Italian Cuisine

Over the past few weeks, newspapers here have been devoting more column inches to the rising price of food. Basics, such as wheat and rice, have shot up in price – due it seems to a rather complex mix of factors: climate change, affecting harvests; increased meat consumption in countries such as China (meaning that land formerly given over to growing crops is now used to raise cattle); and the production of bio-fuels. This last is perhaps of most concern, as in many cases fertile land is being taken out of food production in favour of more lucrative bio-fuels. This means that many essential foods are not only rising in price, but are also becoming scarcer.

It has certainly been noticeable on my local supermarket shelves, as some days they’ve been denuded of that essential of Italian cuisine – pasta. Perhaps people are stock-piling it?

It would be hard to imagine cooking Italian dishes without pasta – or to a lesser extent rice. You could use gnocchi, of course, as they’re mainly made from potatoes. The other alternative would be that staple of the north – polenta. This golden cornmeal is certainly versatile – you can eat it hot or cold, or even fried. And it’s very filling. The only trouble is making it in small enough portions. It seems to grow in the saucepan and I always seem to cook enough for ten.