both healthy and full of flavour. By making simple changes using Quorn pieces, Swedish style Quorn balls and sausages instead of regular topping ingredients, you can create a delicious and healthy meal.

"Combining these toppings with low fat cheese and vegetables can reduce the fat and calorie content of the pizza, while retaining fantastic flavour that is bound to satisfy customers," he says.

Nestlé Professional's top Italian accessory is Maggi multi use tomato sauce, which it claims "has been created for an authentic taste of Italy".

Business development chef Justin Clarke says: "Quality ingredients can make things even easier in the kitchen, allowing cooks to spend their time on customer service and presentation.

"Pizza, pasta and generally all Italian food is always popular with caterers and it's easy to see why. They are easy to prepare, relatively healthy and consumers seem to have an unyielding appetite for all Italian food.

"The key is keeping these traditional dishes fresh by rotating dishes, adding new twists, and enticing customers with creative marketing or meal deals."

Also capturing the essence of Italy are AAK Foodservice's Prep premium infused oils the flavours of which are typically used in Mediterranean cuisine, it says. These include garlic, basil, chilli and lemon.

Foodservice marketing manager Rachel Neale says: "They smell and taste great, and are well balanced. They also store well and offer excellent value for money."

The company claims the oils, which come in a recyclable lightweight one litre PET catering pack with a non drip drizzle cap, can jazz up classic Italian antipasti, and the garlic infused oil is particularly good for brushing onto slices of bread before charring on a griddle or for roasting potatoes and other vegetables.

McCormick Foods too offers a Mediterranean herb recipe mix among its six strong range under its Schwartz for Chef brand, which it says provides a low in salt, high in iron product that can be added to dishes at any stage of the recipe, even just before serving. It says it's perfect for making popular Italian dishes for kids such as spaghetti Bolognese, risotto and penne arrabbiata.

Commercial director James Millward says: "As a supplier to the education sector, we are aware of the importance of good nutrition and ensuring our products meet the necessary guidelines. Local education authorities are constantly seeking convenient solutions that save time as well as money and our mixes do this, as well as delivering authentic tasting food which appeals to children."

For many authentic dishes cheese is a must and Lactalis McLelland, owner of the Galbani range of Italian cheese, says from gorgonzola and parmesan to mascarpone, ricotta and mozzarella, all can be used for pizza, antipasto, pasta dishes, sauces and even desserts.

Warren MacFarlane, marketing manager for out of home, says Italian food enables caterers to provide profitable menu offerings. But, he adds, more sophisticated consumers are now demanding more authentic and innovative meals, forcing them to find ways to up the ante and revitalise traditional dishes.

Another issue is that while many caterers are using premium brands of cheese, they are not making the most of them, he says.  Galbani is the number one brand in Italy and the UK and operators do not realise that by including the brand name in menus and on specials boards, they will be able to capitalise on the recognition of quality and positive associations their customers already have with Galbani. This in turn can greatly improve the appeal of a menu offering, increase sale margins or justify more premium pricing."

The company is currently encouraging caterers to sign up to its free monthly fact sheet that gives seasonal recipe ideas and tips from consultant chef Lee Maycock. Maycock has taken familiar dishes and given them a contemporary twist to inspire caterers' and educate them further on the versatility of cheese as an ingredient.

Those who sign up will receive a different cheese variety fact sheet each month, exclusive access to his recipes and serving tips, together with wine matching tips from the experts at Vinopolis, London's wine tasting destination.

Pasta King, which can provide more than 40 pasta sauces including organic variants, offers caterers the sauce, a free allocation of pasta, plus a free on loan pasta bar unit. Branded point of sale ensures the pasta foodservice area has a 'high street' look and feel, important when trying to attract students.

Chief executive Howard Farquhar comments: "We have listened to caterers and understand they need to offer affordable fresh food. Our pasta bar concept allows caterers not only to supply a different healthy pasta meal everyday but also to do so in a matter of seconds. It is also a cost effective way of providing a balanced meal."

Bearing current trends in mind, Pasta King has recently increased its Italian line up with the addition of PK Pockets, a break time Italian style bread and sauce offering, plus a new range of pizzas.