Cook Like An Italian host Silvia Colloca on how food has helped her connect to her family from afar

As Silvia Colloca struggled being separated from her family in Italy over the past few years, she turned to something she knew would help her connect from the other side of the world — food. Whether it was a supply of her mum’s meatballs that had been lovingly prepared and then frozen from the last time she visited, or recreating her dad’s favourite lasagne dish, stepping into the kitchen allowed her to feel close to them despite the distance. “This all became a way to archive all of my memories from home, which are inevitably related to food moments,” Colloca says. For several years now, the cook, author and television host has been sharing her beloved family recipes with Australia on her series, Cook Like An Italian, which captures the magic of home-style Italian cooking. This time around, the third season kicks off with Colloca and her children, Raphael, Miro and Luna, heading to a family friend’s home in Sydney and taking part in the time-honoured tradition of passata day. For the uninitiated, the bustling event involves families coming together and chopping, boiling and bottling tomatoes to make sauce that can then be used in countless recipes throughout the year. “It was such a magical day and everyone had a job to do to contribute and it was just like we were in Italy,” she recalls. In subsequent episodes, Colloca also takes part in a salami-making day, as well as serving up plenty of signature dishes and some contemporary takes on Italian cuisine, including zero-waste, gluten-free and meal-preparation recipes. While she is passionate about passing on the family food rituals that many Italian Australians still use today, Colloca says it is a practice that transcends cultures. “We all share some sort of immigrant story and it doesn’t matter where you are from . . . we all want to keep our culture alive and to honour it and the easiest way to do it is to share the recipes we love.” But reflecting on just what it means to “cook like an Italian”, Colloca says it is about so much more than just putting a meal on the table. “It’s more an attitude and approach,” she says. “It’s about not treating cooking like a chore, and instead it becomes the glue to a family moment or a way to repair relationships after a tiff or a friendship after a rift. “The power of food and sharing it is nothing new, but I think Italians use food as a language.” With Italian cooking helping to change the food landscape of Australia after the post-World War II migration boom, what is it about her home country’s cuisine that has it beloved by so many? “I think it is the rituals and people love the atmosphere that Italian can bring to the table,” Colloca explains. “A lot of the time, the meal is simple, like a pasta or a bread with some olive oil, but what is there is the company and sense of community. “I think that is what tastes the best.” Despite now having decades of experience under her belt, Colloca still has one thing she struggles with specifically. “I think the most tedious thing I have to do when writing books or recipes is having to quantify everything,” she laughs. “I cook by looking, feeling, touching and tasting things, but then my publisher reminds me we actually need to specify details. “In terms of actual recipes though, there are some shapes of hand-rolled pasta I think I’ll need another 40 years to master.” Since stepping up and helping to cook as a young child, Colloca wants to also make sure she allows her own children, whom she has with husband, actor Richard Roxburgh, to learn and take part themselves. However, she admits she feels the pressure of being their only connection to Italy. “Because they only have me here to give them Italian culture, I have to do a lot. They have a beautiful Australian family here and get exposure to that and the lifestyle here, which I am so grateful for, but I know it is my responsibility that they grow up equally Italian, too,” she says. That desire will likely only be strengthened after a much-needed trip back home soon, with Colloca eagerly awaiting a months-long holiday after the extended time apart from her family. “It feels like my heart is repairing itself because it was broken for the longest time,” she says. “When I’m there, I don’t think I will quite believe it.” Cook Like An Italian starts today at 8pm on SBS Food.

Cook Like An Italian host Silvia Colloca on how food has helped her connect to her family from afar

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