I Want A Pasta Dish Named After Me Please.

I was born and bred in London before venturing to the badlands in the north. However, I did return south to live in West Kensington for a couple of years. I was within walking distance of Stamford Bridge, the home of my football club, and also within striking distance of the Italian restaurant San Lorenzo in Knightsbridge, which was frequented by the Italian section of Chelsea players at the time. Gianfranco Zola, Carlo Cudicini, Roberto di Matteo, Sam Dalla Bona, Pierluigi Casiraghi, and player/manager Gianluca Vialli... Apparently there's a dish named after Vialli, pasta alla Vialli, and here it is.

♫ ♪ ♫ “When the ball hits the back of the Old Trafford net, it's Vialli,
When his goals light the sky there's a tear in my eye, oh Vialli!
He nutmegged the Dane and poor Fergie's in pain, it's Vialli!” ♪ ♫♪ ♫ To the tune of "Amore" should you wish to singalong.

Wild garlic sausage pasta night at Casa Adora — AI images, my stories — The Flexible Chef

Pasta alla Vialli

Cooking for ONE
75g dried spaghetti (make an 'O' with your thumb and a forefinger, then fit a bunch of pasta strands through it - if it fits then that'll be enough for one hungry person; alternatively, use scales!)
1 or 2 tablespoons of homemade fresh tomato sauce or passata
75g Mozzarella, grated
1 teaspoon finely grated Parmesan cheese
Black pepper
Basil or flat leaf parsley leaves

Cook the pasta as per packet instructions.

Meanwhile, warm the sauce in a pan before adding the mozzarella, letting it simmer for one minute or two. Spoon the sauce over the cooked pasta (al dente, if you please) and sprinkle with the Parmesan, a grind of black pepper and a few leaves to finish.

San Lorenzo was said to have been the favourite London restaurant of Diana, Princess of Wales, although she never mentioned it to me when we met.

Vialli came from one of Cremona's most prominent families — wealth, footballing genius, and impeccable style in equal measure. He carried himself with a quiet authority that made him seem entirely at home in a place like San Lorenzo, where the clientele expected a certain standard and the pasta delivered it.

There is something fitting about a dish being named after a man like that. Simple, elegant, and better than it has any right to be given the short ingredient list. Mozzarella melted into a fresh tomato sauce, spooned over spaghetti, and finished with parmesan and a few leaves. That is all. No fuss, no performance — just good ingredients treated with respect.

I have never had it confirmed that this pasta alla Vialli is genuinely his dish. Delia Smith suggested it was, and that is good enough for me.

Update: Gianluca Vialli, renowned Italian footballer and manager, was born on 9 July 1964 in Cremona, Italy. He passed away on 6 January 2023 in London, England, after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Footnote: Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef.