And, so begins my festive season.... With great cheese and simple pairings....
What is the start to YOUR Holidays?
As my time here teaches me, the true value of the Italian culture is in the way they do not see tradition as a shackle but rather as a way of life; A point of differentiation that needs to be proudly maintained and taken joy of. From amazing cheeses to generations old balsamic vinegar to all the cured meats, the magical food history of this land is rich and bountiful. And, unlike the American mentality to hoard and pile richness on richness, the Italians elegantly approach each ingredient with the respect warranted for it all by itself. And, they indeed pair, it is not to be over-the-top but to be subtle complement of flavors that leave your floored with they deceptive simplicity!
Read MoreAh.. the absence! Coming back from it like trying to talk after a long period of silence. You don't know where to start, what to say. Words begin and then get stuck in the roof of your mouth and never quite make through with the sound. There is a anxiousness in the eyes while it tries to make sense of this awkward and sudden introversion...
Perhaps, I should just tell you what it is. It my magazine... NOURISHED. I just wrapped up the Spring/Summer issue and sent it to the printer. ....
Read MoreKulfi and I have history. One that has roots from high school! I honestly don't remember much of my school days. Looking back, I realise I went most of it a haze of self-defense. I never fit, so I choose to exclude myself voluntarily, thereby creating a myth of control and years of no nostalgia.
But amidst all of that barrenness are a few flickers of bright memories, the few times, I indulged in life and life ruffled my hair and said you can laugh and have fun. Kulfi is one of those few happy memories I retain from that time of my life. And, through it the longest friendship of my life. Although, I haven't been a good friend most of the time in that relationship and the tenuous connection continues only because of the other person. I am sorry for that. And, I am kinda hoping to make up for that, by dedicating this recipe to her.
It was like this.
Read MoreThe majestic red mountains. I had just summited them. I did not tame them, nay, I had simply monkeyed up and perched on top.
I had neither conquered nor had been conquered.
As I sat atop the ‘dune’ in bliss, from the physical effort of getting there, I felt the breeze caressing my face, my mind emptying and a strange stirring within, the beginning of a release. I cycled back downhill. Wings took shape. Where once they had been tied down by circumstances, they hesitantly spread out and I learnt to fly, once again.
The mountains speak to you, you’ll see, they said. The desert is a fountain of life, they said. Take a trip alone, they said. You will find yourself and come back with new understanding, they said.
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