Running to the stove: Eloisa Coiro is the second star of #ASLuissFreeTime

“Casa Coiro” could be the name of a new cooking program: a talent show in which the sprinter Eloisa and her sister Ludovica dabble in the kitchen, while their parents judge the dishes they prepare. After all, just scroll through the Instagram profile of our Top Athlete to understand how much passion she dedicates to her healthy and alternative recipes. A passion that requires a lot of slowness, a characteristic that does not belong to her when she runs on the track. Precisely for this reason, cooking helps her to relax, experiment and bring out other sides of her personality, as she told us herself, the second protagonist of #ASLuissFreeTime.

Eloisa, when did you feel the call of the stove? Were you inspired by someone?

During quarantine, since we were all staying home, my mom needed a hand and so I tried to help. I was inspired by her, who is great at it and cooks everything beautifully.

Other inspirations? Do you watch any cooking shows, do you have any reference sites or blogs?

No, it’s a passion strictly related to my health. I try to redo dishes in the healthiest of ways, thinking about my personal well-being. I have always informed myself on what to eat, how to cook foods, what combinations to make and what to avoid. I would say that in addition to my mom, I was inspired by my nutritionist.

So you tie this passion to your sports career…?

Certainly, but not only. As I said, I have a very good nutritionist who follows me and helps me to nourish my body well, to improve my performance and, in general, to stay healthy. Having a healthy diet is essential and allows me to perform better in my studies as well. If you eat well, you have more energy and can get a lot more things done.

How do you feel about cooking?

It relaxes me and allows me to experiment: I’m curious about creating particular, less conventional dishes. Like on the track, I put passion, attention and care for details into it. But unlike when I run, I take my time, because cooking takes a lot of patience. I think it’s a way to take time for me and bring out other sides of my personality. For an athlete, it’s essential to have other passions besides sports: you have to be able to put yourself in the game and question yourself, doing something else.

How much time do you dedicate to cooking and what is your secret?

I cook every day, I prepare what I eat. It s not about starred chef dishes. They are simple and balanced. My secret, in fact, is balance: you don’t have to eat lots of vegetables and zero carbohydrates, as many people think, but rather eat a bit of everything but in moderation.

Is there anything you do best? Can you give us an example?

Sweets, but revisited: I completely avoid sugar. Also because when you make a dessert, you use ingredients that already have sugar in them, like cookies or chocolate. It’s not necessary to add more. At most I use honey, it’s the only solution I can accept. For example, a few days ago, for my parents’ 25th wedding anniversary, I made chocolate salami, strictly without sugar. It turned out very good: less heavy and more tasty.

Did the guests enjoy it?

Very much! My father sometimes says that my desserts are good, but that I should add a little sugar. However, even he – who by osmosis is eating healthy – has noticed the difference, with the greater load he has compared to before.

Do you like to share your dishes with others?

Yes, I like to share what I make, also to see how far I can go with my alternative recipes. They have to be healthy, but also taste good. My closest friends make fun of me, but then they always finish everything and that’s what counts.

Basically, you have guinea pigs….

Exactly, I need guinea pigs to understand if the recipes work and if they like them. My sister Ludovica is also very good at cooking and when we are together we do tests with our parents. We experiment, they taste and tell us if it’s good. MasterChef style.

So, like you’re in a talent show, give us a recipe of yours and challenge our readers!

One recipe that I customized and it turned out much better than the original is the hazelnut recipe. I made it by just blending the hazelnuts and adding three squares of melted chocolate. It came out a crazy cream, I can’t get enough of it. The trick is that hazelnuts, like all nuts, have a lot of oil in them. When you blend them for a long time (about 10 minutes), first they become a powder, then they release this oil and finally they thicken. To finish, you add a bit of melted 85% dark chocolate and the cream is done: the result is great. This is one of the recipes I liked the most. Try it too, you will not regret it.

We thank Eloisa for telling us about her passion for cooking. If you’re a good cook too, show us by tagging @sportluiss in your Instagram stories and using the hashtag #ASLuissFreeTime. Will your nocciolato match Eloisa’s? We’ll see!