A few weeks ago, I wrote about how healthy food can and should be tasty. This is contrary to a common perception that healthy food is unexciting and antisocial. Fresh, quality ingredients, cooked well, balanced in flavour and combined with herbs are far better than dishes that try to be tasty by using sauces and fats, which mask the real flavour of the main ingredients.
This week, continuing on our tour of Italy, I share with you some principles for constructing the flavour of dishes, so you can create tasty gourmet recipes that are good for your well-being.
On the island of Ortigia, the historic centre of Siracusa, Sicily, and a Unesco World Heritage site, there is a special restaurant called Oinos (oinosrestaurant.it), where I recently spent several happy lunches and dinners.
The owner, Ivo Vatti, is passionate about the ingredients he uses. He tells me that his restaurant operates on the "micro-grocery" principle.
He spends the morning finding the best ingredients, which will be used only on that day. "Because I spend so much effort finding ingredients, I make sure that they are respected when they're cooked so that their superior natural flavours are preserved."
This means he's against deep-frying and in favour of applying gentle heat, cooking food as little as possible by steaming and boiling. He also minimises the use of fats and sauces, using extra virgin olive oil instead.