Words by Pat Eggleton
We have a cookery blog for you this week. Meet Carmelita Caruana, “your authentic Italian cooking lady”, from cookitaly.com.
Carmelita, where are you from?
I was born and raised on the island of Malta and lived there until I after I graduated from university there. Malta is a tiny island so I set off to travel and while teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults - my first career - I lived in Paris, Lisbon, Cairo, London and Barcelona.
When did you first come to Italy?
Oh, as a child on holidays with my school and with my family. But I came to live in Bologna, where I still live, in late 1996.
Can you tell us about where you live?
I love Bologna! It's a beautiful medieval city, all red brick and over 40 kilometres of porticoes to shelter us from winter weather and summer sun. Plus the oldest university in Europe, nice people, lots going on and fabulous food!
When did you become interested in Italian cookery?
Well, I've been cooking since I was a child, I've always loved it and Maltese cuisine has a lot in common with the cuisines of Sicily, Naples and Calabria because of our shared history and our similarities in terms of climate and geography. But the almost tomato-less, almost garlic-less, egg -pasta based cuisine of Bologna was new to me. So when I arrived here, as always on settling in a new country, I set about learning as much as I could about it, going into new friends' kitchens to watch , help and learn to make the traditional dishes.
Can you tell us about your cookery classes and where you hold them?
I offer two main types of class: day classes in Bologna, where we do market shopping first and then the class makes lunch in my apartment in the centre; and residential classes in the countryside for four to ten people. For these I rent an appropriate venue in Tuscany, Sicily, or anywhere my guests choose. I have run classes of this second kind in Umbria, Campania and Piedmont too when my guests have requested that.
Where do the people who attend your classes come from, mostly?
In the beginning, which for my “Cook Italy” was 1999, the majority were from the US. I still get a lot of North Americans, but also British, Irish, Australian, South African, and increasingly these past couple of years other nationalities: Europeans such as Swedes, Finns, Greeks and Russians and Asians from Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam and Japan.
We know you have some cooking mantras. What are they?
Local, seasonal and rooted in history. Eat everything, in moderation. And cook it yourself.
Simplicity: less is more.
Flavour, colour, texture: When you eat an apple, eat an apple. When you drink tea, drink tea. Savour the moment.
I also often say, "First you shop, then you cook, then you play.” The "play" part is about presentation, making the dish look as attractive as possible. I often think about colour when planning a meal. Great colour combinations can really whet the appetite and make the meal that much more enjoyable, because in the end, eating a good dish is sheer pleasure.
What do you like most about Italian cooking?
The emphasis on flavour. And since each dish has a protagonist, a star ingredient, the cook's aim is to enhance and bring out that flavour. The cook aims to make that artichoke or that pork steak taste its best, taste sublimely of itself, without any competing or distracting elements: for example the best tomato sauce is made very simply using tasty, fresh and ripe summer tomatoes, olive oil and salt, and maybe a single herb.
Italian cooking is so much about simplicity. "Less is more" is a related fundamental aspect which I very much appreciate. I love that instruction you see in some old cook books about adding a herb or spice - described as a “pinch” in English - because it translates as "a little is already a lot". The idea is not to swamp the main ingredient by over- use of what is intended to be a "supporting cast" ingredient.
So in most Italian cuisines, in an ideal world three ingredients are better than five, and just one or two ingredients better still. This does not mean that there are no complex dishes in the cuisines of Italy; of course there are several, but simplicity is the ideal. Better a fresh grilled fish drizzled with olive oil and lightly seasoned with salt than one buried in complex sauces and with a complicated stuffing, if you want to appreciate the flavours and the textures of a really fresh fish. Of course you can only cook this simply when you can get excellent, seasonal raw materials..
Do you have any favourite cookery writers?
For many years cookbooks were my bedtime reading but I gave that up several years ago. I still think Marcella Hazan's first cookbook, Classic Italian Cook Book is excellent and her best.
Like everyone in this region I will often "see what Artusi has to say" and consult his "La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangiare bene [The Science of Cooking and the Art of Eating Well]. I have found a lot to like in Giorgio Locatelli's "Made in Italy" and when entertaining Italian friends I like to use recipes from Stefano Cavallini's Essential Cooking. But to be honest, today I mainly look to Italian cooking magazines and Italian cookbooks of traditional regional cooking. I am especially happy to find old out of print ones when browsing at country fairs.
Can anyone learn to cook?
I think so, but to cook well you need to enjoy eating and to have plenty of time to enjoy the preparation process.
Who gets to test the delicious new recipes you devise?
My family, friends and neighours. They are very appreciative!
When did you start your blog and what do you blog about?
Not so very long ago. My blogs are recipe based. I try to present traditional recipes that are not widely known, but I also include some recipes that "update" traditional ones while remaining true to the basic principles of simple, seasonal, local. They are "teaching" recipes on the whole as I'd like my blog readers to make the recipes successfully.
What are your favourite recipes from your blog?
Oh, too many to mention! I like them all, and I'd have different favourites according to the season. But if you press me then perhaps the Lemon Rosemary Risotto or the Lasagne with Scallops or the Roman Oxtail stew ... You see? I can't stop at just one!
They all sound delicious. Happy cooking, happy blogging and thank you for talking to Italy Magazine, Carmelita.
Carmelita also blogs on tumblr.
