“Is it better than mom’s meatballs?”
“Yes, better than mom’s meatballs,” I said on a call with my brother back in New York.
That’s a bold statement coming from me… Love you mom.
In love… That’s exactly how I felt when I first sunk my teeth into the lasagna at Feduzzi’s. Feduzzi Mercato Italiano sits in the Rivierenbuurt, close to RAI Amsterdam on the Scheldstraat.
At the age of 21, fresh out of the universiteit, Pjotr, the Amsterdam-born Dutch Godfather of Feduzzi went to live in Tuscany with his nonna for a year. There began his passion for Italian cooking. Upon his return, he got a job at Feduzzi where he worked for 9 years before taking over. Now, 20 years later, Pjotr has created the most delicious Italian Marketplace north of Italy.
“Wat will je?”
Dry, frozen and fresh pastas of every type. Olive oils, bottle after bottle of balsamico. Beer, wines, sodas, limoncellos, only the best from Italy. The Broodje Feduzzi, panini’s. Heerlijk! The chicken! Oh my, as I kiss my fingertips. Chicken thigh with a marinade of white wine, pesto, sundried tomato, olive oil and sage. Baked not fried. Coffees… Super lekker biscotti!
“Mama Mia!”
Polenta, or as I like to call them, the Italian grits… The meats and cheeses, olives, tomato and fresh mozzarella salad, marinated artichokes, cold pasta salads with fresh vegetables. roasted potatoes, sauteed spinach, penne pasta with mushrooms. I’m biting my knuckles right now… Tiramisu!
“Bellissimo!”
It’s a true masterclass experience on how to serve fresh, homemade delicious Italian cuisine.
14:00, Friday the 17th of July, 2020. Just about 4 months since the COVID crisis began. The “new horeca”. Een beetje raar ( a little weird).
“Goedemiddag!”, I say with elation, as everybody in the shop pauses to look in my direction. Having known Pjotr for a couple of years, he runs over to me with his phone…
“Dikke jongen”, he says. “Can you talk to this person?” “No..no… It’s Fat Kids, Fat Kids Corner,” I say… With a roll of his eyes and a “Maakt niet uit,” (It doesn’t matter), I realise the Dutch Godfather of Feduzzi just asked me to do him a favour. If I say nee, I may wake up with a horse head in my bed.
“Yes, Godfather,” I say as I take his phone. “Hello, hello? I’m Donna from Boston asking about a gift card for my son who lives in Amsterdam…” “Donna”, I say, “don’t ever ask me about my meatballs… But you can always ask me about my gift certificates!”
Having now helped the Dutch Godfather of Feduzzi, I was rewarded how every Fat Kid likes to be rewarded. A piece of lasagna, natuurlijk (of course)! At Feduzzi, the lasagna is indescribable, I’m at a loss of words… stumbling to find content. It’s perfect. The Holy Trinity of Italian cooking…
Carrots, celery and onion are sweated down in a pot creating a soffrito. When soft, it gives a sweet taste to the vegetables. Naturally, water, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, beef. Introducing mortadella. Mortadella is made of finely hashed cured pork, which produces fatty “meat freckles” that are noticeable when thinly sliced. It’s traditionally flavoured with black pepper grains, but more modern versions use pistachio nuts, which add a smokey, earthy flavour to the meat. #willtryathome.
All in the pot, three hours on low fire, the sauce is ready. Lastly, the bechamel. A white roux that combines butter, flour and milk that adds a creaminess that blends so well with all the other ingredients it produces this delizioso ragu. Thick, fresh ribbon pasta, the soffrito, tomato sauce, meats and bechamel. Bake.
Fat Kids #1 Rule of Thumb for crafting the best lasagna... serve it the same day? Fugggetaboutit! No way! The flavours need time to marry together overnight, creating a more structured, more balanced piece of lasagna and at Feduzzi, nobody does it better! Having lived in New York, Los Angeles and now Europe, I can say I’ve “been around the world and I, I, I..”, I have never tasted something as mouth-watering and delicious as the lasagna by Feduzzi. See / taste for yourself!
Have eatery suggestions for where Fat Kids Corner can go? Let us know in the comments below!