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When I received Arcangelo Dandini‘s shopping list for the SpagWednesday alla Matriciana pop-up dinner last October I was relieved to see the great Roman chef’s instructions were clear and reasonable; the ingredients, all easy gets.

I knew I could count on Melograno Alimentari in Holland Park for the very best Italian meats, cheeses and pasta and Andreas Fine Fruit & Vegetables in Chiswick for the highest quality Italian tomatoes, organic lemons and basil. It was reassuring to learn the chef had packed his own prized guanciale (cured pig’s jows), extra virgin olive oil, dry spices, two hard cheeses and home-grown herbs and tomatoes in his hand luggage.

What I failed to grasp is that “straightforward” is not an Italian word.

Just deciding upon the right spaghetti shape was a nightmare that quickly descended into Italian farce (read more). Much worse, Dandini’s shopping list overlooked one key ingredient:

A sous-chef.

The day before the dinner Dandini’s good friend and right-hand man Mahesh, a Bangladeshi national, was stopped at Gatwick passport control and, after hours of interrogation and delay, sent back to Rome. Dandini rode the airport minicab to Central London accompanied only by his salumeria-in-a-suitcase and growing anxieties. Within 28 hours he would be preparing a dinner, alone, in the unfamiliar kitchen of Andrew’s, an old Gray’s Inn greasy spoon, for 80 strangers.

I put out an urgent call for a replacement sous-chef and Giorgio Locatelli – a name so big even Dandini’s eyes widened when he heard it – saved the day. Ivan Icra Salicru, Locatelli’s secondo, emailed to say he’d spoken to Salvo and that the trusted “rock-and-roller” at Locanda Locatelli would be happy to fill in for Mahesh.

“Happy” is perhaps too strong a word. When, to use his full name, Salvatore Sardo showed up at Andrew’s 90 minutes before showtime he asked me two questions: ‘Where am I?’ and ‘Why am I here?’ Apparently he had not volunteered for the assignment. No, Salvo was planning to spend his night off watching Italian football when he got a text from his boss to be at 160 Gray’s Inn Road at 5pm.

Salvo (above left) was a fitting name for a substitute secondo who saved all. He was an ace under pressure in the kitchen, picking up even the most subtle cues from Dandini and lifting the Roman’s spirits at moments of frustration and, yes, panic. Thanks to this rock-and-roller 80 Londoners got to know the spaghetti alla matriciana regarded by Katie Parla, the journalist/blogger behind the definitive Rome for Foodies dining app, as the best in Rome. Its superiority reflected the cooking philosophy of Rome’s Pope of Pasta as well as fourth-generation restaurateur (L’Arcangelo – via Giuseppe Giaocchinio Belli, 59, Rome) and author of the cookbook Memoria a Mozzichi – “Memory and Small Bites”:

For me food is connected to the memories and aromas of my territory. The quality of the outcome is completely linked to the quality of the raw ingredients. I use pasta extruded through bronze die and cooked al dente, a rather dry guanciale, Pecorino Romano of the highest quality, and, ideally, tomatoes from my mother’s garden. Cooking is about ingredients, not technique.

–  Arcangelo Dandini