When in Rome…cook!!!

Who could resist a cooking class in Rome?  Not I.  So all five of us went off to the Trastevere area of Rome which is the working class neighborhood on the other side of the Tiber River and known as having the best food in Rome.  I did quite a bit of research before choosing Chef Andrea Consoli at Le Fate Restaurant to be our teacher.  But what probably sold me was the price, only 50 Euro per person which is at least half of what others charge.  You can add his wine pairing for 20 Euro more. 

There were ten of us in the class and we dug right in to make the Chocolate soufle.  Jonathon got to weigh the Belgium Chocoate, others got to crack the eggs, others filled tin cups.  Chef Andrea taught us all about the dangers and myths of Salmonella which was interesting.  The result was a rich chocolate soufle that oooozed warm chocolate lava.

 

Next we prepared Deep Fried Pumpkin Blossoms.  He taught us how to recognize pumpkin vs. zucchini blossoms and why to choose pumpkin.  Also, how to prepare it, taking out the piston and preparing the blossom.  Then he brought out the Proscuitto leg and explained how they cured them.  Then we took mozzarella and wrapped the prosciutto around it, stuffed it into the blossoms, dipped it into the beer batter to deep fry.

 

The next course would be homemade pasta with clams and mussels.  We cleaned the mussels and learned how to soak the clams in salt water to purge the sand.  We learned that you don’t need to peel all the garlic layers when cooking with garlic.  We prepared fresh pasta and all took a turn at whipping the eggs and flour to perfection and then after turning it through the pasta machine, how to use semolina or corn meal to finish off the texture and dry out the pasta a bit before cooking. 

 

The final dish was Veal Scallopini.  I had requested this because that is one dish I remember enjoying so much last time I was here in Rome.  I guess it is so easy to prepare in so many ways that Chef Andrea used his own variation.  He told us what to ask for when we go to the butcher so we get the perfect cut of veal for scallopini.  Then a quick cook in the pan, add some wine, some cheese and a slice of prosciutti and you have saltimboco.  It was delicious. 

My whole family loved it as much as I did.  It was one of those experiences that you’ll treasure.  He is emailing me all the recipes so if any of you want them, I will be glad to send them to you.  We not only learned how to cook some local Italian dishes, we made some new friends.  In fact, we are hoping they come to visit us on Jay Sea Dee next week during their Holiday (Italians usually take a couple of weeks off starting August 15th for their end of summer Holiday).  I would recommend this class to everyone who loves food, even if you don’t like to cook…Chef Andrea makes it seem so easy you will have a few new dishes to make for your friends and family at home!