An Evening with Gennaro Contaldo – Talk, Demo & Tastings
Gennaro’s warmth, Italian spirit and sense of fun have led him to be one of our most-loved chefs. He is renowned for being a mentor to Jamie Oliver and teaching him, with Carluccio, everything about Italian cooking. Toppings are delighted to welcome Gennaro back to Bath to celebrate his new book, Gennaro’s Cucina.
In an era of excessive convenience and disposable food waste this book could not come at a better time.
Cucina povera is the food that traditionally fed the poor of Italy yet remains the basis of most Italian dishes we love to eat today. It’s a simple philosophy – delicious, hearty meals using accessible and affordable ingredients. Encouraging an ethos of zero waste, Gennaro’s Cucina ensures that every part of the ingredient, and your budget, is put to good culinary use.
Along with the majority of post-war Italian families, a young Gennaro was raised on a diet harvested on a limited budget. Restricted choice of scarce ingredients meant they learnt the value what they had, how to cook dishes lovingly and use imaginative methods of preservation to make simple dishes go far: including salting, drying and curing.
In this inspirational cookbook, Gennaro takes you on a culinary journey of regional basic Italian staples and turns them into beautiful meals. With tips and ideas of what to do with leftovers, Gennaro helps home cooks squeeze maximum use from the ‘cucina povera’ ethos, turning humble ingredients into nourishing feasts without taste sacrifice.
From Sicilian chickpea fritters to lentil soups and bread salads – to more elaborate filled vegetables, delicious ‘poor-man’s’ ricotta dumplings and simple sweet biscotti, this book will transform the way you shop, cook and eat.
This is sure to be a warm and entertaining evening.