Slow down

Slow food—a culinary U-turn

Camrose’s Emanuela Leoni thinks there’s another way to go. She’s in the business of producing what might be called slow food—a handmade parmesan cheese called Leoni-Grana that’s aged over 2 – 3 years. “The cheese just gets better by waiting, like good wine,” says Leoni, a native of northern Italy. “The recipe of my cheese dates back several hundred years, far before refrigeration was invented.”

That kind of attention to tradition and time is a culinary U-turn away from our fast-food culture, one that is being embraced by more and more people seeking to bring pleasure, flavour and community commitment back to their meals.

“It’s about having a more conscious relationship with what we eat, rather than just stuffing our faces because we’re in a hurry or we think it’s convenient,” says Mary Bailey, co-author of The Food Lover’s Trail Guide to Alberta and the head of the Edmonton chapter of an international organization called the Slow Food Movement.

The group began in 1986 in northern Italy, not far from where Leoni hails. Some insist it was the opening of a fast food outlet next to Rome’s Spanish Steps that spurred that country’s chefs, producers and food lovers into action. Even today, with an international membership of more than 60,000, almost half of those affiliated with the organization are Italian.

Seasonal, regional food celebrations

Slow Food aficionados want to celebrate the food that grows in their own region and eat it in the season it’s produced. “It’s a philosophy of food,” notes Tim Woods, owner of Pigeon Lake’s Eco Café. “There’s this seasonality of food, so you look forward to Taber corn in the summer, strawberries in June and asparagus in the spring.”

Standardized, efficient food, pre-measured and processed in plants far away from where it’s eaten, removes the quirky individuality of different regions and encourages the global homogenization of production methods. Woods, who sources all his ingredients from within a 50 km radius of his café, says local products taste fresher and buying them supports Alberta growers, many of whom operate small family farms.

Slow Food aficionados want to celebrate the food that grows in their own region and is eaten in the season it’s produced. “It’s a philosophy of food,” notes Tim Woods, owner of Pigeon Lake’s Eco Café. “There’s this seasonality of food, so you look forward to Taber corn in the summer, strawberries in June and asparagus in the spring.”

Take the time

Bailey says Slow Food is not against convenience —“I can’t live without the tomato paste in the can”—but wonders whether we’ve been bamboozled into believing all packaged foods are faster. A store-bought risotto, she says, takes 20 minutes to prepare. “Well, for one-tenth the price I can make this myself, and—guess what—it takes 20 minutes to make from scratch.”

Advocates say we’ve been intimidated into believing that we have neither the time nor the skills to prepare meals for our families. “But a meal can be simple; it doesn’t have to be anything fancy,” says Bailey. The point is to buy the best ingredients, prepare them and then share them with others at the table.

And if we can grasp the skills to send an e-mail attachment or program the automated coffee maker, we can figure out how to make mashed potatoes from scratch.

This is a life lesson for our children as well as ourselves, says Leoni. Besides giving kids the confidence to handle a saucepan, it also offers them more choices for nourishing themselves. “I have four boys, and what I am trying to teach them is to enjoy cooking because it’s so important for life,” says Leoni. She also feels it’s a question of health. Startled by the number of overweight Canadians when she first arrived here 15 years ago, Leoni was determined to have her sons, now grown, sit down to food prepared at home.

Dinnertime at the Leoni residence could range from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. because of busy schedules. “But we always tried to have supper together because the family life is so important.

“You share a lot, talking to each other, letting everybody know what’s happened in your day, sharing ideas and making plans together. In front of a homemade soup or dish of pasta you can really forget about your worries.”

Besides, what could be better on a cold Alberta evening than a dish of something that’s been slowly simmering away for an hour or six? This is slow food at its best. Come gather round, and spread a little warmth.  •

Want more information about the Slow Food Movement? Visit their Web-site at: http://www.slowfood.com