Tuesday, June 26, 2012

La' Dolce Vita Fulfilled !!!

Italy is not only about pasta and pizzas. Italy brings to mind many more things. Such as Bruschetta, Risotto and Mushrooms ’ la grecque. Today, at Cappuccino (Park Sheraton Hotel) began the Cooking Fiesta. Rohit Ghoshi, leading chef from Kerala along with Roy, chef of Park Sheraton started the fiesta with the demonstration of new dishes from the Italian cuisine.

The hall was packed with women of all age groups who were interested in cooking. The evening started with the demonstration of the making of the light starter, Fresh Tomato Bruschetta. It’s a new dish which could be tried by any person at home. This wonderful appetizer is easy to prepare and makes a great snack. The main element of the dish is the tomato rich mixture on the crispy baguettes along with the garlic flavour that drew the attention of the ladies.

The Rosemary and garlic flavoured Mushrooms a’ la grecque was well demonstrated by chef Rohit. Many substitutes for mushrooms were also suggested by the chef.  When asked about the garnishing, chef said “Garnishing depends on our imagination. Be it palak or cheese or green olives, you can use any edible elements suiting our taste buds.”

Chicken nugget is another usual dish prepared by chef Rohit in an unusual way. This dish is prepared with less oil making it healthy with barbeque sauce to make it juicy. Chicken could be replaced with paneer, vegetables and mushrooms.

Risotto is another dish prepared with Arborio rice, Parmesan cheese, peas, chopped onions, etc., which triggers our taste buds due to the presence of white alcohol which gives you the original taste.  “This is the fifth time Cooking Fiesta I am attending and my interest levels keep increasing every year. I am looking forward to know about more dishes this year also” says Jyotsana.