Friday
Oi…soo tired and could not get to sleep! Finally did around 1am! Awoke at 9ish…in time to take a shower and grab a piece of toast before heading out to our cooking class with Moreno at his restaurant. He picked us up at the Piazza which is a short walk (still in the rain) from the Hotel Caprezzia. Glad I chose sleep over food…oh my…we learned how to make pasta…and of course eat what we made. So first a lovely cappuccino which I had missed sleeping in, but was a great greeting from our chef…how nice was he!
All in all a lovely experience, especially for a rainy yucko day.
They chime the bells here at odd hours…and for a long period of time. Just looked out the window (pouring now) but you can see a bit further.
All for now…I think I’ll go find a bar in the rain and have a stand up glass!
Ciao
Oi…soo tired and could not get to sleep! Finally did around 1am! Awoke at 9ish…in time to take a shower and grab a piece of toast before heading out to our cooking class with Moreno at his restaurant. He picked us up at the Piazza which is a short walk (still in the rain) from the Hotel Caprezzia. Glad I chose sleep over food…oh my…we learned how to make pasta…and of course eat what we made. So first a lovely cappuccino which I had missed sleeping in, but was a great greeting from our chef…how nice was he!
His last trip to American included Vegas so he was pretty funny to say the least…We moved our way to in front of the kitchen to make the pasta on a large wooden table as his daughter Francesca hurried her way off somewhere. She was taller than her father and blonde, probably about 20s I would guess. His wife a petite Italian woman who looked more Irish running here and there throughout our 6 hour stay. Joining us was a couple from Dallas. Dick and Julia Williams. They were staying in an apt. and this was part of a three month journey! Each place they were meeting up with kids (I think they had three, two with kids). Venice was next, he was a retired lawyer with a petroleum company…now retired and traveling Europe, I am in the wrong business.
We learned how to make two different kinds of pasta. One used to just make all kinds of pasta from fettuccini to tortellini. Then Moreno proceeded to cut stuff up for a pate! He brought out the largest piece of veal liver I have ever seen. I don’t even think you could get that in the U.S. without ordering it early. So while I like liver (cooked) it is still an odd almost live piece of meat to watch get cut up. So as a break, he brings over some bread and lunch meat (the name will come back to me) and some sort of wine…a little sweet but good. Then he made a pasta out of buckwheat…evidently a pasta made in this region. Next was the tortellini filling…fresh ricotta cheese (first we tasted it and I have never tasted ricotta cheese that tasted so good!). Really, it was like whip cream. OMG!
So mix the OMG ricotta with some parmesan and balsamic (18 drops)…oh tasted the balsamic straight…already thick and so tasty! So of course you then roll and cut the pasta, dab with the filling then fold over and pinch and turn. On to the kitchen…pasta is done!
Moreno started by cutting potatoes and cabbage (or their local “lettuce”)…boil…in the meantime melt what ends up being about12 sticks of butter….add sliced onions, cook till caramelized…then flambé a little brandy and add that liver…that cooks for like 30 minutes. Then cut up the local cheese (which tastes like a strong pecorino) and set aside garlic, and sprig and a sprig of sage. Cook the buckwheat pasta…mix pasta, cabbage and potatoes, cheese etc. Yum first course…it is now about 2pm! In the kitchen a British couple has arrived that knows Moreno. Kate and Dennis! Lovely older couple…they own a little house over-looking Lake Como (yes you are right…a pretty penny at least). They join us for our afternoon meal. Our table, in the back of their restaurante is set and waiting with red and white wine, still and sparkling water and breads. So this potato, cabbage, linguini mush is fabulous…rich, cheesy! Oh and with the wine…spectacular! Back to the kitchen…he finishes the pate by grinding it then food processing it and in to the fridge. Then, in butter (they use more butter than EVOO here due to proximity to France) leeks, tomatoes, pancetta into the skillet with some wine mix with rest of pasta and BAM…yumminess! More wine of course! Now if I was not full enough I had forgotten about the fact we made tortellini! Moreno was in the kitchen while we were eating and out comes the tortellini with a lovely balsamic on the side for dipping! Ah now the wine is done we are all chatting and then we are offered…espresso, lemoncello, grappa. Jerry and Dick go check out the good grappa with the chef…I follow behind to gander at the bar. When I get there we help bring back Lemoncello, cream lemoncello and whiskey cream. Needless to say I tried them all! The lemoncello here seemed sweeter than mine but still fabulous!
We learned how to make two different kinds of pasta. One used to just make all kinds of pasta from fettuccini to tortellini. Then Moreno proceeded to cut stuff up for a pate! He brought out the largest piece of veal liver I have ever seen. I don’t even think you could get that in the U.S. without ordering it early. So while I like liver (cooked) it is still an odd almost live piece of meat to watch get cut up. So as a break, he brings over some bread and lunch meat (the name will come back to me) and some sort of wine…a little sweet but good. Then he made a pasta out of buckwheat…evidently a pasta made in this region. Next was the tortellini filling…fresh ricotta cheese (first we tasted it and I have never tasted ricotta cheese that tasted so good!). Really, it was like whip cream. OMG!
So mix the OMG ricotta with some parmesan and balsamic (18 drops)…oh tasted the balsamic straight…already thick and so tasty! So of course you then roll and cut the pasta, dab with the filling then fold over and pinch and turn. On to the kitchen…pasta is done!
Moreno started by cutting potatoes and cabbage (or their local “lettuce”)…boil…in the meantime melt what ends up being about12 sticks of butter….add sliced onions, cook till caramelized…then flambé a little brandy and add that liver…that cooks for like 30 minutes. Then cut up the local cheese (which tastes like a strong pecorino) and set aside garlic, and sprig and a sprig of sage. Cook the buckwheat pasta…mix pasta, cabbage and potatoes, cheese etc. Yum first course…it is now about 2pm! In the kitchen a British couple has arrived that knows Moreno. Kate and Dennis! Lovely older couple…they own a little house over-looking Lake Como (yes you are right…a pretty penny at least). They join us for our afternoon meal. Our table, in the back of their restaurante is set and waiting with red and white wine, still and sparkling water and breads. So this potato, cabbage, linguini mush is fabulous…rich, cheesy! Oh and with the wine…spectacular! Back to the kitchen…he finishes the pate by grinding it then food processing it and in to the fridge. Then, in butter (they use more butter than EVOO here due to proximity to France) leeks, tomatoes, pancetta into the skillet with some wine mix with rest of pasta and BAM…yumminess! More wine of course! Now if I was not full enough I had forgotten about the fact we made tortellini! Moreno was in the kitchen while we were eating and out comes the tortellini with a lovely balsamic on the side for dipping! Ah now the wine is done we are all chatting and then we are offered…espresso, lemoncello, grappa. Jerry and Dick go check out the good grappa with the chef…I follow behind to gander at the bar. When I get there we help bring back Lemoncello, cream lemoncello and whiskey cream. Needless to say I tried them all! The lemoncello here seemed sweeter than mine but still fabulous!
All in all a lovely experience, especially for a rainy yucko day.
They chime the bells here at odd hours…and for a long period of time. Just looked out the window (pouring now) but you can see a bit further.
All for now…I think I’ll go find a bar in the rain and have a stand up glass!
Ciao
1 comment:
What a day and what a meal! Sounds fab. I need to taste your famous Lemoncello!
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