KEY POINTS:
Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay are both taking on the big guns. Ramsay is hoping to crack food's toughest town with his new restaurant in New York and Oliver has launched a United States salvo in his campaign for healthy eating.
Ramsay admits opening Gordon Ramsay at The London in mid-town New York is his biggest and most expensive gamble yet, but it's already booked solid for two months and he's banking on the 10th restaurant in his empire to add to his acclaim.
It's Oliver, though, who may have the toughest task. He's tackling obesity head-on, telling Americans they live in "the most unhealthy country in the world".
He's backing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's draft ordinance to ban artificial trans-fats from almost all city restaurants, a threat which has already seen one national fast-food chain, Kentucky Fried Chicken, announce its own plans to drop all trans-fats.
"The junk food companies have got more resources than the Government and more money to spend on poxy lawyers so I completely admire and condone the mayor for doing it," says Oliver, adding that most American politicians are "subservient" to "junk food companies".
Dine Spanish style
Our own celebrity chef Peter Gordon - back in town again - launched his tapas bar, Bellota (pronounced Bey-otta) last week, with nibbles inspired by his love of Spain and a wide range of European wines offered in both tasting and imbibing-sized glasses.
"Spain is my favourite European country and I'm confident Bellota will be the most authentic Spanish food-based Tapas bar in Auckland" he says.
Bellota, with a cave-like entrance off Federal St and cosy dining alcoves plus bar, will be open from 5pm until late on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Saturday and from midday to late Friday.
Spear us
We're sure you love asparagus as much as we do, but with the season in full flush it's good to have some variety in how you serve it up. Try this Spanish-influenced dish, which teams slightly charred spears, with sweet vinegar and nutty cheese. Serve as a standalone vegetable course, or with Spanish ham or chorizo sausages for lunch.
Grilled asparagus with manchego and sherry vinegar
Serves 2
About 8 spears of thin green asparagus per person
olive oil
for the dressing:
80ml olive oil
1 Tbs sherry vinegar
1 Tbs finely chopped chives
sea salt flakes
100g manchego cheese
Heat up a grill, or a griddle pan. Snap tough ends off the asparagus.
Put them on a large plate, pour over a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper, then roll the spears in the oil.
To prepare the dressing, mix the olive oil, sherry vinegar, chives and a little salt together. Grate the cheese finely and set aside.
Place the spears on the grill or griddle pan. Leave them for several minutes until brown grill marks appear on the underside.
Turn them with tongs and cook the other side. When they are tender (about seven minutes total cooking time), remove them to four plates.
Scatter sea salt flakes over them, then pour over the dressing, sprinkle with the shaved manchego and serve.
Super-size store
Sabato has doubled the size of its showroom.
The gourmet food store is still in the same place but the owners have knocked out a wall allowing more treats to be displayed.
Treats such as the Spanish Jamon Iberico Bellota from the "famed acorn-fed black pigs," says owner Jacqui Dixon.
Really, they had to do something. The old space could barely fit the huge selection of stunningly packaged festive panettone.
* Sabato, 57 Normanby Rd, Mt Eden.
