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- Italian food is soon becoming as popular as the chinese delicacies in the Indian houselolds. There
was a time when a handful of restaurants served Italian dishes and these were few and far between.
- Nowadays many restaurants serve these delicacies with equal fervour as other like chinese and
mughalai.
- Since the Indian palate is tuned to tastes which are quite liberal on the seasoning front, most of the
dishes slowly adapt themselves to this quality, by indianinsing the flavour of the dish.
- Pasta forms a central ingredient in the cooking of most popular italian dishes. However this comes
in various shapes, sizes, colours, flavours and textures. Made from a base of plain flour, pasta can
be prepared and stored at home, but the finishing of marketed products cannot be achieved at home.
Besides the process is quite long and tedious. So it is best to buy the desired variety from a store.
It is readily available almost all over the world.
- The secret to perfect results is in the cooking of the pasta. If underdone it tastes doughy, if overdone
it tastes mushy. A little care and practice and you will master the 'just right' stage in no time.
- Seasoning of the dish form another important part of cooking italian fare. Though I have tried to
strike a balance between the authentic italian taste and the indian palate, you may go ahead and
make the same dishes spicier or blander as your tastebuds desire. I'm sure you will not be
disappointed.
- The catch lies in perfectly cooked pasta: follow the steps below, for the same.
As a general rule, put plenty of water to boil, add a tbsp. of oil to it. Add the pasta to this boiling
water. Drain when done in a large colander. Hold under running water to cool off and not allow
further softening. Spread in a large plate, using greased hands, to separate the strands.
- Use only after to fully cooled otherwise the pasta will tend to break in the recipe when used hot.
- Cheese forms another important ingredient of Italian cuisine. The varieties used have a vast,
vast range from the harder and heavier parmesan to the light and soft ricotta or mozarella.
However people tend to substitute most varieties, with the most easily available and versatile
processed and cooking cheeses. The results are definitely not disappointing, though those used
to original italian cuisine only, may find the flavour a bit different.
- Olive oil is another important ingredient in Italian cooking. This imparts a special flavour to
and aroma to Italian fare exclusive to it. The best quality is the oil in its pure form and will
produce excellent results.
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