The Shroud of Turin & Benedetta

Turin was turning out to be disappointing. My sojourn of over a month was now coming to an end and I had still not seen the Shroud of Turin. The weather had been playing foul. It was dark, bone-chillingly cold and rainy. Armed with a tourist map, a thin jacket, rain soaked shoes, and a broken umbrella, I had trudged the streets of Torino every weekend in search of the mysterious Shroud.

As I walked past the Mole Antonelianna which houses the national museum of cinema, dark and gloomy clouds had covered the city, its surrounding mountains and the Antonelianna. I was beginning to see the ‘Shroud’ although a bit differently! This was my second last day in Turin.

Having walked through the endless corridors that made up the 18 km of colonnaded walkway of central Turin, by mid-afternoon I found myself at the footsteps of a very good-looking building. I walked in to see a beautiful church. It was cool, silent and serene. As I stood there taking in the atmosphere, an old lady volunteer met me and silently took me to an enlarged picture of the Shroud. Benedetta (the blessed one), as she introduced herself had been doing volunteer work at the Capella della Sindone the Chappel of the Shroud for over a decade.

I listened in rapt attention as she explained the entire length of it, the blood marks, the places where the Shroud had been burnt during a fire and the telltale pattern of Christ’s foot placement. She gestured ahead and showed me the large silk covered aluminum casket that contained it. I stood in awe. There it was, barely10 feet away, separated only by the bulletproof glass wall! On top, there was a projection of the Christ’s face. He looked noble and peaceful. I was at complete peace.

Human faith has limitless power and it didn’t matter if I was a believer or not. I could feel the charge in the atmosphere. The Shroud had called me and I had come.

When I stepped out, it took me a while to get used to the brightness, but that’s life, it always takes a while to get used to the light when you’ve been in the dark too long. The Turin trip was over. I had met Benedetta and I had seen the Shroud.

In the festive season, here are two lovely dishes that are easy to make for that little lunch party at home.

Melon and cheese Salad

Get hold of a small wedge of parmesan and enjoy this quick and easy salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Honeydew melon: 1
• Parmesan: Generous amount (grated on the largest holes of a grater).
• Salt to taste
• Fresh crushed pink/schezwan pepper: As required
• Few rocket leaves ( a green leafy vegetable, it can be found in super markets)
• Extra virgin olive oil: 2 tbsp
• Fresh lime wedges: 4

Method

• Cut the melon into four equal quarters. Remove the seeds with a spoon while making sure you don’t take off too much of the pulp along with it. This is the sweetest part of the melon, so you do not want to lose too much of the pulp.
• Cut each quarter further into two thin wedges and peel off the skin using a sharp knife.
• Arrange the wedges on a platter, dress with salt and fresh crushed pepper. Squeeze some lime juice on each wedge. Dress with the extra virgin olive oil. Intersperse the melons with rocket leaves and generously sprinkle the parmesan on top.

Pan seared fish, coriander pesto, zucchini trifolati

A wonderful recipe using minimal ingredients and simple cooking styles. The recipe works great with chicken and prawns as well.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• Fillets of bhekti (or any boneless white fleshed fish): 4
• Salt and pepper: As required

For the pesto

• Coriander leaves (top part, no hard stems): 80 gm
• Garlic cloves: 5
• Fresh red chilli: 1
• Parmesan cheese: 70 gm
• Cashewnut: 50 gm
• Olive oil: 220 ml
• Salt and pepper: To taste

For the trifolati

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Garlic (halved lengthwise): 4 cloves
• Zucchini — Sliced on the round (1 cm thick): 2
• Flat leaf parsley — chopped: A half handful
• Salt and pepper: To taste

To make the pesto

• In a blender, add the coriander, garlic, chilli and cheese. Add the cleaned cashew kernels.
• Pulse for a few seconds and add the oil a little at a time. Pulse after every addition.
• Don’t pulse for long durations as you want the pesto to be a little coarse to fully enjoy its individual flavours.
• When the desired consistency is achieved, season, pulse briefly and take out into a bowl.

To make the trifolati

• Heat oil in a pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic. Don’t allow it to get coloured.
• Add the zucchini, season mildly. Cook for about five minutes turning the zucchini around and till it is lightly browned.
• Turn down the heat, add the parsley and toss. A few drops of lemon juice just before serving lifts the trifolati by a mile! Keep in a warm place.

To cook the fish

Make sure the fillets are dry by dabbing with a kitchen towel. Season lightly. Moderately heat oil in a sauté pan. Add the fish fillets, skin side down (if with skin). Cook on low moderate heat for about 2-3 minutes. Then flip and cook the other side.

To serve
Lay the trifolati in the centre of the plate, top with the fish and spoon over the lovely coriander-cashew pesto.