Having come of age in the Mediterranean, moderation as a dieting exercise is the indisputable king of culinary fads. It is an approach whose time of prominence may have been yesteryear but whose influence and essence is remarkably constant for the last two thousand years. What was good for Cicero, Ceasar or even the 115 + years of age fisherman living near the beaches of Palermo today surely must be good for us as well?
For after all it is in the moderation of thier diet that the early civilizations of the mediterranean approached most deftly to the true purpose of human existence - living the good life - and embracing the dolce vita that is all around us in the food that we eat, the wine that we drink, and the bread that we make both figuratively and literally. Perhaps there has never been a more effective and salubrious piece of advice provided for our dining benefit than that of the old Italian proverb: "Moderation in all things!"
It is a credo which Chef Salazar no doubt has fully embraced. With such superb bread, wine and olives available in the region it would come as no suprise to any chef worth his weight in olive oil to understand that such sage advice likely dervived from some ancient Sicilian culinary forebearer. In no other place is the Mediterranean Holy Trinity of wine, olive oil and bread more in evidence than in this waterbound island locked away in one of the earliest cradles of civilization. All three ingredients of the Santa Trinita Mediterranea combine to form the primary staples of this greatest diet of all, tailor-made for the hilly slopes, poor soil and sun-drenched terrain of this most traditional and ancient of Italian regions.
One more diet, one more fancy miracle ingredient, or one more failed meal scheme asking you to scrape by on paltry vituals and an unsatisfied appetite is rarely going to make one healthier or happier but it might inspire one to take another look at the precursor of all meal schemes, the original one which hails from the mediterranean and simply states to cook your ingredients in olive oil, to make your bread fresh and to cleanse your palate with wine. Tactically in the kitchen it is not what you eat that makes you healthy; but rather it is how you prepare what you eat, how you pair what you eat, and how you wash it all down which is truly at the heart of any man or woman's culinary health and happiness.
Chef Jose Salazar agrees that very little else is as important in the kitchen than using simple ingredients and the proper cooking technique for each respective cuisine and region of the world he prepares and visits. For a 5th time he will be returning to the Mediterranean on Thursday, April 19th to showcase the virtues of this most original and longlasting approaches to dietary excellence. In short, eat what you desire; prepare it correctly; pair it effectively; and finally drink what you want but indulge in it responsbily and with the proper food closeby and according to age-old sicilian tradition you can never go wrong. And, oh yes, one last thing, take a nice brisk walk to fountain square when the meal is finished.
To make your last-minute last reservation for this months' Tasting Thursday call the Palace Restuarant Cincinnatian directly at 513-381-3000. Superbly prepared cuisine, organically grown sicilian wine and home-grown Jazz with the Phillip Paul Trio are the staples of Cincinnati's Sicilian evening. Buon Appetito!
