SLOW FOOD – AS OLD AS TIME
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| On a family vacation in Singapore we went in for a slow food cooking class at Tott...Lto R Akanksha Dean ( daughter pursuing culinary Arts at IHM Aurangabad, Chef Bakshish Dean ( husband) & Chef Jimmy Chok |
Slow
food as a concept is a relatively new trend, but it is worldwide and growing.
That said, it is as old as time. Well, at least the time that the first human
figured out how to gather food or grow it. I became exceedingly passionate
about Slow Food after I read Carlo Petrini’s book ‘Slow Food’ introduced to me
by my Chef hubby and found that it resonated with me on many levels. Since then
Slowness in cooking has come to play a major role in my life so much so that on
our vacations I try and sign up for a slow-food cookery lessons one such being at ToTT,
Singapore with celebrity chef Jimmy chok which was rather interesting. For
those who do not know Chef Jimmy is the former owner of a restaurant called
Salt and I would say he sure is an extremely talented young Chef.
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Rome’s most inventive
Italian Chef Fabio Antonini of Pianeta Terra
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So
when I heard GreenHouse on the Ridge at Olive Qutub was hosting a warm chefs
table with Italian chef Fabio Antonini and Chef Sujan Sarkar with a menu motivated
by the slow food movement, I simply had to go!
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| Myself, Chef Manjit Gill & Chef Bakshish Dean |
Chef Manjit Gill who is a great
believer in Slow Food philosophy and preaches and practices the same in all the
ITC Welcomgroup hotels operations kick-started the dinner with a beautiful chat
on Slow Food and I just loved the way he spoke, my favourite line being, ‘Slow
food is the opposite of fast, we do not hate fast food or negate it , the Slow
Food movement aims to preserve cultural cuisine and in so doing to preserve the
food plants and seeds, domestic animals and farming within an Eco region’. This,
I think, is the secret outcome of the Slow Food lifestyle. When everything is
locally grown using traditional techniques, you get a backdrop of small farms, hidden
groves, and open pastures, an appeal of eating that actually enhances the world
around you.
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| Pallavi Mithika & Chef Manjit Gill |
When
I sat down at the table, I discovered a feast beyond my imagining, a nine course
adventure through the most delectable fresh and organic ingredients. This was
no ordinary tasting: Bra is ground zero for the Slow Food movement and houses
the University of Gastronomic Sciences, the official culinary school of this
international initiative focused on local ingredients, traditional cooking
techniques, and the pleasures of leisurely meals and Pallavi Mithika a student
of Culinary Arts at IHM Aurangabad who later pursued a course from here, must
add has done a good job in promoting this movement out here.
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| Tortelli, confit local duck leg, orange , parsmip |
My
fellow table mates and I took full advantage of the leisurely ‘Slow Food’ pace,
relishing lively conversations and local wines (read Grover Zampa) as the stewards
brought out each course like a new chapter in an epic book as we sampled local
produce over the nine courses Everything was fresh, organic, and delicious. With
highlights being Tortelli (confit local duck, orange & parsnip), Best
of ‘The Green Bean’ farm (wheatgrass, fermented black garlic, nasturtium) and
a dessert of Jaya rice, chocolate, coconut, burnt butter; it’s a meal I will
remember for the rest of my life. The food was extremely fresh, local, and
prepared with care. There was nothing overly ornate; the chefs allowed each ingredient
to speak for itself. And given a chance to shine, they spoke volumes; it really
struck home for me.
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| Best of ‘The Green Bean’ farm ,wheat grass, fermented black garlic, nasturtium |
As the chefs revealed their craft to us, I was struck again
by the sustainable philosophy ‘ take care of what you have, respect it, nurture
it, harvest it, use all of it, return to the earth what you are not able to
use, and pass this on to those that follow you’. Could there a simpler recipe than this? Trust
me, at a time when organic and fresh are the words on every foodie’s lips, slow
food cooking never seemed more modern the way Chef Fabio & Chef Sujan
Sarkar dished out the food, in spite of most popular cooking techniques being
centuries old.
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| 'Dilli ka khaana Queen' Gunjan Goela in a conversation with super star chef Sujan Sarkar of Olive |
WHERE?
GreenHouse On The Ridge
Olive at
the Qutub, One Style Mile, Kalka Daas Marg, Mehrauli, New Delhi-110030.
For
Reservations call: 011 29574444 / 9810235472
TRIVIA
GreenHouse on the Ridge at the Olive Qutub
is a little secret tucked inside the style mile of the capital. Casually
elegant, with a dollop of gracious hospitality, it is a charming space that
offers an intimate experience and feel of a country home.
In AD’s words, ‘Delhi is slowly realizing
and appreciating the intimacy of very small restaurants. Similar experiences
are found across Europe and Australia where great chefs open restaurants with
just a couple of tables. They can then focus painstakingly on ingredients and
every dish that goes out’. The Greenhouse on the Ridge puts a
spotlight on such experiences every season. A chefs’ playground, it brings
forth bespoke experiences where guests can enjoy gleaning culinary secrets from
them directly. From blind tastings with chef de cuisine Sujan S.(where without
the sense of sight, your other senses are intensified, allowing a new
perception of reality) onto chefs cooking hands-on in an open kitchen right in
front of you presenting customized menus, GreenHouse on the Ridge endeavors to
presents a tight collection of taste sensations.
