"Live with no regrets" is a hard thing to do when you've studied abroad. My one regret about this experience: coming home. One of the major problems I've faced is being able to re-accustom myself to Italian-American cooking. Coming from a long line of Italians, (many of which are terrific cooks) I can't stop longing for authentic Italian cuisine.
I lived in Florence as a part of a study abroad program. I didn't need this experience to graduate nor any of the school credits I was receiving. Therefore, I opted to take a course that would be fun and I'd get something else out of. I thought: "What better place to learn to cook than the Mecca of food and wine?" The instructor of the course, Giancarlo Russo, was a whiz in the kitchen. He's traveled so much in his youth that he's learn to cook all types of dishes.
Although he was well versed in several types of cuisine, we focused on Italian (specifically Tuscan) cooking. We made all types of dishes, spaghetti alle vongole or spaghetti with clam sauce, spaghetti alla carbonara, pappa al pomodoro or potato tomato soup and much more. One of the lessons he stressed most to the class was that Italian olive oil is good for you. As nave Americans, we assumed it's oil, so it must be inherently unhealthy. However, Giancarlo made it very clear that it is one of the few oils that can be consumed daily and actually benefit your health.
Being skeptical still, I decided to do a little more research on the subject. As a result, he was right! In an article published by the Global Healing Center, titled, "The Health Benefits of Olive Oil" Dr. Group lists the benefits of consuming it and six uses other than cooking. Unaprol, an Italian company, produces a premium product that is packed with antioxidants and Vitamin E. Their website also lends some more information to the topic of how this is an advantageous product.
Faces of pure horror stared back at Giancarlo when he drowned our pappa al pomodoro in olive oil. He answered our worried expressions with, "trust Tio Giancarlo, trust!" And trust you should.
I lived in Florence as a part of a study abroad program. I didn't need this experience to graduate nor any of the school credits I was receiving. Therefore, I opted to take a course that would be fun and I'd get something else out of. I thought: "What better place to learn to cook than the Mecca of food and wine?" The instructor of the course, Giancarlo Russo, was a whiz in the kitchen. He's traveled so much in his youth that he's learn to cook all types of dishes.
Although he was well versed in several types of cuisine, we focused on Italian (specifically Tuscan) cooking. We made all types of dishes, spaghetti alle vongole or spaghetti with clam sauce, spaghetti alla carbonara, pappa al pomodoro or potato tomato soup and much more. One of the lessons he stressed most to the class was that Italian olive oil is good for you. As nave Americans, we assumed it's oil, so it must be inherently unhealthy. However, Giancarlo made it very clear that it is one of the few oils that can be consumed daily and actually benefit your health.
Being skeptical still, I decided to do a little more research on the subject. As a result, he was right! In an article published by the Global Healing Center, titled, "The Health Benefits of Olive Oil" Dr. Group lists the benefits of consuming it and six uses other than cooking. Unaprol, an Italian company, produces a premium product that is packed with antioxidants and Vitamin E. Their website also lends some more information to the topic of how this is an advantageous product.
Faces of pure horror stared back at Giancarlo when he drowned our pappa al pomodoro in olive oil. He answered our worried expressions with, "trust Tio Giancarlo, trust!" And trust you should.
About the Author:
For more details about olive oil, for Italian cooking or what have you, please consult Unaprol.. This article, Never Underestimate A Florentine In The Kitchen is available for free reprint.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire