Spices can amp up the flavour quotient of any preparation. It is not just difficult but extremely challenging to create a plate of food that looks nice, taste fabulous but at the same time is created with minimal ingredients that are healthy as well as easy to digest. Chef Ibarra of a local restaurant in Mexico embraced a similar challenge when he got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cook for Pope Francis at his restaurant. Chef Ibarra decided on cooking simple delicacies using fresh ingredients that would be light on stomach, easy to digest, low on spices yet scrumptious.
Last year, Chef Jessie Sincioco from Philippines was graced with a similar opportunity. She also chose to stay simple in her craft, sticking to some of the Pope's favourite ingredients and turning them into mouthwatering yet light delicacies.
Italian bread ciabatta"I had to do my due-diligence. I had to research. I went to the bookstore and bought all the books about him!" she revealed in an online interview. "He would eat very simple food. I found out he has a sweet tooth from my readings. He liked stuff like dulce de leche, media luna. He loved the bread," Chef Jessie was quoted on an online portal.
Chef Jessie aimed at keeping the menu healthy and nutritious. As Pope hails from Argentina, she admitted doing a lot of research on the native Argentine cuisine. She also shared that Pope has more affinity towards meats and fish."It was a five-course menu, but then we narrowed it down to three", she said. "The Holy Father is so simple, he likes simple things, he doesn't like anything too much," shared the Chef.
Some of the things specially made for the Pope's delight included ciabatta and croissants for breakfast, fresh fruits, yoghurt and Filipino mangoes. A selection of cold cuts were specially flown in from Italy. A few other things that were served to him included saffron risotto, tortellini soup, spaghetti carbonara, chicken soup with fresh vegetables in beef broth, orange and much more.
"He liked my roast beef and flambéed mango (dessert) the most. He also liked our ciabatta and loved our rice," exclaimed the Chef.
In January last year Chef Jessie at Rockwell threw open her special "Holy Father's Menu" for the locals to try and delight in. Light breads, fresh fruits, light cuts of meat, desserts - all in small portions; that's how his holiness likes his meals. A way of living perhaps all should inculcate and emulate.