Gnocchi and Slow Food

The second session of "From garden to table Italian style" featured a special guest, Professor Cristina Della Coletta of the Italian department who artfully demonstrated how to make home-made gnocchi in the style of her native region of Veneto, Italy. The gnocchi turned out quite scrumptious with a choice of sauces: fresh tomato sauce from our own garden tomatoes or an incredible fontina cheese sauce typical of the northern region of Piedmont! Dessert was an amazing iced vegan pumpkin spiced cookie made with fresh pureed pumpkin from the garden!

Our readings and discussion covered such topics as industrial versus locally grown food and sustainability as it applies to food. Something to think about is the following quote from Carlo Petrini's "Slow Food Nation" as he defines "eco-gastronomy":
"...the raw material must be grown and produced in a sustainable way; biodiversity and local traditions of cuisine and production must be preserved even if it costs more". Think about it! Check out this website for more information: www.slowfood.com