Italian Love Affair With Food

What’s the first word that comes to mind when I say, ‘Italy’? Food of course. Italian cuisine is one of the most popular in the world. And with good reason. From pasta to pizza to cheese, prosciutto, and cannoli, every region of Italy offers up its own unique specialties.

And they are all mouth-wateringly delicious.

Italians love food

Italians are obsessed with food. They talk about it on planes, trains, in cars, on the street, in the piazza…everywhere. The most common question asked by an Italian when visiting a neighboring town or city is where they can mangia bene (eat well). 

In family homes, the Sunday lunch is a tradition that must be respected. Whatever you have going on in your life, you are expected to take your seat at Mamma’s table every Sunday. And if you’re a fortunate foreigner who’s ever been invited to join in one of these festive feasts, it is an experience you will never forget.

I love it all. A little too much. I thought as we close out January, the month when many of us attempt to reignite the weight loss plan we gave up way back in the previous year, I’d talk a bit about dieting in Italy. It’s an oxymoron I know.

Dieting in Italy

Italy + Diet = impossible. Since I’ve been living la dolce vita, I’ve found (rather than put on) an undisclosed amount of kilos that’s let’s just say feels uncomfortable. I have tried blaming it on menopause, the fact I have a husband who loves my cooking (bless him) and various other external factors that I know deep down in the folds of my belly just aren’t true.

The reality is, I take great pleasure and comfort from cooking and eating Italian food. I scour the Internet for new recipes and send Piero out for the ingredients. Then we light a fire, put the music on, pour a glass of wine and start cooking. Before long, the house is filled with mouth-watering aromas, the puppies are curled up in their beds near me and when Piero comes in from chopping wood or working on the land, carrying the fresh smell of winter chill with him, he always says enthusiastically, ‘Smells great!!’.

And in that moment, as I stand there wearing the long chef’s apron I bought for him many Christmases ago that I have absconded, a wooden spoon in one hand and a glass of wine in the other, I forget the rest of the world.

For those hours I while away chopping and stirring and tasting, I forget the chaos ‘out there’. I forget the headlines I read that morning about the latest Covid numbers and what new containment measures are just around the corner. Words like ‘lockdown’ and ‘quarantine’ are left at the kitchen door.

I am cocooned in my culinary world of savory scent and creation. For me cooking is love. When we light the candles, pour the wine and sit down to enjoy one of my home-cooked meals, it is a ritual we have come to cherish and look forward to each day. The pleasure it gives my husband brings me joy. And don’t we all need a bit of that these days?

I suspect I am not the only one who put on the ‘Quarantine-15’ last year. I know from chats and video calls with friends that many of you have been experimenting with new recipes and skills in the kitchen. Some of you, who previously didn’t know the difference between baking soda and baking powder, have been whipping up delicious baked goods.

Case in point, this past Christmas, our village group of local ladies decided to initiate a cookie exchange since lockdown restrictions meant we couldn’t enjoy our usual Christmas gatherings. We each made a batch of cookies for 10 people, wrapped them up, then met on a cold winter’s afternoon in the piazza and exchanged them at a masked distance.

It was like Christmas morning when I opened them all and placed them in a festive box.

I confess, this beautiful bounty didn’t last long. Truth be told, it was gone in a shocking 48 hours (with considerable help from Piero I must add). It was a cookie-eating frenzy that launched a month of cooking madness.

I upped my game by devouring everything I could find on new Italian recipes. I started watching MasterChef Italia, yes in Italian, and taking notes. I googled different ingredients and found interesting new recipes to try.

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Last week, I made a Ribollita for a couple who are in our bubble. They raved about it. I sat back in my chair and felt the warm glow of contentment. Like I said, for me cooking is about love and I had shared some of mine with our dear friends.

And now I will share the recipe with you. I hope you enjoy it.

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/ribollita-adam-leonti

Keep on cooking

I have resigned myself to the fact dieting in Italy is difficult. Dieting in these unprecedented times of a global pandemic is even more challenging. So I’m going to give up what started last month as a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. For now. I will instead watch my portion size, try to stay away from cookies (my weakness) and take more walks on the land with the puppies and Chunky Charlie. And I will keep on cooking.

Today, I am making Linguine al Pesto di Noci for the first time. Soon the aroma of toasted walnuts and pine nuts will fill the house. Piero will come in and pour me a glass of wine and all will be well in my world. I wish the same for you.

If you are inspired to try some new Italian recipes, here is a link to a website that includes how-to videos. The recipes are simple, comfort food. But then again, even gourmet chefs will tell you, the best Italian dishes are made with only a few simple ingredients, a healthy dash of passion and a whole lot of love.

I hope they bring you as much pleasure as they do me.

https://www.fattoincasadabenedetta.it/

Buon appetito!!

Until we meet again…

A presto

Anna