Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Sarjano, the Italian Maestro...

Guys, this is an unusual post about an unusual man!! Sarjano made India his home more than 25 years ago. But he remains as Italiano as the pasta he lovingly creates from scratch. We have been friends forever. He is a fantastic photographer, writer and chef. In fact, he ran the Osho kitchen for a long time till the Ashram changed ( for the worse!), and became a sinister 'Spa' that keeps Indians out ( in their own country!!!). Sarjano moved to Goa and started this utterly charming restaurant in a thickly wooded glade. Sarjano is temperamental and totally crazy. But soooooo gifted, one forgives him everything! Even his star tantrums ( if he doesn't like your face, or gets a negative vibe, he won't cook for you, even if you have a reservation!)

I got the guy to write a book for Penguin. The then editor, Karthika, nearly suffered a nervous breakdown dealing with Sarjano. Even I can handle his intensity strictly at long distance. However, having savoured his impeccably presented ravioli, I can safely vouch for his abundant talent as a cook par excellence. One more thing - there is never a boring moment with Sarjano around. Chances are he'll sing, dance, and play the flute in between courses. That component comes gratis! It's worth the price of the meal, I can tell you! So.... sign up. And spread the word.

Grazia!!

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INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF ITALIAN COOKING ARTS Mastro Sarjano is opening the doors of the International Academy of Italian Cooking Arts at his My Place ristorante in Vagator, Bardez, Goa, to everyone who wishes to learn the subtle art of Italian cooking. The month-long course is for beginners as well as professional cooks, and chefs. Mastro Sarjano promises: "After this course your market value will double.”The course which starts on the first of September , is divided into four weeks. Each week is independent to itself. That allows you to choose according to your needs. You can also choose specific days. Ingredients will be supplied."Bring only a clean hand," says Sarjano.The cost is Rs 10,000 per week and Rs 30,000 for the entire course. Half price for women because Sarjano says "I want to encourage women, to empower them and make them more independent." He also plans on special classes for youngsters so as to groom them for a life in Italian food.Ninety per cent of the food will be vegetarian, where you will learn to work with "fake" meat and local ingredients and also how to make Italian food cheaply, something we would all like to know.Says Mastro Sarjano: "I'm not giving dead recipes, but a living understanding of what we are cooking."Sarjano is also available as a Food and Restaurant Consultant if it's authentic Italian cooking and food you're looking at. This service is available for Hotels/ Restaurants/ Resorts desirous of improving their Italian, Continental cuisine and kitchens, training kitchen staff, or designing and selecting the items for a popular menu which will be attractive to visitors from Europe. Training sessions/ workshops can be undertaken in the hotel itself.Attached is a Full Program of the entire Course.Contact - cell. 9326135721 or write at : swsarjano@hotmail.comMastro SarjanoMastro Sarjano is a widely travelled Italian chef who was in charge of the kitchen and food at the Osho Ashram in Pune for over 20 years. he is the author of 'Food is Home', a book on Italian cooking and food, which will be published in November this year by Penguin India. It has an introduction by Shobha De.Osho said: "Those who have been to his place have tasted Enlightenment in his spaghetti. When it comes to his cooking, there is only one way he goes about it, and that's the path of meditation."Cooking is a noble, loving, caring, alchemical activity, says MastroSarjano. "The greaetest secret about the alchemical art of cooking is this: It's love that is cooking. There's no way to cook foodwithout love. It's like making love; you can't do it without love."Students of the course will have an opportunity to imbibe some of Mastro Sarjano's cooking methods. Each day's session will start and end with Awareness exercises which Mastro Sarjano feels will help the student cook better food. FOOD IS HOME TRAINING PROGRAM Presentation of Students.Introduction to the Academy.The philosophy of cooking.Question & answers on the Book “ FOOD IS HOME”Introduction to HOME MADE PASTA.First samples : Anna sauce, Alberto Sauce: male/ female.Making of Fettuccine. Traditional.First pasta: Fettuccine with Anna sauce.Tasting. Feed back. Questions & Answers.LASAGNA DAYWe make pasta dough again, this time “traditional ‘ and green pasta with spinach.This will open the possibility of 4 different LASAGNA Dishes.TWO GREENS, TWO TRADITIONALSTWO WILL BE VEG, TWO NON-VEG.Theory & Practice of Variations on Lasagna subject.Tasting. Feedback. Questions & Answers.Differences between cooking in electric stove or in a wooden oven.CANNELLONI DAYAs for the previous day, we’ll prepare two kinds of dough, traditional and green. Again we’ll make 4 kinds of Cannelloni:GREEN AND TRADITIONAL, VEG and NON VEG.in this Order:CANNELLONI DI MAGRO: Veg, traditional doughCANNELLONI DI VISSANI: Sardines green pasta, pesto sauce, etc.CANNELLONI DI FUNGHI: Mushrooms with béchamel-sauce (veg.)CANNELLONI DI CARNE: Green dough, tomato, mince-meat (beef, chicken,lamb, mutton.. etc.)RAVIOLI DAYThe enchanted forest of Ravioli cannot be explored in one day, hence Ravioli will be the subject of 2 days: From simple filling with home-made cheese & herbs, to more elaborate fillings: Ravioli with fish pulp, crabmeat, prawns…To Ravioli with pumpkin & cheese, with mincemeat, etc.We will explore the hundreds ways to fill Ravioli, and in different shapes too!As above, RAVIOLI DAY!!GNOCCHI DAY : Traditional, green (spinach) with pumpkin, etc.. The whole of Italian Gnocchi, from North to South will be explored without secrets!!Tasting, feedback. Questions and Answers.COMMERCIAL PASTA DAYWhy so many shapes? BARILLA itself has 12 different shapes on the shelves of Indian shops. Why? For What? One shape wouldn’t be enough? What’s the correct use for each of them? Which sauces are appropriate? And Why?THE CONSISTENCE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR.Tasting, feedback. A lot of Questions and Answers, this day!.SECOND WEEK(The thousand and one sauces from Italy)Starting from tomato again: the mother of all the Italian sauces. Variations: CARRETTIERA, PUTTANESCA, ARRABBIATA, CALABRESE, NORMA, etc. When tomato is too acid .When there is no tomato…Tasting, feedback, Questions and Answers.Pesto and other green Sauces. THE MOST DIFFICULT OF THEM ALL: SPAGHETTI AGLIO, OLIO & PEPERONCINO. Etc..Feedback, tasting, Questions and Answers.CREAMY SAUCES : ALFREDO, PAGLIA& FIENO, CARBONARA, PORCINI SAUCE, FUNGHI E PISELLI.. etc.Tasting, Feedback, Questions and Answers.FISHY SAUCES: CALAMARI SAUCE, PRAWNS SAUCE, SPAGHETTI CON LE VONGOLE, SPAGHETTI ALLO SCOGLIO,FARFALLE COL TONNO… etc. etc..Tasting, Feedback, Questions and Answers.THE BEST OF VEG SAUCES: SURPRISES & EXPERIMENTS. DAY OF FREE CREATION, IMPROVISATION, FOR STUDENTS !Feedback, Tasting, Questions and Answers.THE DAY OF THE CANNIBALS: All the sauces you can make with mince meat, bacon, ham, presciutto, speck, sausages, livers, pork, etc.Tasting (optional!), feedback, replacement is an art (Learning the use of “TOFU”, “SEITAN”, and “Soya-MEAT” as replacement for meat- bacon- ham- etc)Questions and AnswersHow to mix sauces.. AND WHEN! Some extravaganzas. Experiments with sauces: aka. "ATHENA PESTO" (they use CORIANDER WITH BASIL !)& other perversions !Feedback, Tasting, Questions and Answers.THIRD WEEKPIZZA & FOCACCE.PIZZA & FOCACCE.Pizza, as for Ravioli, is too vast a field, to be exhausted IN ONE DAY, hence a follow on, dedicated to “FOCACCE”, PIZZA TRAYS, and many variations on the subject.Tasting, Feedback, Questions and Answers.Since we are using the oven in these days, let’s see how Italians cook meat or Veg. (Eggplants Day!)Tasting, Feedback Questions and Answers.RICE IN ITALY/ RISOTTO DI MARE, RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE, saffron risotto, and all you wanted to know about RISOTTO and its secrets.Tasting, Consistency Feedback, Questions and Answers.POLENTA DAY:And how many things you can do with this simple cereal, available everywhere in India: Polenta with Tomato Sauce, Polenta & Cheese, Polenta & Fish, Polenta and Sausages etc. Fried Polenta, Grilled Polenta, Sweet Polenta, etc....Tasting, Feedback, Questions and Answers.Crespelle Day: Classic & Experimentations. With spinach. Or with Maple Syrup! With Fish or with Broccoli. With cheese, or with chocolate and flambé by Grand Marnier! (Or Rum)Tasting, Feedback Questions and Answers.About fish and other mysteries: Why Indians don’t know how to fry, and why Japanese do the best-fried food!Fish in Italy. The secrets of “CARTOCCIO”. FISH DAY, in one word.Including “King Fish al cartoccio with spaghetti.Tasting (optional) Questions and Answers.FOURTH AND LAST WEEK(Only for those who have attended the previous weeks)MOSTLY DEDICATED TO ADVANCED CREATIONS,DESSERTS, APPETIZERS ETC.APPETIZERS DAY will be dedicated to the preparation of an “Italian Food Festival”to be held a LAGUNA ANJUNA, sponsored by Barilla, Olitalia etc..And totally prepared by the students of the Academy, under the guidance of Mastro Sarjano.They will have the opportunity to show their talents and what they have learned.the most eccentric and Mysterious Sauces (Including Mayonnaise, Salsa Aurora etc.).ROLLONE. Soufflé ,and other advanced Creations MORE ADVANCED CREATIONS!!DESSERTS DAYExperimenting and Creating: Each student will be asked to create his own dish for the festival. THE MOST IMPORTANT, ABOUT COOKING, which is merely “ THE ART OF RECYCLING”. The whole day will be dedicated to this important aspect.. SALADS, DECORATIONS, PRESENTATIONS & other relevant items.SECRET TIPS!!LAST DAY: Rehearsal and Finalization of“ THE ITALIAN FOOD FESTIVAL” to be held by students.Mini-preparation & everything. END !_______________________________________________________________>

12 comments:

anamika said...

I admire your effort for your friend.You have an quality to criticize a person who u don agree with and go any extent for a person who u admire...

course indeed sounds enticing and so does yur friend but problem is sitting in Delhi it wont be feasible for me...

Any way i will spread the word around.

Unknown said...

Do Italians ever celebrate our food the way we do theirs? Are we more adventurous and adapting? How much they borrowed from the french and vice versa? There is this one famous Italian who adapted and becoming more of an Indian each passing day.

Anonymous said...

On-job training starting from basics - The best - I say.

Harish said...

.. im the dahi baath wala guy. who can live for ages on street food like pav bhaji, pani puri, dahi batata puri... and of course "Thairrr saaadham" at home.. little anadi when it comes to italian, mexican, vaghaira food. very Duhh i am.

Unknown said...

Its fun watching Shobhaa going ga ga over something which for most Indians means nothing. We are more worried when tuvar dal price touched 100. But she writes to all sections and to all tastes. Quite universal.

Sameer said...

Having lived in US for some time now I have gotten used to Italian food, but before that I was totally unaware of different world cuisine. Earlier my world only revolved around 'shikran -poLi' and 'VaraN- Bhat' (very typical maharashtrian dishes). I guess I like mexican and thai food much more than Italian food but the problem might be I might not have tasted the real Italian food yet. This class looks really cool and of course it will cater to the elite classes of our society as most aam aadmi is more concerned about the rice and oil prices.

Shobha, I appreciate you writing about these diverse things in your blog. I do believe, as 21st century citizens, it's high time we, as Indians start understanding about global cultures and cuisines. (By doing that in no way we are undervaluing our own desi cuisines)

Anonymous said...

Gosh! Enlightenment in sphagetti! Nirvana in noodles!!Peace in pasta!!! Sounds too good to be true. A lot better than finding a cooked cockroach in a plateful of colorful macaroni! :-D

Okay. I too wish to learn how to lovingly create pasta from scratch.
Where do I scratch first? Or do I have to join Sarjano's course? But what if he dislikes my face and start getting all sorts of negative vibes? What if he throws me out altogether? I hear the sea in Vagator is infested with sharks!

But I really like it when you say cooking is like love making. Lovely analogy. Much like shorsher tele maachh bhaaja :-D

Ashita said...

Aapke Sarjano, ke attitude ko jaan ne ke baad, mujhe SarJUDA ki yaad aa gayi, Mr. India ke..

Anyway, wow, a cooking workshop, sounds good, may be I'll like to join his classes but I'll like to book myself for next year.. if he continues. :)

sonal said...

Hi Mrs. De, i have always admired your style and your work. Ive been trying to find out the blog whrein uve written about Rakhi Sawant. I am quite a feminist and i admire rakhi for her guts!I think it stinks to call her a raaand!it takes a lot of courage to come on national Tv and declare that u have danced at Bachelor parties and that too at ure Swayamvar, where thousands of ppl are judging u.U talk about her crazy relationship with her mother, let me tell u that it is a fact that some daughters have very strained relationships with their mothers , who while belonging to the last gen, have do clue why their daughters are so independenet minded and rebellious.In some homes u have to fight for the smallest of liberties, whether it comes to choosing a man of ure choice of some such matters .U have to admire Raaakhi for making it on her own terms and being so freedom loving and independent minded.I say she has a more sophistaced mindset than many a sophisticated educated, high class women i have met.

dilruba said...

Yes Sarjanno ... is a Buddha who even happens to cook & shares through teaching it ... persons who will learn from him will learn not only cooking Italian but also the art of living Life !

AMIT said...

Nice written about Sarjanno.

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Unknown said...

amazing...

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