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Maurice Maffeo is the Head Development Chef for Strada and is the man responsible for creating all the delicious dishes that appear on the menu. Maurice was brought up in Italy, in the seaside town of Fano on the Adriatic coast and, like all good Italians, he grew up around food - watching his mum and aunties cooking in the kitchen, visiting friends and, on occasion, being subjected to a 10 course lunch or dinner.

At 14 years old Maurice began attending catering school in Pesaro and, after graduating, worked in Italy and Portugal before coming to the UK in 1989. He has worked for several restaurants here including Le Pont de la Tour, Formula Veneta, and Café Royal and has been a development chef since 1995. In 2007 he brought his wealth of experience to Strada and we're very lucky to have him!

Watch Maurice prepare some of his favourite Italian dishes and then impress your friends by recreating them in your own kitchen.

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NEW - Risotto Frutti di Mare

Maurice makes a version of this classic risotto of mussels, prawns and clams finished with chilli, tomato, white wine and garlic. As always with risotto there's a lot of stirring but the result is definitely worth it!

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Polenta con Funghi

A classic from northern Italy, this dish will warm you nicely. With wintry mushrooms and a rich cream sauce poured over parmesan grilled polenta, this dish makes the perfect starter to an Italian Christmas meal.

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Agnello al Rosmarino ed Acciughe

A fantastic main dish perfect for Christmas. Maurice will show you how the unlikely combination of lamb and anchovies match each other beautifully, while aromatic rosemary & garlic add the perfect finish to a stunning dish.

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Albicocche al Vino

Maurice completes the Christmas menu with apricots in red wine and cinnamon with mascarpone and vanilla cream. Perfect with a glass of Vin Santo.

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Insalata Fregolona

This light dish combines delicate toasted flavours of traditional Sardinian Fregola (similar to couscous) with roasted vegetables, sundried tomatoes, goat cheese and fresh salad leaves.

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Salmone con lenticchie

Coming from the coastal town of Rimini, Maurice certainly knows his fish! In this dish, salmon is used to complement the heartiness of lentils - a standard in Italian cuisine - to produce a delicious and healthy meal.

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Pesto

Pesto is one of those great classic sauces, made of basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, parmigiano or pecorino cheese and olive oil. Watch Maurice show you how to make this versatile sauce in easy steps.

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Bruschetta

A handful of first class ingredients are turned into a mouth-watering dish, which lends itself brilliantly to be shared with family and friends during those long spring and summer evenings.

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Tiramisù

Tiramisù is probably one of the best known Italian desserts in the world, and Maurice shows you how to make this heavenly dessert in easy steps. Tiramisù - the perfect way to end your evening!

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Risotto Verdure

This month Maurice shows you the secret of the perfect risotto (hint: it involves lots of stirring). As ever, he takes you through the process step by step and there's also our downloadable pdf recipe sheet too.

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Gnocchi

Watch Maurice show you how to make Gnocchi Pomodoro e Basilico from scratch and then go on to show off your newly acquired mastery of Italian cooking to your friends and family. They'll love it!

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Pollo con funghi

This is an Italian classic and a favourite on the Strada menu. Maurice has adapted the recipe for home cooking and uses some fantastic, fresh ingredients to make this a delicious and easy to prepare dish.

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Pizza Caprese

Once you’ve made your pizza dough you can top it with whatever you like. Maurice is going to show you a take on one of his favourites, the Caprese, a delicious pizza with Mozzarella di Buffala and sundried tomatoes.

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Pizza dough

Maurice spent several years working in Italy before heading off to Portugal where he opened Porto's first Italian restaurant for a friend. He used to make several kilos of fresh pizza dough every day so he knows his stuff!

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Meet Maurice

Maurice Maffeo is the Head Development Chef for Strada which means he's the man responsible for creating all the delicious new dishes that appear on the menu.

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