Living in Florence this summer, I learned one thing: only Italians can cook like Italians. I come from a long line of Italians, many of which are great cooks. However, nothing can match the tastes and aromas of a meal prepared by a true Florentine. Despite one's best efforts, the result is simply a shadow of the real thing.
I lived in Florence as a part of a study abroad program. I didn't need this experience to graduate nor any of the school credits I was receiving. Therefore, I opted to take a course that would be fun and I'd get something else out of. I thought: "What better place to learn to cook than the Mecca of food and wine?" The instructor of the course, Giancarlo Russo, was a whiz in the kitchen. He's traveled so much in his youth that he's learn to cook all types of dishes.
Although he was well versed in several types of cuisine, we focused on Italian (specifically Tuscan) cooking. We made all types of dishes, spaghetti alle vongole or spaghetti with clam sauce, spaghetti alla carbonara, pappa al pomodoro or potato tomato soup and much more. One of the lessons he stressed most to the class was that Italian olive oil is good for you. As nave Americans, we assumed it's oil, so it must be inherently unhealthy. However, Giancarlo made it very clear that it is one of the few oils that can be consumed daily and actually benefit your health.
Naturally, this wasn't something I was willing to believe right off the bat. Instead, I decided to research further and make a decision for myself. The Global Healing Center published an article discussing this issue. The piece "The Health Benefits of Olive Oil" by Dr. Edward Group, lists the multiple benefits and uses of olive oil. I couldn't believe the old coot was right after all! Digging deeper, the Unaprol website provided me with even more information about the beneficial characteristics of the product. The Italian based company creates a high quality product full of Vitamin E and antioxidants.
Faces of pure horror stared back at Giancarlo when he drowned our pappa al pomodoro in olive oil. He answered our worried expressions with, "trust Tio Giancarlo, trust!" And trust you should.
I lived in Florence as a part of a study abroad program. I didn't need this experience to graduate nor any of the school credits I was receiving. Therefore, I opted to take a course that would be fun and I'd get something else out of. I thought: "What better place to learn to cook than the Mecca of food and wine?" The instructor of the course, Giancarlo Russo, was a whiz in the kitchen. He's traveled so much in his youth that he's learn to cook all types of dishes.
Although he was well versed in several types of cuisine, we focused on Italian (specifically Tuscan) cooking. We made all types of dishes, spaghetti alle vongole or spaghetti with clam sauce, spaghetti alla carbonara, pappa al pomodoro or potato tomato soup and much more. One of the lessons he stressed most to the class was that Italian olive oil is good for you. As nave Americans, we assumed it's oil, so it must be inherently unhealthy. However, Giancarlo made it very clear that it is one of the few oils that can be consumed daily and actually benefit your health.
Naturally, this wasn't something I was willing to believe right off the bat. Instead, I decided to research further and make a decision for myself. The Global Healing Center published an article discussing this issue. The piece "The Health Benefits of Olive Oil" by Dr. Edward Group, lists the multiple benefits and uses of olive oil. I couldn't believe the old coot was right after all! Digging deeper, the Unaprol website provided me with even more information about the beneficial characteristics of the product. The Italian based company creates a high quality product full of Vitamin E and antioxidants.
Faces of pure horror stared back at Giancarlo when he drowned our pappa al pomodoro in olive oil. He answered our worried expressions with, "trust Tio Giancarlo, trust!" And trust you should.
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For further information about olive oil, for Italian cooking or otherwise, please consult Unaprol.. Also published at Cooking In The Italian Countryside.