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Josée di Stasio Defines Quebec-Italian Cuisine
By Malcolm Jolley
Josée di Stasio and her Pasta Pepe e Cacio (see recipe below)
Josée di Stasio was going to sit down with me, after a long day of media
interviews, for her last meeting of the day and a restorative glass of wine. It
never happened: she got stuck in Dorval in the first of the season's snow storms
to hit her native Montreal, and the two solitudes of the Canadian cookbook scene
remained apart for a few more days.
Later, across the telephone lines she is philosophical about missing her trip
to Toronto. This makes sense: di Stasio was, up to a few years ago, a very happy
food stylist working in the Quebec magazine and television advertising world. A
friend, the popular francophone broadcaster Daniel Pinard, asked her to
substitute for him on a TV show and she rapidly became one of la belle
province's top culinary stars. When I was in Montreal last year, I asked Ann
Fortin, owner of the Librarie Groumand in the Jean Talon Market, what book I
should by that would be most emblematic of the current scene in Quebec. She said
simply "di Stasio", and pointed to a stack of beautifully produced books.
di Stasio's cooking is, as her Italian surname suggests, simple and elegant.
There is certainly a Gallic-via-Quebec sense of composition to the recipes and
presentation, though. If Jamie Oliver epitomises modern Anglo-Italian, then
Perhaps Josée de Stasio has added a French-Canadian twist. She is certainly
proud of her roots, and tells me cheerfully that Italian food in Montreal was
not always in fashion, but the community is tight knit ("strong" is her word)
and sustained its culinary traditions. Now (like everywhere else) it's very
popular. If Quebec culinary culture can be seen to move from pre-Quiet
Revolution Habitant fare to French influenced Nouvelle Cuisine to something more
casual, comfortable and open, then di Stasio's timing has been perfect.
Not that she doesn't do French: she famously cooked for the gastro-curmudgeon
Gerard Depardieue. Nor does she shy away from Quebec terroire: her English book,
À la di Stasio, includes a recipe from Martin Picard of Au Pied de Cauchon. Her
television programs have taken her to France, Italy and Spain and she is coy
about where she may go next. But at the heart of her sensibility, she tells me,
is the Italian concept of prodotti. "If you start with a bad olive oil", she
says, "forget it."
Josée di Stasio's cooking is ultimately Italian, (not too many ingredients,
allowing the true flavours to come out of a dish), like the pasta below. It's
making the most with what you've got, and finding pleasure in it. "Life in
food", she says over the phone, "is so rich."
Pasta Pepe e Cacio
Excerpted from À la di Stasio by Josée di Stasio. © Transcontinental
Books, 2008, $29.95. Photos by Louise Savoie.
Serves 4
* * *
1 lb (500 g) pasta
___
2 to 4 tbsp (30 to 60 ml)
butter or olive oil
or equal parts of each
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2 tsp (10 ml)
coarsely ground pepper
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1 1/3 cups (330 ml)
grated Romano
or Parmesan cheese
or equal parts of each
___
Grated lemon zest and
lemon juice (optional)
* * *
In a large pot, cook pasta
in boiling salted water according
to package directions.
___
Meanwhile, place butter with
pepper on a hot serving platter.
You may place this platter on the
pasta cooking pot to keep it hot.
___
Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup
(250 ml) of the cooking liquid.
___
Transfer pasta to platter and
toss to coat with peppery butter.
___
Add 1 cup (250 ml) of the cheese,
a little at a time, stirring and adding
a little cooking liquid as needed.
___
Add remaining cheese, and lemon
zest and juice (if using).
* * *
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