PHOTOGRAPHS: DAVID LOFTUS
TASTES LIKE HOME
When I was 13 or 14, I started spending all my non-school hours in the kitchen, my great-grandmother’s sanctuary, which I had been forbidden to enter until then as no messy children were allowed. I felt drawn to the mysterious calm of this special room, and from that point on I never wanted to be anywhere else. From my family I inherited a dusty old handwritten recipe book filled with secrets, and I started studying it. On rainy days, I’d chase away the gloom by putting my hands in some sweet dough. What I love about kneading dough is that you’re bringing your body heat to work with the gluten and the flour: a real collaboration between you and the food. That’s the way my granny (nonna) taught me to cook - by example and through involvement. Torta della nonna is one of the most heart-warming yet easiest pies in the Roman baking repertoire. I’ve added my own twist in the form of white chocolate, for depth of flavour.