From Nonna's Kitchen - Farfalle Al forno.

Last fall, I was in a quaint little ski town of Zell Am See falling in  the Salzburg region of Austria. Bag packing across central Europe this sleepy little town provided the little RnR I badly needed.

           

My last afternoon in Zell Am See and the weather was being unkind. It pored through the day and my plans to hike along the Schmittenhöhe were ruined. Left with no other option I decided to stay in. Seeking the comfort of some warm coco I went looking for my pension owner Petra.

Petra was out for the day and wasn’t expected before sundown, I was informed by a wrinkled old lady in her heavy Italian accent. The thought of spending the entire afternoon with only some German TV to keep me company was not the Zell Am See experience I had in mind. I tried to make small talk with the lady to see if she can fix me up some coco or may be indulge me in some small talk.. I was bored and desperate.

I went in looking for a small talk, but what I got in turn was a close insight into the Italian way of life. Turns out, she was Giulia, Petra’s Nonna, who was visiting her from Maratea, a small town from southern Italy. Sensing my boredom she extended her hospitality by inviting me over for dinner for the night. 

How often do you have an Italian grandmother cooking for you? Now that's what I love about travel, a surprise awaits you at every turn.

Over a glass of wine, we discussed cultures, cuisines and flavors. Time flew by, as witnessed her cook up a storm. I closely took notes as she shared secrets of Italian cuisine, men and marriage. An hour and a half in and our Al forno was already bubbling away in her humble oven. The room was filled with aromas of toasted herbs and fresh basil. My senses get tinted even today as I relive that day. There are meals and then there are experiences. This Pasta Al Porno is one such experience….

A prompt form Del Monte and the motivation for a chance to ride along the Tuscan sun was enough to compel me to document my rendition Nonna’s Al Forno. Keeping all her rules in place I tweaked it a little to suite my palate. 

Use fresh ingredients, never compromise on quality, use sparingly but only use the best, those are rules of Italian cooking. And working with Del Monte meant I stuck to them. The pasta from Del Monte held its texture and was easy to cook. It’s at par with the Gourmet range of pasta from Italy and is made from the best of ingredients. If Nonna was to try my Del Monte Al Forno, she would be proud of the results, for sure..

  

Farfelle Al Forno,

Is nothing but a pasta dish that is twice cooked. Pasta that is once boiled and then tossed into the sauce with addition of proteins or vegetables of choice and baked to gooey goodness. I particularly love this Pasta recipe as it suits the Indian palate perfectly. Plus its versatile, as long as you stay true to the flavors. Just remember to follow the tips to the T and you will do just fine…

Farfalle Al forno with a piquant crème tomato sauce and roasted peppers.

Feel free to download these retro style Recipe cards and share them with your loved ones...

best viewed in a PC or a tablet, if accessing through a cell phone kindly click on each card to enjoy a better view.

*Nonna’s mixed herbs

Like garam masala is to Indian cooking, mixed herbs are to Italian. Every kitchen has a different a permutation and combination of the herbs to suite their liking. Nonna’s combination was just perfect and as was I departing from Zell Am See she handed me a recipe of her secret herb mix. Here you have it....

Below is the video of the recipe to give you a quick idea of how it all comes together…

P.S. this was my first time editing the videos by m self, after a huge let down by my service provider yesterday and some bizarre glitches with my movie maker I managed to get it right, but not before I so embarrassingly published two bloopers...  

The Final Video, the one with everything in place:

#FacePalm1
The video where the Clips got exchanged
the narration Miraculously vanished:

#FacePalm2
And where the sound was just fine but the 

Clips disappeared :

well you learn something new everyday....

Italian food is all about experiences. Slowly savoring amazing food over good company and great conversations. Hope this recipe brings you closer to your loved ones and you make memories for life…

A parent’s travel cheat sheet!

“There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing”, 

In other words, a little planning goes a long way. If you are a parent then you know exactly what I mean. Traveling with children can be overwhelming. There is an endless list of things to carry. Not to mention an entire pharmacy and a grocery store that needs to be accommodated within the 23kg baggage limit. Long flights can be daunting and the lay-over’s can bring you closer to a breakdown.

I’ve traveled to 4 countries with my son, starting off when he was just 9months. Our last trip with him was only a few months back and now, after a bazillion mistakes am finally getting it right. So here I am sharing my gyan that I’ve gathered after some really bad stumbles.  

#Location. I thought it was a bright idea to travel to Dubai with my one and a half year old. Big mistake. He got claustrophobic in his stroller every 5 minutes. All I did was chase him down the mall like a crazy woman. Can’t remember a single thing I shopped for during the ironic shopping festival. It’s very important to plan a destination with keeping the child in mind. Like for instance our last trip to Australia was a super hit, visit to the zoo, theme parks and beaches, holiday personified . So if you want to pleasant holiday, chose your destination wisely. Make sure your destination has a little bit of something for everyone.

#Flights. Happy child, happy you. Make sure you keep them occupied. A sucker during takeoff and landings helps relieve the pain. A favorite snack helps calming the tantrum. Few toys keep them company and when all fails, a little jog in the aisle dose wonders. Don’t bother no one’s judging.

#Packing Hacks. One great tip I can share is I don’t make individual bag for each one of the family member, but for each day of the trip I have my husband’s, mine and my sons clothes packed into one neat bag. This does make packing a little tedious, but you will bless me for the time you save every morning when you don’t have to run around wondering what to wear.

#Plan every last detail. Your carefree bag-packing days are passé when you traded your trainers for a stroller. Meticulous planning helps you cover more distance and help you explore potential things that might keep you and the kids happy.

Once you get the hang of it , children make the best travel companions ever. It’s surprising that even by the end of a tiring day  they have heaps of energy to do more. Their innate sense of curiosity is something we all can learn from. They put the fun back into vacation. They remind you that sometimes all you need is an in room service, where you kill the wake-up call, hit the pool and just relax. P.s. don’t forget the sun block.

The world say’s Namaste!

Travel and me, we have a love hate relationship. 
As much as I love to wander off and explore, am also a sucker for familiarity. It takes exactly 102 hours for me to secretly start missing home. I can’t obviously say it out loud to myself and others but I know that I secretly do.

Food, I miss the most. Sure I have my ghatiyas, my theplas and my kachoris to keep me company, but that stash is in case of strict emergencies only. Siri find me an Indian restaurant I say. The husband gets mad. You want to eat paneer in Switzerland? One more time if I have to pretend to like that God damn Raclette, am going to lose it. Am like a little child when I come across food from my land when am away from it. Like for the time when I saw a vada pav stall near Rhine falls, Switzerland or when I came across a dosa vendor on the streets of Melbourne. But the best feeling is when you see non Indians savor local Indian food with equal love as you, that's when you realize that the world is more Indian than we think.   

People, are something I love most about my travels. A conversation with strangers and exchange of intellect  is something that I dig. I yap away with the locals while my husband holds a poker face reading she doesn’t belong to me.
I love my exchange of stories, and people narrating them are even more than enthusiastic sharing them. When I tell them that am from India, it’s like their eyes light up. It’s a great felling when someone from Finland knows so much about the land where I come from. Or to know that an adorable little couple from Germany is saving up to travel to Varanasi. Or for a French maitre d is a big fan of Bollywood. It’s a proud feeling to represent the phenomenon called India.These experiences only reinforce the fact that the world is more Indian than we think.
 I want to share this exact experience with you. So when I decided to write for this prompt, I got my friends and my friend’s friends form around the world to tell me how India has rubbed off on them.

 Here’s what they had to say:

Marisole, United Kingdom.

Miranda, USA

Malini Jagnaraine, USA

Amaris , USA

Harry, Paris.

Edwin, Johannesburg.

Diana, USA.

Teodra, Switzerland

Paul Mlynarczyk, USA.

Nidia, USA.

Michael Stewart, USA

Chad Philip, USA

Lawrence, Australia.

Christian Simpson, USA

Moyl Clydera, USA

Nina Moritz, USA

Brian Farrell, USA

C.J Hanekamp, USA

Diego, USA.

And I’ve saved the best for last,

Somewhere in a bar in Queenstown New Zealand, while a firang bartender muddles a mean Mojito, I notice a tattoo on his arm. I flipout when I  find that he has खुश रहो inked on his wrist. This picture truly defines the fact that the world is more Indian then we can imagine (sorry the picture is low on quality as i was high an alcohol)

The above post was inspired by the More Indian than you think campaign by Lufthansa, hosted by Indiblogger. Lufthansa is revamping their image to cater better to Indian customers. A home away from home, that’s a feeling people cherish most an on a voyage. As a traveler, for me you've certainly got it right!

                                                                  Photo Credits: 

               Nikhil Raikundaliya, Jayesh Awatani, Danica D'Souza and everyone else who were                                  spontaneous enough to agree to be a part of this. Appreciate it !