FOOD & DRINK
FOOD & DRINK
From architect to expat food blogger
I have been asked, “how did you become a foodie?” I think I was born a foodie, is the answer! My mum always reminds me, proudly, that I weighted 13kg at 6 months old… yes, you heard right, 13! You would- n’t believe it now if you saw me, “a bag of bones,” as she calls me nowadays. How- ever, quality food has nothing to do with excessive weight. Quality is what I’m good at, but let’s start from the beginning...
I was born and raised in Venezuela, the most exotic South American country, from southern Italian parents, graduated cum laude in architecture and worked until my charming Italian husband and I had three beautiful children.
I grew up surrounded by great cooks: my mum, grandmothers, aunties, even my dad had his special recipes; his fish stews and barbecues were out of this world. My family’s talented women taught me the se- cret art of cooking. A normal every day meal would always be some antipasti like grilled veggies, prosciutto, Parmigiano and homemade pickled aubergine, a pasta dish and a main with meat or fish with sides. Ah, let’s not forget bread, wine and of course dessert.
During the weekends, usually at the beach, 30 FOCUS The Magazine May/June 2018
it was my dad’s turn. He would wake up before sunrise, head down to the beach to greet the fisherman and get fresh fish that would end up in his Italian style stews or, the Venezuelan way, on the barbecue. Clams season meant hard work collecting them amid the waves at sunset.... But the reward for the hard work was spaghetti alle vongole for dinner!
Whenever on holidays in Italy, it was a competition in my extended family of who would host us and who cooked the best meal. So there more secrets were to be learned about homemade pasta, from tagliatelle to tortellini and ravioli to lasagne. Let me tell you about my lasagne. Just a few days ago a good friend told me: “Rosi, after I have tried your lasagne, noth- ing is the same anymore…” I only make lasagne with homemade pasta, that’s my rule number one. When cooking the ragù, I always add a piece of meat on the bone; it gives the tomato sauce an extra deli- cious flavour, that’s rule number two. Rule number three is very important, the total number of layers! Use as much as you can, alternated with ragù and béchamel sauce with grated Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Rule number four will remain my special secret, that’s what makes it unique,
but rest assured if you follow the first three rules your lasagne will be amazing!
So let me tell you how I ended up baking, giving cooking classes, blogging and supper clubbing.
I love architecture, but I love cooking fresh too! As I love cooking, I love hosting din- ners and of course baking a dessert. My mum baked a crostata weekly, which is the Italian version of a jam tart, so I have mas- tered the recipe myself. Always using the exact ingredients for her short crust pas- try, I then started to use my architectural skills to decorate them.
So, besides the usual crisscrossing pattern I enjoy making a new design every time, for example, try crème patisserie with fresh fruits on top, chocolate ganache with nuts, fruits, salted caramel or jam filling, or a combination of any of them. Truth is, it doesn't just look different but it also tastes different every time.
Friends started to push me to bake for them for whatever special occasion they had, so that led to my weekend baking auction group. On a Friday, I would bake a few tarts, post their pictures and on a first come first served basis, they were sold within an hour. Right after, I started with
www.focus-info.org
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40
