Josee di Stasio | Always this desire for simplicity

Twenty years after the debut of her show on the small screen and almost as many since the release of her first book, which sold more than 200,000 copies, Josée di Stasio persists and signs a sixth work in her career. With My seasonal diaries – Spring-Summer, which will be followed by an autumn section, the communicator is betting on loyalty to the ingredients that have contributed to its success, including the paper: “Yes, there are now recipes everywhere on the web, but the book still has its place. Josée di Stasio too.

Isabelle Morin
The Press

In 2002, the host timidly made her debut at the helm of her own cooking show with a timing we can’t get to the point anymore. “These years were a time of revolution when everything started to move quickly on the culinary level, particularly in Quebec, because we didn’t have a very deep-rooted culinary history,” she notes. There was an openness to the world and cuisine from elsewhere. Suddenly, we were hearing talk of food everywhere. »

The era generated a broth of creativity: the first drafts of young chefs, including several women, the massive arrival of new artisans, restaurants, recipe books and cooking shows. Where the actors were few in its beginnings, there is now a line. “It forces you to be more authentic, more personal. And this is where it gets interesting. Everyone arrives with their own background, personality and personal interests. »

Josée di Stasio has remained faithful to her mandate to make the kitchen more accessible, without any particular accessories and without a team, while adding her infallible touch: à la di Stasio! “I didn’t invent carbonara, but I do the same, my carbonara”: a sharing of tips, culinary discoveries, gourmet encounters that have contributed to the emergence of local gastronomy. Two decades later, the lady still has that sparkle in her eyes, that unquenched curiosity, that hunger for discovery.

“Am I still the same? Yes… no… It depends on what we are talking about.

“20 years ago, I had trouble looking at a camera. I’m a little more comfortable, without having become a kid kodak. But on a personal level and in my way of cooking, I would say yes. »

Its playing field, on the other hand, has grown and is more fertile than ever.

Meet the other

Simplicity and a concern for perfection come to mind when observing the journey of Josée di Stasio and her latest recipe book which sounds like the beginning of spring. Always the same desire for accessibility and this thoroughness in the presentation. “I’m really happy that you talk about simplicity,” she said. For perfectionism, it is sure that it is less light. I remember having existential angst with my first books. I was wondering what kind of dishes [les lecteurs] were going to take, what kind of oven they had… There was no way it wouldn’t work. »

It works, exactly. The di Stasio seal comes with a certain guarantee of success and the confidence that we are being held by our hand until the dish comes out of the oven.

And to be good, it takes the right ingredients. “Eating local and in season is so obvious that it seems redundant to talk about it. It’s just common sense! »

The first days when merchants began to take out their stalls, Josée di Stasio was there. For the “shot of energy”, for the scenes teeming with life, for the connection to the other.

U.S. too.

During our interview, we will learn that this fine palate can down a bag of crisps in one gulp, empty a jar of P’tit crémeux, sleep soundly despite the quantity of chocolate swallowed every day. Better: that she would eat toast and sandwiches three times a day. When asked to target her favorite recipe from the book, she hesitates and backs off. “We talked about pasta with lobster and that’s what I want to answer you. But if we talk about mango salad, I will tell you something else! That’s why when I go to a restaurant with someone, I order about the same thing. Because if not…. “Everything looks good. And “a little dough” arrived so quickly.

It is with the same uncertainty that she speaks of her future. Her career plans were never very defined, she admits. She had the chance and the immense privilege to work in what turned her on. A few projects are already underway for the next few months – a book, a TV show – and then after… “A break would be welcome, she reflects. I would love to work with children, but I can see myself arranging flowers too. Florist, letter carrier, bookseller… There are lots of things that interest me! Who knows where Josée di Stasio will be in five years? But between us, the culinary world is vast.

My seasonal diaries – Spring-Summer

Josee di Stasio

knockout editions

256 pages

Asparagus Pizza

To be served as appetizer bites or with a mixed salad for dinner.

Yield 4 servings (for dinner)

Ingredients

300 g (10 1/2 oz) asparagus (medium size)

4 tbsp. tablespoon olive oil, plus a little more for garnish

1/2 white or red onion, cut into very thin half rings

1 pinch of hot pepper flakes or Espelette pepper (or 1 dash of chili oil)

4 naan breads, about 10 × 20 cm (4 × 8 in.)

200 g (7 oz) fresh goat cheese, crumbled

330 ml (1 1/3 cups) grated mozzarella

Salt and pepper from the mill

Preperation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Remove the fibrous part of the asparagus by cutting off the ends of the stalks, then cut the tender stalks diagonally into pieces 8 cm (3 in.) long. (If the asparagus is large, it is better to cut it lengthwise.)

3. In a pot of salted boiling water, blanch the asparagus pieces for 2 minutes or until tender. al dente, depending on their size. Cool under cold water, drain and dry well.

4. In a bowl, combine the asparagus, 2 tbsp. tablespoons of oil, half-rings of onion and hot pepper flakes. Salt and pepper. Brush buns with remaining oil and top with cheeses and asparagus mixture.

5. Place the filled buns on 2 baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake in the center of the oven for 12 to 14 minutes or until the pizzas are lightly colored and the underside of the crust is golden brown. Switch the plates halfway through cooking.

6. Remove from the oven and drizzle with olive oil.