Italian Cooking Class Last Night

Last night I taught a three hour plus class on pastas, healthy eating, and Italian fare for a small class of eight.  I planned to have the students each make a batch of fresh pasta dough at the beginning of the session, and then make dinner from their efforts.  It was BYOB and Wine Discount Center is right across the street.  In other words, I'm glad it wasn't a knife skills demo.

Pasta Dough

3 c. "00" pasta flour
3-4 eggs, large
Pinch of salt
A little water or olive oil if dry. 

Mix dough by hand, knead for 5-8 minutes after dough forms.  Fix the consistency if needed.  Let sit 20 minutes or so covered before rolling.

I demonstrated linguine, papardelle, & ravioli.  After having everyone roll pasta though the machine a few times, I began delegating other tasks to start the dinner.  On group made the ravioli filling, simply half ricotta and half mascapone cheeses, chopped cooked spinach, nutmeg, extra virgin olive oil, salt & pepper.

While this was happening, I began showing them some simple sauces with the same fundemental base, toasted garlic slivers, chili flake, and white wine (a good pinot grigio).  One of the sauces (for the linguini), then added chicken stock, and after it cooked for a bit, finished it with chopped Italian parsley, black pepper & toasted almond.

The other sauce took the same garlic, wine, chili base and added crushed canned San Marzano tomatoes (a little sunshine in a can).  After it cooked a bit, fresh ground black pepper and a branch of basil sat in there a bit while it simmered.  I finished both with some really nice unfiltered, 1st cold pressed extra virgin olive oil.

While the sauces cooked, I had them throw together a simple salad of baby spinach, walnuts, pear, meyer lemon juice, and the same finishing olive oil.  Sea salt, fresh pepper, and a scattering of pepato cheese on top bought me some time to cook and plate their pastas. 

After that I snuck out some lemon sorbetti that I bought at Whole Foods by a company called Angelo Gelato out of Bensenville.  I've always liked this company, and we currently serve them at the restaurant to my pleasure.  I also brought some anise biscottini from Tenuta's in Kenosha to cap the meal. 

I believe good times were had by all who attended.

Tenuta's Deli. Kenosha, Wisconsin

Since I'm going to be teaching an Italian themed cooking class in the city tomorrow, I decided to take a field trip with my sister, brother-in-law, & nephew to Tenuta's Deli in Kenosha.  My wife and I accidentally found this gem of an Italian deli while missing our exit to see Pearl Jam at Alpine Valley this summer.  They have everything you need to cook authentic pastas and antipasti there.  It's simply awesome, and I encourage anyone that passes Route 158 while going north on 294 to take the detour and stop in.  Their website is https://www.tenutasdeli.com.  As a bonus it's only one exit north of The
Brat Stop.  Go Wisconsin.

They carry liquor, wine (primarily Italian), a premier deli loaded to the gills with proscuitto, soppresata, pancetta, olives, and on and on.  Their anise biscotti is to kill for.  Cheeses abound.  5 & 1 kilogram bags of "00" pasta flour are always stocked.  Good white anchovies.  Aquerello risotto rice.  Frozen, fresh, & dried pastas.  Pasta machines, sausage making stuff and fresh casings!  Olive oils of every type.  Cheap balsamic, expensive balsamic, & REALLY expensive balsamic.  Dried porcinis & morels.  Canned premium tomatoes.  And did I mention cheese curd?  And smoked string cheese? 

You.  Simply.  Must.  Go.

Cooking Classes at Ren Spa

I'll be a part of running some cooking classes at Ren Spa this Saturday from 6 pm-9 pm.  The theme will be Italian and I'd love to see some more people sign up.  If you're interested, give Patti a call at 312-415-5500 or shoot her an e-mail at pattinavilio@earthlink.net.  Or shoot me an e-mail at Bobdruschitz@gmail.com.  They're located in Chicago off of Elston Ave., right across the street from Wine Discount Center.   

I'm most likely going to have some fun demoing a few easy to make at home pastas & sauces, while doing my best to keep it as healthy as possible.  And knowing me, anything is possible.  Eating, drinking & having fun, right?

All Shook Up

I was reminded the other day of an experience my wife & I had at a popular Italian-American restaurant in the South Loop a few years ago.  We had gone for lunch with a close friend and we were recognized as friends of the chef.  The server suggested we have a glass of prosecco (Italian sparking wine, similar to champagne but made with different grapes and with a different fermentation process), which sounded like a great idea at the time.  So after ordering, he quickly came by with a bottle and made a show of opening it.

Now it was pretty busy and definitely lunchtime in the city.  We had tables to either side.  As the server opened the bottle without covering the cork with a towel, it made a loud pop and shot across the dining room.  Wine spewed everywhere, coating our friend, me, and some on my wife.  With much apology and a red-faced waiter, he ran back to grab another bottle while the bussers and a FOH manager came to remedy the situation.

Until it happened again. 

The second bottle also had issues, and while the wine didn't get us, it got the table behind us.  It was kind of funny the first time, but twice?  If I'd been the one serving the wine I'd have opened it away from the guests or in the back the second time and not presented the bottle.  The other customers weren't as happy about it.  We ended up having a great meal, but next time, we'll do without the show (or the shower). 

I'd like to imagine that it was a disgruntled wine reps last day and he shook an entire case out of some spite to the restaurant, all the while shaking his fist to the sky and mumbling about revenge.  Make for good television at least.