CUISINE
Romancing food
SMITA IYENGAR
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A wonderful journey into Italian cuisine.
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Food Is Home:The Little Book of Italian Cooking; Sarjano; Penguin, Rs.250.
THIS is easily one of the most unusual cook-and-thrill-yourself handy read companions spiked with nostalgia and culinary information. Master chef Sarjano is not only an extensively travelled photographer and journalist but he also conducts the International Academy of Italian Cooking Art at his restaurant "My Place" in Vagator, Bardez in Goa. This incorrigible chef was in charge of the kitchen at the Osho Ashram in Pune for over 20 years.
For Sarjano, cooking goes beyond the premises of the griddle and the pan, far beyond linguinis and risottos... it's a saga of love that determines his cooking style and philosophy. In this delightful book, on the chapter of spaghetti, fusilli and farfelle, Chef Sarjano very jokingly speaks about the "midnight spaghetti" which is very commonly enjoyed in Italy (Spaghetti di Mezzanotte).
His interesting anecdote about how a bunch of friends, after a late Saturday night movie (or theatre or concert) gather at one of their homes for a nightcap and some more lucid conversation, relish a quick-fix spaghetti. Chef Sarjano's recipe is so simple that it's worth a try!
Straightforward methods
The style of narration and presentation is so transparently simple that it can amaze readers with the straightforward methods of cooking — for example Gnocchi or Pesto Sauce or the exotic Bolognese sauce, simplified to the last word. Sarjano does not believe in providing trivial details.
"I got several complaints from my editor, because I do not say how much salt or how much pepper and not even how much basil! Hey, c'mon, when you receive a love letter which says "Love to You", do you ask, "How much Love?" ... so lovers of order and strict rules, just relax, just trust your intuition."
This book is certainly not for a mediocre housewife who wants to have a go at the recipe. It is a love story, emotionally charged with anecdotes and personal narratives woven around Italian cooking. It has a thread of nostalgia and love running through it... an amazing read of how one can blend and synergise romance with cooking. Sarjano's culinary tale is obviously inspired by the inherent Italian passion for everything that's good, especially food. "Cooking has to be recognised for what it is: a noble, loving, caring, alchemical activity which can determine our physical, psychological and emotional health."
Useful recipes
Sarjano's amazing little book does contain useful and interesting Italian recipes that we would all like to try out. His recipe on startlingly simple homemade pasta and pasta sauces, Lasagna, Ravioli, Risotto, Rice Salad and mayonnaise are so easy to follow and relate to, that even a beginner can give it a go without the clumsy trials. What are more interesting are his energetic colourings of observations that are laced with miniature doses of pure passion.
Sarjano's culinary journey ends with a memorably poignant episode that readers will definitely not forget. "The different faces of Love" sums up Sarjano's entire philosophy of cooking and loving. I would say, it's a must read for all those incurable romantics as well as those unfortunates who need sunshine in their lives.
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