I have just got back from a week long holiday in Sicily. The highlight of my stay in a top notch hotel was meeting the famed Italian masterchef Fulvio Pierangelini – http://tinyurl.com/6f3b8mp –
I had the good luck to learn pasta in pomodoro sauce, pasta with sea food such as calamari, scampi, swordfish, clams and mussels with the guru of Italian cooking. It was revelation to me how different ways of chopping and treating tomatoes imparted completely different flavours to the dish. His style is simple; preserving the sanctity of the ingredients and purity of the dish, garlic and herbs are added just for flavouring and removed before serving and he does not believe in constant stirring the pan while the food is on the fire. Most important lesson for me was to use the tomato only after the parts that impart acidity to the food have been removed.
Maybe if I could do this to Indian food, I could make it less acidic, more palatable, and healthier.