1 2 Pune: Food should do more than just satisfy the stomach — it should captivate the eyes — especially in an era where people take snaps of their meals before taking a bite, believes Neapolitan chef Davide Domenico, who is presenting an ongoing 10-day food festival titled 'A Touch of Italy ' at Asilo in The Westin, Koregaon Park to end on August 28. “The key to good food is good ingredients—fresh zucchini, tomato, basil, mozzarella, and a lot of olive oil are essential to my cooking style, which has strong Italian roots with a contemporary twist,” said Domenico. The food festival is aimed at introducing guests to traditional comfort food honed and perfected within the walls of his family kitchen back in Italy over the years in an ‘Instagrammable’ format.
He wants to go beyond ‘pink pasta’ and change the perception of Italian food bringing forth his personal favourite recipes , each dish a testament to his family's culinary legacy. “I was quite lucky to be born on a little farm in Napoli ( Naples ) where my grandparents grew their own produce — some of it went to the kitchen and the rest they used to sell,” he reminisced. “Indian guests have loved my take on eggplant parmigiano with tangy tomato sauce, basil sauce, parmesan fondue served with a side of a delicate puff pastry stuffed with smooth basil mashed potatoes.
While the plating looks very fancy, I follow my grandmother's recipe but use modern techniques. About 12 years ago, my brother combined red wine and chocolate to make a densely flavourful cake that I have added to my menu as well,” he said. “We eat a lot of seafood and pasta in the coastal city in Italy.
At home, we don't throw away leftover pasta but make a hearty potato stew and throw in all the mixed pasta to make a filling and rich meal. Another regular meal while growing up was Genovese soup, a recipe we received from the French and made it our own by adding pasta and ingredients. My brother runs a restaurant in Napoli serving such traditional food, where more than 60% revenue comes from these two family recipes,” said Domenico, adding that his menu at the food festival is the highlight of his memories.
His innovative take on the popular dessert tiramisu features, “a homemade cocoa biscuit that is smeared with a coffee-and-Kahlua gel, topped with a scoop of coffee gelato, and a generous swirl of a creamy mix of mascarpone and eggs, finished with a heavy drizzle of cocoa powder." Talking about bringing his food to India, the chef quipped that "I received an overwhelming response from those in India. I took up a job in The Westin, Gurgaon, a few years ago, now I get to travel all over the country sharing my food with Indians and expats, and expanding my own palate" said Dominico who has replaced garlic bread with garlic naan to eat along with his pastas at home.
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