One of the fun services offered through Quintess was a cooking lesson conducted at the Villa where we stayed just outside of Rada, Italy in the beautiful Tuscan wine country. The pasta and the other dishes we had in the Italian country were significantly better than anything that we had when we visited Rome. Gelato is extremely popular, even more popular than ice cream stores here in America. (My college age nephews spent a big portion of their days doing a "Gelato crawl" looking for the best gelato in Florence or the other small towns that we visited.)
The cooking lesson was for ten people. I opted to watch as the three Italian cooks helped our ten young cooks make a delightful five course Italian meal. Here are some of the most notable tips they shared to help you achieve a more authentic Italian meal.
1. Most people overcook pasta. To avoid this, pull it out just a little bit early, mix it with the sauce, and then return both to the pan to finish cooking.
2. Byron and one of my nephews made an amazing Italian carmelized onion tart. The secret is in the crust which was made from flour, salt, and olive oil. They used a food processor. Use pulse and avoid processing the dough too much which makes it tough. The oil makes a more elastic crust that is packed with flavor.
3. For a refreshing change from your typical American style omelette, try using Prosciutto (a thinly sliced ham), Pecorino cheese, fresh Roma tomatoes, and freshly chopped Italian parsley. The Pecorino is mild and has a wonderful flavor. Surprisingly, when we returned home, we found that Costco carries a great Italian Pecorino cheese and a tasty Prosciutto.
Not to be outdone, however, let me share my favorite pizza recipe with you from Central Market in Austin Texas.
1 Large Boboli brand pizza crust (thin or thick style, either is OK)
Brush with Italian olive oil
Completely cover pizza with thin slices of Prosciutto
Slice up fresh peaches (leave skin on for more flavor) and spread them over the top of the pizza. (This pizza will look similar to a fruit tart.)
Sprinkle pizza with feta cheese and about 3 tablespoons of fresh, chopped Rosemary.
Bake as per directions on the Boboli package
If you think this sounds weird, we have served this at numerous parties. Everyone is suspicious until they take the first bite and then they can't wait to have more.
Yum---enjoy!
Posted by Bernice Ross, www.RealEstateCoach.com and www.RealEstateDough.com, the place you go to make more real estate dough in your real estate business!