Every time I go to Italy, I can't wait to come home and share all the great dishes I learn to cook there!
I remember the first time I made orrechiette, the pasta shaped like little ears. I was at da Antoinetta, a restaurant in the "heel of the boot" in Italy, called Apulia. Antoinetta brought her whole family into the kitchen and showed me her family's secret to making this pasta. She chatted away without even looking at her hands and every piece was identical. Tossed with a delicious San Marzano tomato sauce and chunks of melting mozzarella di bufala, this was the most incredibly tender pasta I'd ever had! I was in the Veneto when I learned to make ravioli. It was then that I realized how easy it was. The trick is to roll the pasta to the perfect thinness and use just the right amount of filling.
As for pizza, I am so crazy about the stuff that I traveled all the way to Naples to try a pizza Margherita and honestly, it was worth it! After that trip, I simply had to find out how to make a pizza at home in America, without a wood-fired oven, that was close to what I ate there. And I realized that the long slow rise is the trick! Make the dough a day early and put it into the fridge overnight. Bellisimo!
If you're ready to turn your kitchen into Cucina Italiana, join me for this hands-on cooking class! I'll teach you my secrets for making delicious homemade pizza and pasta at home just like you taste in Italy. We'll crank out pasta by hand and machine, and I'll share with you my latest technique for achieving the perfect pizza crust. We'll round our menus out with delicious appetizers, soups, salads, and, of course, dessert. On the final day, we'll make my favorite pizza of all (you'll never guess what it is!) and I'll pop some corks on Champagne, the perfect accompaniment. This is going to be a crazy fun week with lots of cooking but that's all I'm gonna say.
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