When you have 13 people travelling together, it’s sometimes hard to get everyone on the same page about activities. A cooking class, arranged by Adam’s sister and cousin, was a great way to get everyone involved in a fun evening of cooking which resulted in a fabulous meal.
We made a four course meal consisting of bruschetta, pesto pasta, balsamic chicken, and panna cotta.
A few things we learned in the process:
- Many Italians believe that pesto should never be made in a food processor. In our class, she had us use a mezzaluna (or half moon knife) to mince the basil, garlic, and pine nuts together. Oil and cheese were added only at the end.
- Rather than cut the pasta perfectly with a spaghetti or fettucini attachment, you can cut it by hand and have it turn out just as good. The instructions were to keep each piece of pasta somewhat similar in size, but the shape really didn’t matter. Freestyle can be fun.
- Cherry tomatoes make excellent bruschetta. Also, why do tomatoes taste SO MUCH BETTER in Italy?
- Panna cotta is pretty easy to make, and something we’d like to try sometime at home. Made well, it’s a really amazing and simple dessert.
The menu:
Bruschetta:
Pesto Pasta:
Balsamic Chicken with bread:
Panna Cotta with a dark chocolate drizzle:
Another great meal!
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Tags: balsamic chicken, bruschetta, cooking class, italy, panna cotta
August 23, 2010 at 9:27 am |
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