- 1). Whatever your nationality, think Italian. OK, I didn't mean mentally browse through your 5 words Italian vocabulary (Bravo! Amore... Prego! Mafia, Fettuccini Alfredo, Zucchini... by the way, it's FettuccinE, ZucchinE, pronounced with an Italian "E" at the end, like BenE, PennE. OK?) As I was saying, think Italian, picture the beauty, the art, the rolling hills of Tuscany, or the canals of Venice, or the colors of the Amalfi coast, the magnificence of the Colosseum in Rome, and the romance of a perfect dinner at a local trattoria in any picturesque small town of Italy you have seen in a movie! Got the idea? Good.
- 2). Now, compare that beautiful delicious picture with the previously mentioned one, described in my introduction, of the usual average Spaghetti or Pizza dish you are used to get when you go out and "eat Italian". Good. Do they match? Clash? Crash? All right, no offense to anyone and to anyone's hard work and effort to duplicate classic masterpieces of the Italian cuisine. Well done to all for trying, and to many for doing a good job. But let's start this again.
- 3). Learn it first, the real Italian way! Browse for authentic recipes by real Italian chefs and transform your kitchen into a real "cucina". I mean, not only talented celebrity chefs, but also born and raised over there while exposed to the ideal scenario in which they learned... at least for some years! Giada De Laurentiis and Lidia Bastianich are an excellent example. Myself, is an other one (no compare, of course!) Their recipes (mine too!), their way to think one dish or an entire meal is like the real thing. You can find many more who have amazing recipes, but stay with the concept of real Italian cooking, not just "Italian style", which is where normally the bad and the ugly can take over the good! OK?
- 4). Use simplicity and beauty for your ingredients, like Raffaello did in his paintings! Try to use fresh, in season vegetables, double the number of their servings, and cut in half those of meat and animal fat from your menu. There is nothing better and more fun than shopping at a farmer market (a local supermarket will do) for fresh vegetables, and decide your daily or weekly menu based on what's available. Products are not "old", previously frozen, processed, or waxed and sprayed with "make-up" that make them look fresh and nutritious when they are not so much anymore, or not at all. Discover the real taste of winter vegetable and fruit in December or January, like cauliflower, cabbage, oranges and tangerines. Leave eggplants and tomatoes alone until June and July, if you can, and then we talk. Also, use more beans and grains for soups and Minestrone. No fat and flavor packed, these simple and easy dishes have more protein and less calories than a steak and potatoes dish, plus, they cost less.
- 5). Why Italians can enjoy food and stay skinny? Use Olive oil as condiment and leave the butter for your cakes (and don't eat too much of those). Olive oil is a basic ingredient for dishes of almost any region of Italy, except for the upper North areas of the country where the cold climate and altitudes make it hard for olive trees to grow and so, traditionally, butter and lard are more used there because they were more available in the old days, when the local recipes were created. It's not only good, olive oil is good for you as well, it packs less calories around your waist and helps your heart.
- 6). Monna Lisa has a natural beautiful smile, and no lipstick! So, DON'T, I repeat, DO NOT use pre-packed sauces or dressings on your food. Whether is meat, steak of chicken, or a salad, do not cover them with something that doesn't belong. Have you ever tasted real good meat, well prepared and cooked, "naked" with its own juices and just a sprinkle of salt and pepper? Or the flavor of fresh herbs, or even simple lettuce and fresh tomato (in summer!) with a light mix of real olive oil and balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, instead of the infamous "Italian dressing", which (by the way) has never been seen on any Italian table or supermarket shelf? Try a mix of lemon juice, oil, chopped parsley and salt for your fish. From the pan, use the same juices and condiments of the meat or other food you are cooking, and bring it to the table in a sauce cup so people can use it for more flavor.
- 7). Shrink those servings! Don't cook a pound of pasta for just 2 people, try at least half (1/2 pound!) or better one third (1/3 of a pound!), chop some fresh tomato, basil or parsley, mix it with one tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper to taste and there you have a wonderful simple, healthy sauce, and you'll have enough to make room also for a green salad and maybe a slice of cheese too after the pasta, like in Italy, not before. Again, Italian cooking is a lot about using judgement and harmony with ingredients and portions as well. One can enjoy more variety of foods in the same meal without feeling stuffed. That's better than eating one pound of starch drowned in a gazillion-calories-per-spoonful creamy Alfredo sauce. Capisci?
- 8). And in the end, what's the secret of real Italian food? Think number one again, what is the quintessential Italian "ingredient" of all that we love and admire of "The Bel Paese", the beautiful country? Again, simplicity. Whether you are cooking Italian food, American, Asian or Latino, cooking is first of all creating something beautiful and delicious (hopefully) with food. And the secret is the freshness and quality of your ingredients, followed by the simplicity of the technique which is used to prepare the dish. Traditional and simple are always a winner combination, which is always found in real Italian cuisine and recipes. So, learn your recipes, the way we make them and Buon Appetito!
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