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