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Sony SLT-A35

Don't be fooled by the Sony SLT-A35's diminutive dimensions. A true photographic powerhouse, it boasts a 16.5-megapixel sensor and, for £486 all in, a great 18-55mm kit lens.

It faces stiff competition from the long-established dSLR brand leaders, but on the evidence of our tests, it's well-equipped to take them head on.

Shooting and test shots

The A35 feels great in your hand. It's smaller than you'd expect, and very well balanced with the kit lens attached. The relevant switches and buttons are perfectly placed, with notches at the front and back of the grip for greater support.

The focusing ring on the front of the kit lens is fat and coated in rubber, which greatly eases the process of getting a quick fix on your subject.

However, in common with many mid-range rivals, it's a fixed part of the barrel, rather than a cuff that sits around it, so it also rotates any attached filters, and thus change the orientation of a polariser of gradated filter. If you're using one, you'll need to set the focus first and then, if you're using manual focus, be careful when correcting the filter not to knock the focus out of line.

In use, the lens is sharp and the A35 itself hugely versatile. We performed the majority of our tests with the camera set to Aperture Priority, in which the front-mounted wheel that sits just above your index finger lets you quickly dial in your chosen settings. For the first of the images below we set it to f22; for the second, f3.5. The results speak for themselves, with a nice tight focal point in the latter, throwing the rest of the scene into soft focus.

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CELERY WITH BUTTER (Sedano al burro)

CELERY WITH BUTTER

(Sedano al burro)

Two heads of celery for each person.

Clean and trim, removing the sprigs that are too hard, and the leaves, that are to be cut where they begin to be green. Finally trim the stem. Then wash repeatedly in running water, drain and put to boil in salted boiling water. Remove when cooked and drain again.

About three quarters of an hour before serving, melt a piece of butter in a saucepan and brown the celery, turning them often for about ten minutes. After that pour over hot stock (soup stock or chicken broth) cover the saucepan and parboil. A few moments before serving season with brown stock, if you have any at hand, otherwise with salt and pepper only.

SPAGHETTI OR MACARONI WITH BUTTER AND CHEESE

SPAGHETTI OR MACARONI WITH BUTTER AND CHEESE

(Pasta al burro e formaggio)

This is the simplest form in which the spaghetti may be served, and it is generally reserved for the thickest paste. The spaghetti are to be boiled until tender in salted water, taking care to remove them when tender, and not cooked until they lose form. They should not be put into the water until this is at a boiling point.

Take as much macaroni as will half fill the dish in which it is to be served. Break into pieces two and a half to three inches long if you so desire. The Italians leave them unbroken, but their skill in turning them around the fork and eating them is not the privilege of everybody

. Put the macaroni into salted boiling water, and boil twelve to fifteen minutes, or until the macaroni is perfectly soft. Stir frequently to prevent the macaroni from adhering to the bottom. Turn it into a colander to drain; then put it into a pudding-dish with a generous quantity of butter and grated cheese. If more cheese is liked, it can be brought to the table so that the guests can help themselves to it

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The macaroni called "Mezzani" which is a name designating size, not quality, is the preferable kind for macaroni dishes made with butter and cheese.

THE TWO MAIN PASTA SAUCES

he Italians serve the spaghetti or macaroni at the beginning of the meal, in place of soup, and they give it the name of Minestra Asciutta or "dry" soup. Besides the familiar spaghetti, the paste is served in many other forms and with different seasoning. This is by far the most popular Italian dish, and it seems to have pleased the taste of all the peoples of the earth. The highly nutritive qualities of spaghetti and of cheese, their indispensable condiment, have been recognized by all diet authorities and, as for its palatableness, the lovers of spaghetti are just as enthusiastic and numerous outside of Italy as within the boundaries of that blessed country. The most popular seasoning for spaghetti, are tomato sauce, brown stock and anchovy sauce. The description of these three condiments follows:

TOMATO SAUCE

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Chop together, fine, one quarter of an onion, a clove of garlic, a piece of celery as long as your finger, a few bay leaves and just enough parsley. Season with a little oil, salt and pepper, cut up seven or eight tomatoes and put everything over the fire together. Stir it from time to time and when you see the juice condensing into a thin custard strain through a sieve, and it is ready for use.

When fresh tomatoes are not available the tomato paste may be used. This is a concentrated paste made from tomatoes and spices which is to be had, at all Italian grocers', now so numerous in all American cities. Thinned with water, it is a much used ingredient in Italian recipes. Catsup and concentrated tomato soup do not make satisfactory substitutes as they are too sweet in flavor. Of course canned tomatoes seasoned with salt and a bit of bay leaf, can always be used instead of fresh tomatoes.

This sauce serves many purposes. It is good on boiled meat; excellent to dress macaroni, spaghetti or other pastes which have been seasoned with butter and cheese, or on boiled rice seasoned in the same way (see Risotto). Mushrooms are a fine addition to it.

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When using concentrated paste the following recipes will be found to give good results:

Chop one onion, one carrot and a celery stalk: form a little bunch of parsley and other aromatic greens and put everything to brown in a saucepan together with a piece of butter. Add a reasonable portion of tomato paste while cooking, stir and keep on a low fire until the sauce assumes the necessary consistency.

BROWN STOCK

(Sugo di Carne)

Cover the bottom of a saucepan with thin slices of beef taken from a juicy cut and small pieces of salt pork. Place over a large onion, one carrot, and a stalk of celery, all chopped in small pieces. Add some butter and cover the whole with any trimmings from steaks or roasts and any bit of left over cooked meat. Season with salt and cloves. Put over the fire without stirring. When you smell the onions getting very brown, turn the meat and when everything is quite brown add a cup of water, renewing the latter three times. Finally add a certain quantity of boiling water or, better still, of broth, and let it boil gently five or six hours. Strain, cool and skim off the fat which will form a cake on top of the liquid.

The meat can be used afterward for meat balls or Croquettes. The stock may be kept for some days and forms the basis for many dishes.

PAVESE SOUP

PAVESE SOUP

(Zuppa alla Pavese)

Cut as many thin slices of bread as are needed in order that each person may have at least two of them. These slices are then to be toasted and browned with butter. Poach two eggs for each
 person, one on each slice of bread and place the slices on a large and deep dish (not in a soup tureen). Pour hot broth in the plate, taking care not to break the eggs, season with Parmesan or Swiss cheese, and serve.The traditional Italian soup ‘Zuppa alla Pavese’ was supposedly invented on this day in 1525 in Lombardy, during the battle of Pavia. The battle was a defining point in the conflict over ownership of Italy which had begun some thirty years before, with the major protaganists being France, Spain, and Switzerland. François I’s army was virtually annihilated by the superior firepower of the army of The Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V of Spain, and François himself – after having distinguished himself in combat – was taken prisoner. It must have been a great present for the Emperor, whose birthday was also this day.

The story is that during a brief respite from the battle, with the Spaniards at his heels and defeat in view, Francis stopped at a cottage and asked for a meal. The good housewife, faced with a king for a dinner guest, improved on the simple broth heating on her stove by pouring it over buttered fried bread onto which she had carefully broken an egg and sprinkled some cheese.

In the corporate battlefield of today you may not have your horse shot out from under you by an enemy with an arquebus, leaving you to fight hand to hand, as did François, but head to head combat can still be pretty gruelling. Restoration by soup is still often required, and the quickly prepared Zuppa alla Pavese is just the job. I give you an adaptation of the recipe from Ada Boni’s classic book “Italian Regional Cuisine”.