European Art of Taste – EAT … The taste of Europe on Indian Grounds

The other day I was excited to receive an invite for a Press Conference and cooking demo, followed by lunch at Smoke House Deli, from Caroline Rowe, on behalf of the hosts of EAT. EAT stands for  ‘EUROPEAN ART of TASTE‘, a program supported by the European Union and the Italian Government that aims to present the best of Food and Wine from Europe. EAT promotes the following four product categories across India – Pasta, Olive Oil, Provolone Cheese & Wine.

As EAT says, with the saturation of European products in the Indian market, it can get confusing to judge what is best in terms of authenticity of taste. By lending it’s support to EAT, the European Union guarantees the quality, authenticity and safety of the products. The programme showcases pasta made of 100% durum wheat, olive oil of certified origin, provolone cheese and wines. {The event is promoted by RRO Connect, EAT’s official representatives in India.}

EAT has organized a Mission EAT week @ Delhi, which includes In-store demonstrations, Press Conference, Gala Dinner et. al. Chef Andrea Golina {specially flown from Italy} will demonstrate how to cook Authentic Italian food and how to combine it with the Finest Italian Wine. {Andrea hosted another live demo at the Olice Bar & Kitchen the next night, which I was unable to attend, though I would have loved to!}

The meet was an interactive one and began with representatives of food product companies for Barilla Pasta and Monini Olive Oil giving us a little introduction to the company’s product range. The highlights were the similarities between Indian and Italian food and cultures, whereby both are nations of food loving people. Both Italians and Indians are known to gather around tables laden with food, with families and friends and enjoy a hearty meal. Food is a binding factor across our cultures and the Italian government decided to take the initiative to formally introduce Italian cuisine to India.

Chef Andrea Golina flew in from Italy and kept us captivated with his culinary banter, engaging the crowd, keeping us in splits with his infectious sense of humour. In temperatures which were soaring as we sat in a covered outdoor area, he held our attention, introducing us to the basics of Italian. cuisine It was surprising to hear that the Italian al dente vs the Indian al dente were separated by double cooking times. In the sense, if the instructions said ‘boil pasta for 8 minutes till al dente,’ Indians here always tend to boil for 16 as we are seldom sure that it’s been cooked through!  I am also an al dente sinner in a small way as I do go the extra 5 minutes! Live and learn it is, and I did!! Andrea threw in small tips like tear the basil with your hands to save essential oils from getting lost, add the provolone after the dish had been tossed & taken off the fire, discard the seeds of the tomato, reserve the liquid pasta has been cooked in to add to the sauce if necessary etc! He demonstrated how to cook two easy, everyday pasta dishes, with a generous helping of EVOO {extra virgin olive oil} – a penne with chicken & bell peppers, and a spaghetti al norma with aubergines. Both very simple, everyday Italian dishes, full of flavour and healthy fresh ingredients!

Was a wonderful demonstration, full of fun and laughter, made even better by the ever talented Andrea. Thereafter, we shifted in to have lunch at the Smoke House Deli. I opted for the vegetarian main of Feta and Grilled Vegetables on Capellini, and I have to say it was the best vegetarian Italian main I have ever had. Outstanding in every bite! Actually all the main courses seemed excellent. Caroline had the lasagna which was very good too. For dessert sampling, we were offered an assortment on a platter – cheesecake, flour-less mocha chocolate torte {I think}, and a walnut date cake. The cheesecake and date cake were very good, and so was the mocha torte, though it was a bit on the sweeter side.

Halfway through the meal, Andrea joined us at our table, and had us entertained for the rest of the afternoon. He sang praises of his favourite Indian dish, ‘Butter Chicken‘ {of course}, which he could not stop eating while in India. Told us how Rome is like a mother who holds you close to her heart and will never let you go. We exchanged notes on making tiramisu, flavouring EVOO with garlic and herbs. Interestingly he mentioned that most foods on the continent originated in France, from bechamel, to mayonnaise, pastry cream etc. Chef Andrea Golino was born in Rome, graduated in literature and cinema history, but did not forget his passion “Cooking”. He created the first personal chef service in Rome specializing in finger food. With different ways to interpret and perform food, to transgress the kitchen rules, he earned the nickname ‘Chef Guevera’!