For Guy Grossi, there is no better way to show your love for family and friends than by taking simple, fresh ingredients and making food for them to enjoy and be inspired by. From impromptu meals created direct from your pantry to dishes for a special–occasion feast, Guys recipes encourage you to cook with the hands, the eyes and the heart. Beautifully illustrated, by Mirka Mora and with stunning photographs by Adrian Lander, My Italian Heart is for anyone who enjoys sharing good food with their loved ones.

When I walk into my kitchen, the first things I look for are my pot, my olive oil, the onion, the garlic. The pot goes on the stove, the naked flame burning under it. I pour in the olive oil. As it begins to heat, the air is permeated with its beautiful aroma. I cut some onions and garlic and throw them in. The music of the sizzling onion, and the sweet smell as the heated oil draws out the sugars, is food for the soul.

The oil, the flame, the onion – these are the fundamentals of my cucina, and they are also a link to the past. You can trace it back for thousands of years, to the ancient Roman days. Its the base of Italian cooking, the soffritto. This is the beginning of the cooking, the beginning of the kitchen, the beginning of the philosophy in the kitchen.

In my earliest memories of childhood I can see the kitchen, a place where all would come, filled with those familiar smells and the laughter of people who love each other, and with the anticipation of the flavours to come. It was perhaps here that my passion for cooking was ignited. The first day Dad took me to his work I was seven years of age. He made me peel potatoes. I got a snapshot of what a professional kitchen looked like, and as the years progressed I found my own place, a spot that I loved. I wasnt only surrounded by beautiful ingredients but I discovered a commitment to the pursuit of excellence. The ideas and memories laid out in the pages of this book derive from more than two decades I have spent at the stoves, each day striving to achieve higher standards, working with food and crafting the ultimate hedonistic product. I hope you will enjoy a glimpse into these memorable days and experiences.

If you dont feel like cooking, then stay away from the kitchen. Cooking is a labour of love. Some people say its an art form, but I like to think of it as a craft. At my restaurant, we craft our food so that people can discover the love that has gone into it. At home its the same thing, but its even more intensified because youre cooking directly for the people closest to you – your friends, your family. To me, theres no better way to express that you care for them than by taking an ingredient and nurturing it, putting in a bit of this and a bit of that, and then watching them enjoy it. Its a great way of giving to the people you love. So if youre not in the mood, then get away from it, because you wont be able to cook with the kind of passion you need.

If youre in the kitchen with gusto, then even your failures will begin to taste good. I think failure in the kitchen is important because, just like in life, you can learn from your mistakes. Every failure is a step closer to success. Dont be intimidated by your tools or your ingredients, instead, respect and command them. Confidence is one of the key ingredients in successful cooking.

Make this book a kitchen–table book, not a coffee table book. I encourage you to pick it up, read it and be inspired by it. I want you to take it into the kitchen and use it. Some of the ideas here have come from many years of experience and some have been improvised. They are all intended to inspire. This is a guide – a road map, if you like – but you can choose the direction in which to travel. The book is meant to take the shackles off home cooks, who sometimes feel they have to follow a formula or recipe rigidly to be able to cook something great. Take the methods used here, build on them, then enter the kitchen unchained and create.

Author:

Guy Grossi

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ISBN:

9781920989309

Publish Date:

11/2005

Pages:

208

Publisher:

Lantern

Format:

Paperback

Availability:

Approximately 6 - 10 days
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