My great aunt Lucilla and friend on her balcony above the farmacia
My grandfather was from a small village called Bardi, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy (see photo above.) Like much of the town's population, who between the wars emigrated abroad, my grandfather left the region to start a new life in London.
My grandfather wanted to escape due to the poor conditions of farmland and the lack of work, many people were destitute and had no option but to move abroad. My grandfather's brother Guido was lucky in that he was a pharmacist and along with his wife Lucilla owned the town's farmacia.
Whilst my grandfather did become a successful restauranteur, life in London was totally different to that of a small inland town where community and social gatherings were all. When my parents and I went to stay with uncle Guido and auntie Lucilla, even as a small child, I sensed a lot of happiness in their home. Of course, they were prosperous and lived in a beautiful apartment which played host to many vibrant family gatherings and they remained amongst family and friends and a life they both knew and loved.
Auntie Lucilla, friend and cousin Stefan at home in Lucilla's apartment
My grandfather died prematurely and before I was born, I often wonder would his fate have been different had he remained in his homeland?
It was in Bardi, as a small child, that I fell in love with food. Suddenly all my senses were awakened, the smells emanating from food shops, market stalls and particularly auntie Lucilla's kitchen which was run by her excellent cook Mary, were stimulating. The act of sitting down to several courses of food, particularly foods which were new to me, excited me, I wanted to try everything!
My favourite dish was Mary's potato cake, however, upon returning home neither my nonna (who wasn't from Bardi) or my mother, knew how to make it. I spent many years in a potato cake wilderness until I found Angela Hartnett. Angela's maternal grandparents also hailed from Bardi and whilst I was naturally drawn to her warm and natural approach to cooking, unlike some celebrity chef's Angela has no airs and graces, I didn't realise that we had a common bond by way of Bardi. Angela's recipe for torta di patate is the very potato cake I ate all those years ago and it transpires, is very local to Bardi.
Chef Angela Hartnett
Shockingly, but not surprisingly, I have many friends who have problems with their children's diets. I hear all too regularly that their children are difficult to feed and don't seem to like food and that meal times are a battle ground. With much of our food being packaged, processed and tasteless, it's no small wonder. Food should be a sensory experience. I can vividly recall eating a pizza in Italy which consisted of a delicious dough covered in tomatoes and lots of fresh basil and Parmesan cheese, the basil had a slight perfume to it and was a new sensory experience for me. I can't get my head around a pizza that has a hard base and is covered in all manner of non-pizza ingredients such as reformed ham or chicken tikka, it's wrong on so many levels.
As Angela says: 'It's difficult to starve if you have pasta in the cupboard and water in which to cook it.' Yet so many of us claim we can't cook and use this as an excuse to use convenience food.
Some simple pasta mixed with a little olive oil, peas and Parma ham sprinkled with Parmesan cheese is a delicious and easy meal. Likewise, pasta combined with some sautéed garlic, spring onions and chilli combined with tuna and lemon juice, or with some broad beans, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella......combinations are endless, it's just a case of using your imagination and your senses.
Lasagne is a favourite amongst many Brits along with spaghetti Bolognese, however, we tend to forget that the pasta is an equal star to the sauce, with our love of gravy and ketchup, we tend to drown these dishes in (quite often shop bought) tomato and bechamel sauces. A good lasagne should be sliced, not poured all over the plate in a sloppy mess, the layers of pasta still firm when bitten.
Lasagne
Recipe
2 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
500g minced beef
2 tbsp tomato puree
150ml red wine
300ml chicken stock
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add vegetables and garlic and cook gently, do not allow to colour
Add the meat and stir for a minute or two
Add the tomato puree and cook for 4-5 minutes
Add the wine, turn up the heat and allow to bubble and reduce
Cover with stock, stir well, reduce heat, cover and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, for 3 hours
White sauce
50g butter
50g plain flour
600ml milk
75g Parmesan or Cheddar cheese, freshly grated
Melt the butter in a saucepan and stir in the flour
Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly
Bring to the boil, simmer for 2 minutes, cover and set aside
Preheat oven to 180c/gas mark 4
Cover the bottom of a large ovenproof dish with a couple of tablespoons of each sauce
Cover with a layer of pasta sheets
Repeat process finishing with a layer of white sauce
Sprinkle Parmesan on top and bake for 35 minutes until golden and bubbling
'Pasta can be one of the easiest dishes in the world to prepare. It is also one of the easiest to ruin.'
- Marcella Hazan
Love Donna xxxxxxxxx
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