Page 10 - Issue 2

WHAT’S COOKING IN ROME WITH NONNA?
By Georgina Gordon-Ham
Many of us love Italy for its art and food with its special regional cuisine, flavours and wine. Readers are invited not just to pause and absorb what they see on their visits, but also to absorb and taste what they perceive both with their eyes and their palate
We are all tempted to go to different restau- rants and taste Italy’s special dishes, but hardly ever think of going to a cooking lesson and trying to create a dish at home
My husband and I experienced a most enjoy- able and informal over four-hour session with Nonna, organised by Eating Italy Food Tours We were initially a bit sceptical thinking it was designed purely for tourists, but were pleas- antly surprised to discover the cooking lesson was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere in more ways than one In total, we were
only two couples, plus an interpreter for any non-Italian speakers and Nonna, the “grand- mother” cook Her Italian was very clear and our cooking class instructions were easy to follow It was as Italians would call it very ‘casareccio’ (homemade), but Nonna really made us work hard
Being in the capital, it had to be typical Ro- man cuisine We were welcomed with a little prosecco and some appetizers, which helped to relax us before we started work Fresh local ingredients, pots and pans and all the cooking tools were there ready on hand for us to use
We then started preparing a traditional four- course Italian meal: bruschetta, a typical anti-pasto of the region, followed by ignocchi, saltimbocca alla romana, carciofi alla romana and tiramisù It was a most appetising menu Eating Italy Food Tours have teamed up with illustrator Edward McGowan to help you make sense of the vast range of “Italian” food and where each dish originates from Buon appetito!
In spite of my extensive library of cookery
Living Italy Past & Present 10