From grandma's cookbook

In the new menu at Fratelli Fresh at The Renaissance, chef Enrico Luise has included a recipe he learnt from his nonna back in Italy

Eight-year-old Enrico Luise vigorously stirred the batter as he helped his mother make dessert. Soon, the family would gather for a warm Sunday brunch. That was three decades ago at home in Verona, Italy. Today at 38, Enrico Luise, the Italian chef de cuisine at the Renaissance Hotel, Powai, puts together eggs, cream and coffee for a perfect Tiramisu. Food, Luise says as he stirs the mixture, was always important to his family; his grandfather was a chef too.u00a0



"My brother never helped in the kitchen, but I enjoyed it," he smiles, adding that he discovered his love for food pretty early. "Mamma would say 'taste', and I would simply dip my finger in the bowl to know what needed to be added."

As a child, Luise would alternately visit his paternal and maternal grandmothers often, who would cook a spread each time. A lot of his learning happened before culinary school. "I learned to be comfortable with food from my nonna; that's what we called our grandmother," he recalls.

One of the many items his nonna prepared, has found its way to the menu at Fratelli Fresh. "Nonna would always cook seafood. I was 15 when she taught me to make Branzino at Frono," he says. The dish cooks a sea bass fillet in fresh tomato with black olives, white wine and lemon.

"At the Renaissance, they wanted dishes with a homemade feel. And I'm most comfortable preparing such recipes, because it feels like home."

More than two years in the city mean chef Luise has experimented with Indian dishes, and his favourites are classics Dal Makhani, Chicken Tikka Masala and Korma. His only regret is that he "can't eat like a child any more."

To try out the Branzino at Frono at Fratelli Fresh, The Renaissance Hotel and Convention Center, call 66927540