Page 37 - EOC18
P. 37

Paolo,’ our curator of all things cultural has an answer for you about everything Italian. Manul, the soulful cooking expert leads the culinary aspect.
Seasoned green beans with almonds
Manul is deeply insightful and shy in her outward emanation, but  rm in her beliefs and is not afraid to share her reverence for the earth and how it is our duty to respect what it produces. A sign hangs in the dining room that says ‘We give thanks to the fruits of the air, of the earth, above and below its surface, to the animals and to the elements, alchemic nourishment for our body and our essence. May our behavior be conscious and digni ed.” It showed in everything they taught us to prepare – from the
“We give thanks to the fruits of the air, of the earth, above and below its surface, to the animals and to the elements, alchemic nourishment for our body and our essence. May our behavior be conscious and digni ed.”
creamy risotto with wild mushrooms to the poached apples
with Vin Santo to the balsamic-roasted cipollini onions with amaretti, to the penne with pesto and roasted red peppers and
the best cantuccini I’ve ever eaten – and many more delicious bites in between. We gathered around the large butcherblock table donning our aprons, cutting boards and tools in front of us, and discussed the ingredients for each dish. While we prepared everything, we laughed and told stories, nibbled on pieces of Pecorino, fennel Taralli crackers and giant green olives, then sat down to enjoy this experience with every ounce of presence in our bodies. Each dish we tasted fed our souls.
And BOOM. It hit me like a giant pizza.
 is is the de nition of intention.  e act of cooking and eating is by no stretch an accident, a happenstance or an occasion where the intellect takes a holiday while the stomach gets to
play with complete abandon. Unlike any other creature, we are the only ones capable of alchemy in the kitchen. It could be as simple as salad or as intricate as a 4-course meal, but the fact
www.edibleorangecounty.com
Spring 2016 35
Creating food that feeds the soul.


































































































   35   36   37   38   39