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Aroma of Roma
He buys the provisions, cooks the meals and even sees to the decor. When hospitable Italian ambassador Salvatore Zotta entertains he gives it the personal touch
By Nedra Wickremesinghe
An invitation from a foreign embassy may be for lunch or dinner or more likely a reception. Receptions are large multi-national gatherings, sometimes held in the embassy itself and sometimes at a hotel at which drinks and canapés are served and a certain amount of diplomatic business conducted along with social pleasantries.
Naturally, we get the impression that a diplomat's life is a whirl of parties, functions, receptions, state banquets and ceremonial functions. Usually when you do receive an invitation to a diplomat's sprawling residence for dinner, the meal is either turned out by the hostess, their staff or handled by caterers.

An exception to this is when the Italian Ambassador for Sri Lanka, Salvatore Zotta decides to entertain guests to dinner at "Villa Roma" - and cooks the dinner himself.
Italian hospitality comes alive when he entertains with guests enjoying the gastronomic delights artistically arranged in chafing dishes on a long buffet table amidst the glow of candlelight and fruit-bowl arrangements.

A traditionalist by nature, he proudly announces that Italian cooking has a grand history dating back to the Romans. For Italian food and recipes differ from region to region. "It is necessary to keep traditions alive because they add meaning to one's identity. To give up on tradition is to give up one's identity," he says.

He sees this happening among the younger generation, and blames the fast-food industry for its invasion. The old traditional families in Italy took pride in having the all-important Sunday lunches for their large families - an event they looked forward to - for these lunches promised an afternoon filled with good cheer, light banter, laughter and a table piled with loads of food with lots and lots of bread, pasta etc, good wine and above all, family togetherness.

Sadly, these habits are slowly disappearing now as most members of families are scattered all over the world and in all regions in Italy having different lifestyles while the older generation strives to keep its memories alive.

His foray into cookery commenced when he was a young student in London and forced to cook an Italian meal for his college friends. It was his first attempt under trying circumstances, and it turned out so well - that whenever he returned home for holidays he had cooking lessons from his mother. He has inherited a cookery book, which is more than hundred years old and says with pride that five generations of his family have used it.

Cooking for large crowds of 75 - 80 is no easy task. He needs two weeks of preparation time, and usually it is an authentic Italian buffet dinner comprising "six types of starters (Primi Piatti), four varieties of the main course (Secondi Piatti), three types of side dishes and vegetables (Contorni), four desserts (Dolci e Frutta), caffee espresso alla napoletana.

The food is served with white wines (Est Est Est 2000- Trebbiano or Canuleio 1997 - Mazziotti) and choice of red wines ( Aglianico 1998 - Martino, Rocca di Castagnoli 1997 - Chianti Gallo Nero), and he himself at the end of the dinner offers a variety of home-made liqueur, his speciality being Limoncello (lemon liqueur ) Alloro (liqueur made of bay leaf).

He plans two weekends ahead. "I prepare the basic things like different sauces, cakes for bases and freeze them. Perishables like fruits and vegetables are purchased at the last moment. Certain dishes like pasta or a meat dish are made a day or two in advance.

The most difficult part for me is the preparation. Finally putting it together seems much easier. The chafing dishes are not filled till the last moment. I have three staff members to help me in the kitchen, and I am particular that the food is served warm and kept warm till the guests are called to start serving. The tropical temperature tends to modify and affect the flavour, and keeping the food warm is essential," he explains.

When the party is in full swing, he discreetly steps aside and heads to the kitchen (black tie and all) to attend to the last minute preparation. "I toss the salads with the dressing and last thing I attend to is the pasta as it has to be done 'al dente'. I try to be away from the guests for 20 minutes the maximum as my absence won't be noticed much," he says.

A true ambassador for his country, Mr Salvatore Zotta personifies Italian tradition and warm hospitality and believes in the famous Italian proverb "A Tavola Non Si Invecchia" - (sitting at the table you don't get old).

This, he says, is "good for your well-being and time well spent". After all sharing food has always been the fundamental expression of friendship. His guests couldn't ask for more.

Pasta Al Forno Con Me Lanzane-(Baked Pasta with eggplant)
Salsa di Base (The base sauce)
Ingredients: 800gr tin of canned tomatoes, 4 tbsp of extra virgin oil (olive oil) and 1 large onion

Method: Saute onions in olive oil until soft and put aside. Crush the tomatoes, and to it add the onion and salt and boil it on a low flame for 40 minutes.

Ingredients: 2 large egg-plants, 1 beaten egg, bread crumbs and a bit of flour
Method: Remove the stems of the egg plant and slice lengthwise in 1 1/2 cm strips. Pat each strip with flour, dip both sides in the beaten egg yolk, and lightly cover both sides with breadcrumbs. Fry it lightly, sprinkle salt and leave aside.

Ingredients: 250 grms of minced meat,250 grams of minced pork meat, 50 grams of (fresh bread crumbs) soaked in 100 grms of milk,70 grms of Pecorino cheese (cheese made of sheep milk) or 70 grms of Parmigiano cheese (Cheese made of cow milk)

Method:
Mix the above with one egg. Make little meat balls and frythem for a few minutes till the colour changes. No deep frying.

Extra ingredients:
6- 7 basil leaves shredded with your fingers. (no cutting With knife), 100 grms of parmesan cheese, 250 grms of penne pasta done al dente (boiled for 2 1/2 minutes in boiling hot water)

Assembling the dish
Grease the bottom of a deep oval dish with some margerine and line the base with the salsa di base (the base sauce).

Place the sliced eggplant around the dish with one end inside the dish and the other end outside. Then you begin to assemble the dish from the base of the dish (but over the eggplant) with the prepared stuff in the given order below to reach at least three layers.

First you apply the sauce. Then put a layer of pasta. Top it with meat balls.
Spread a few shredded basil leaves. Finally sprinkle parmesan cheese.

When you reach the top of the dish piled with the layers, take the eggplant strips one by one that is jutting out of the dish and neatly fold it over the layers.
Add the remaining Salsa de base and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and the shredded basil leaves. Bake in a pre-heated oven of 200 centigrade for 20 minutes.

If there is enough sauce on the top you can bake it open. If there is not enough sauce then you bake it closed.

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