Day 23: A Cooking Class in Rome

Last week on Day 23, we had the opportunity to participate in a cooking class here in Rome in the kitchens of a company creatively titled Cooking Classes in Rome. Head chef Andrea Consoli and his right hand man Mitkos spent an enlightening and busy four hours with us, walking us through the full menu for the evening:

Chef Andrea runs the school as a "0 KM" restaurant, wherein all of the ingredients are sourced from a zero kilometer distance, a/k/a all locally produced and purchased. He also heavily focuses on seasonality for the freshest taste and most beautiful colour. Behold:

An Italian produce seasonality chart hanging in proud view in the kitchen

Our group of 25 from the school split up into two groups; half in the kitchen working on prep--like chopping tomatoes and basil and setting aside to marinate for the bruschetta (pronounced broos-KET-ta, as Chef Andrea energetically exclaimed):

I was thrilled to learn that the recipe I made up for tomato basil bruschetta years ago is *exactly* the way it's done in Italy. My recipe has been posted on my other blog, the foodie playground Lekker & Liquor.

I joined the group in the other room that was getting ready to make cavatelli pasta from scratch! Learning how to make homemade pasta in Italy was high up on my Rome Bucket List and I was thrilled to pieces to be able to learn the skill hands-on at an Italian chef's elbow. We made semolina flour pasta, which is just SO much easier than I thought! Egg pasta is typically my preference, but now that I know how to make semolina pasta from scratch and how easy it is, what excuse will I have not to?

It's literally just flour and water...

 ...kneaded until it's as soft as a baby's bottom (actual Chef Andrea terminology).

Kansas shows off his boss kneading skills as Garcia laughs in the background.

Then it comes time to break off small handfuls of the dough and roll them into long thin "snakes", which are then sliced off into small squares/rectangles and rubbed along a wooden cavatelli board to create the classic shape. The actual process of creating the shapes took some practice, but after about 10 botched attempts I got the hang of it and it felt natural and easy.

Snake production in full throttle. Photo by Graciamaria Irish.

Cavatelli rolling

And then it's off to the drying rack for these little suckers.

Time came for us to switch with the group in the kitchen, and off we went to toast bread for bruschetta...

Jordy modelling 24/7 and Richie focusing INTENTLY on rubbing the toasted bread just so with raw garlic.

Next up: meatballs! Chef Andrea set out a mixture of 1/3 beef, 1/3 pork and 1/3 veal that we dressed up with eggs, chopped parsley, torn bread soaked in milk and a smattering of cheese before it was time to BLEND, BLEND, BLEND. Let me tell you, **BEST** forearm workout you could wish for--with our classmates encouraging us on by singing "Eye of the Tiger", Jazzy J and I turned it into a bowl of smooth, tender deliciousness.

After that all you gotta do is roll it into balls ("No cracks! No lines allowed! Otherwise they fall apart! FIRM FIRM FIRM!" trumpets Chef Andrea) and dip into fine bread crumbs before they're popped into a pan of piping hot oil.

There is no explaining Kansas.

To wrap things up, it's time to assemble the bruschetta; half tomato-basil, and the other half rocket (a/k/a roquette or arugula) dressed with lemon juice and topped with stracchino cheese. Apparently I have Italian instincts, then, because for breakfast the past few weeks I've been eating fresh baguette schmeared with stracchino topped with rocket and sprinkled lightly with olive oil, lemon juice and S & P. Whaddaya know?

For those who are curious, stracchino cheese comes across a bit like a cream cheese: it comes from cows and has a soft spreadable texture and mild flavour. Chef Andrea explained that the name comes from the word "stracch" meaning "tired", because the best stracchino comes from TIRED COWS who've spent the day trekking up and down the Alps to get the best pasture. 

I love Italians.

Time to be seated and enjoy the final product of our labours!

First course: bruschetta appetizers

Second course: Cavatelli Arrabbiata. ("Arrabiata" literally means "angry" in Italian, named so for the spiciness of the chili peppers in the sauce.)

Third course: meatballs served in a white wine sauce with rosemary roasted potatoes alongside. Bar none, the best roasted potatoes I've had in my LIFE!

Oh, and last but not least...dessert. Did I fail to mention? Tiramisu, my FAVOURITE:

Chef Andrea noted that true Italian tiramisu does not use any alcohol, unlike its American counterparts. He says that alcohol is only necessary as a preservative when the cake has not been made fresh within the last 24-48 hours. Ta dah! 

All of these recipes will be re-printed on my Lekker & Liquor foodie blog with Chef Andrea's permission, so do take a look over there in the coming days if you want to re-create these classic Roman dishes for yourself.

Arrivederci!

Disclaimer: Please note that all photos are mine, and are not to be used for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without my express written consent.