BY VISHNU MAKHIJANI
Gurugram, (IANS) The cuisines of the Italian island of Sardinia and India have much in commonplace in their aspect-focused cooking to spotlight clean, seasonal flavors, says Chef Marco Murenu, who’s helming a Sardinian Food Festival on the Prego first-class dinner on the Westin hotel on this millennium metropolis on the outskirts of the countrywide capital.
“There are many similarities. Sardinian delicacies are referred to for its factor-centered cooking, the usage of only some ingredients and simple cooking strategies to focus on sparkling, seasonal flavors. Indian dishes too feature this identical form of awareness on one or essential greens or meat. For each cuisine, starch is a staple — Italy’s pasta meets India’s rice,” Murenu informed IANS, pointing to the gnocchi, a necessary Sardinian pasta with red meat sausage and tomato sauce.
Noting that both cuisines have sturdy roots that move centuries again wherein a number of cognizances is positioned on conventional recipes handed down from generation to technology, as moms train their kids the dishes they’ve been making, Murenu introduced: “And most importantly, having buddies and circle of relatives across the desk to proportion a meal is a crucial part of any Sardinian meal — similar to the Indian manner!”
“If we communicate approximately Italian cuisine and Italy widely — from the North to the South, cuisines vary broadly primarily based on geography. It’s splendid how the meals can be various and one of a kind in diverse components of Italy and so is the case in India — Punjabi meals inside the north, the Hyderabadi biryani or biryani in Lucknowi style, then maybe the Malabari meals of coastal Kerala and so forth. They are completely distinctive.
“And it’s the identical aspect in Italy. If you’ve got a Sicilian pasta it’s very exceptional from Sardinian gnocchi or risotto Milanese,” the chef added.
How did the existing pageant come about?
“This is my first enjoy of working in India, and I have come to comprehend that the people here have a numerous palate and are extraordinarily fond of wholesome flavourful food. That’s why I wanted to proportion meals this is so non-public to me with the human beings of India.
“The menu curated for the pageant is the heart and soul of my native land, Sardinia. Fresh nearby substances are used and my own family’s age vintage recipes that I even have grown up devouring are part of the unique menu — each chunk will shipping you to Sardinia. What higher manner to introduce myself to humans than putting my roots out on the plate,” Murenu noted with pride.
What then is he meting out at the food competition, which began on July five and ran till July 15?
To point out only a few, there’s Carpaccio di Salmone alla giardiniera (marinated salmon, giardiniera salad and mandarin dressing) paired with a Ruffino Pinot Grigio, Fregola di gamberi (Sardinian couscous, prawns, bisque sauce and parsley) paired with a Raphael Prosecco, Pancia di maiale arrosto e Vernaccia (roasted pork belly, combined greens and sweet wine sauce) paired with a Ruffino Orvieto and Galletto arrosto con carcioffi (roasted spring hen, artichokes, peas, mashed potatoes and caramelised onion) pared with a Luca Bosio Langhe.
“The conventional Sardinian dessert, Seas, is one of the high-quality-known dishes from the place. Somewhat a pastry, incredibly savory, it can keep its own as an entree, but it’s a shocking dessert — a crisp, deep-fried pastry full of oozing cheese and drizzled with heat, honey. It is exceptionally paired with Amaretto di Saronno, which, because of its extreme almond flavoring, brings out the flavors of each the cheese and the honey,” Murenu defined.
How did the malicious cooking program bite him?
“I grew up on a massive two hundred-acre farm in Sardinia eating farm-to-table food with my large family, and that helped form my opinion on meals. Being on a farm, we had to get right of entry to to fresh local produce all yr round. The girls in my own family, mainly my nonna (grandmother) and my mum would get collectively plan our meals and each person could stay up for indulging in a few appropriate easy foods at the stop of a hectic day,” Murena stated.
That’s when he found out that meals had the paranormal energy to convey anyone together and he wanted to be part of that magic.
“The concept of wearing at the legacy and sharing recipes which have been in our circle of relatives for generations is something this is so incredibly unique. Food is also a super car for sharing the way of life with humans from one of a kind backgrounds.
“As (Emmy Award-prevailing TV character) Guy Ramsay Fieri placed it, ‘cooking is all about humans. Food is perhaps the only typical issue that definitely has the electricity to bring everybody collectively. No matter what subculture, everywhere around the sector, humans get collectively to eat’. This is what I consider in,” Murenu concluded.
