Monday,
June 04, 2007
Italian Cooking is Product, Passion, and
Performance.
The
ANNOTICO Report
What
is it about Italian cooking ? Devotion to flavour and insistence on using the freshest and best
ingredients, OR cook something so simple but so amazing that it sings with flavour,OR the natural sense
of taste, OR creating meals with flair and character, a little
comedy and show, OR the great emotional roller-coaster ride generated by
an Italian cook that wears his heart on his sleeve???
That
The
Age.com
Brigitte
Hafner
Respect for tradition and passion for fresh food are the
hallmarks of the Italian chef - not to mention the odd tantrum.
THERE are many
things I love about cooking with Italians. Their devotion to flavour and insistence on using the freshest and best
ingredients is one reason; another is their ability to cook something so simple
but so amazing that it sings with flavour - like a
just-fried egg paired with tender asparagus and smothered with nutty browned
butter, pepper and shavings of parmesan cheese.
A natural sense
of taste often comes from growing up with really good food cooked in the home
by mothers and aunts.
But mostly I love
cooking with Italians for the charisma they exude. It
I remember my
time in the kitchen at Florentino, when Guy Grossi might break into operatic song at the top of his
voice, or send a torrent of abuse at some new apprentice, or break out in a
recital of all the things he had tasted that day. Sometimes, Guy would glance
up from his work and say, "Ah, la Tedesca!"
an announcement; the German girl arrives - as if to say, "There is a
German here among us Italians," and pondering what might come from such a
mix. A little "order" perhaps among our boisterous
banter and chaos? Well yes, actually.
Another time, a
box of red capsicum arrived in the kitchens of Stefano de Pieri.
He went to inspect them, turning them over in his plump hands. Soon he was on
the phone to the supplier, waving his free arm about and shaking his head as he
exclaimed how bad they were. "Too much water, they
What infuriated
Stefano was the grower
But it doesn
Once, I noticed a
big pot of cotechino sausages simmering on the stove.
Surprisingly, they were individually wrapped in foil and pierced with
toothpicks - letting out all that precious flavour
and juice. My goodness, I thought, I
The
next time we cooked cotechini I showed them my way -
how I
He was all
agitated and red when he turned to me, a little out of breath, and challenged:
"Who taught you how to cook cotechini
anyway?"
What could I say?
I
Which
says more about an Italian
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