Food&Kitchen: writer and musician Antonio Bocchi answers our questions (part II)

2017-04-12 Here we are to continue our chat with physician, musician and writer Antonio Bocchi. He has recorded four electronic rock albums with his band and written two mystery novels published by Salani and Delos Books.
What is tops in the kitchen for you, Antonio?
“Generating wonder and amazement, gladdening the spirit, and then the body. Creating a show, however static, in which the dish enters into a dynamic relationship with the food, underlining it and adding to its value. A soup-plate of cappelletti or a shapeless mound of pasta with sauce on an anonymous dish, even if it is of superlative quality, can never be enough to generate a truly unique, thrilling gastronomic event.”
What is the ingredient you can’t do without?
“Shallot, for its delicacy and digestibility, eliminating the brutality of onion when preparing the base for a dish. And of course olive oil.”
What is the most fun item in your kitchen?
“The Bimbi, which was, paradoxically, invented in Germany, a country where people have not yet, on average, managed to rise above the level of basic survival in the kitchen. It’s perfect for cooking risotto, thanks to its ability to stir constantly and obtain an incredibly creamy product without adding any cream at all. The name, which makes one think of horrible baby foods, says it all about the gastronomic creativity of the Germans.”
When was the last time you had a really good meal?
“Every time I have dinner at home with friends. My wife and I both cook, though she has practically taken my place, after spending years soaking up the gastronomic philosophy behind my preparations. Now the pupil has surpassed the teacher, and this is wonderful for me. Passing on knowledge is more satisfying than obsessively guarding your intuitions.”
Which recipe do you do best?
“I like cooking seafood these days: risotto with feta cheese and scallops, fish soup with cream of potatoes and garlic, octopus au gratin.”
What are the qualities you appreciate in a cook?
“Creativity and novelty. Traditional cooking is like classical music: an inexhaustible repetition of other people’s creations, handed down without any originality, focusing solely achieving perfection in the product. I would choose an imperfect but bold dish over something I have already eaten a thousand times, no matter how good it is.”
What does food mean to you?
“Food is an art form, and as such, it serves to nourish the soul first of all, and then the body. Even people who go to McDonald's or stuff themselves without thinking are in actual fact introjecting an art form: however primitive, almost tribal, it may be, it is still a creation that required a process of planning and performance much like the production of a work of literature, music or painting. A hamburger is a pure pop icon, and its success all over the world is comparable to the popularity of certain commercially successful bands. The energy we get from food is not just an accumulation of amino acids, sugars and fats, but something more complex, something that can generate joy or melancholy, exaltation or sadness, euphoria or consternation. Anyone whose life is not influenced by the moods of food must have a very sad life. It’s as if they had given up living, like a patient in a coma kept alive with sterile bags containing nutrients in pure form.”

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