E: Bacco Italian Cooking Class Filed under ( Italian, Restaurant Review )

As always, thank you for the sweet comments on my pregnancy update. A couple people have commented on my maternity clothes- thank you so much :) But….most of the clothes I’m wearing are “regular clothes”. At this particular time, I am lucky to 1) be only 5’1” (so everything is naturally longer on me) and 2) that larger/flowey tops are in! 

Last Thursday night, my Mom & I took an Italian Cooking Class at Coastal Cupboard. The class was put on by the head chef and owner of Bacco restaurant, Michael Scognamiglio and I wanted to share the experience with you.

Michael did an incredible job leading the class through how to make risotto four ways. The setup of the cooking area at Coastal Cupboard is very nice. Everyone had a great view of the demonstration and they have a TV screen showing an overhead of the cooking area so you can see exactly what the chef is doing.

The class was very interactive and people asked quite a few questions along the way. The dishes we enjoyed were:

Pesto Risotto Arancini (fried pesto risotto ball topped with parmesan and served with a side of pesto). This was so yummy and the inside was nice and creamy:

Osso Buco Milanese (roasted osso buco over a saffron risotto). I didn’t eat this dish because I don’t eat veal, but my Mom said it was fantastic. I did try a nibble of the risotto- I am a big saffron fan:

Pollo Ripiene (chicken and prosciutto wrapped around a mushroom risotto on top of mashed potatoes).  Definitely a unique take on risotto! I’m not a mushroom or prosciutto fan (I know, I’m super picky), but I did enjoy a little plate of the potatoes ;):

The last dish was the winner of the night! Risotto dolce al Veneto (essentially risotto pudding topped with strawberry sauce & toasted almonds). Amazing…..just a hint of sweetness! Such a creative use of risotto:

Me & My Mom:

When you take classes at Coastal Cupboard, you get 10% off the entire store! I bought this awesome water pitcher/iced tea maker that they used to serve us flavored water during class. I’m obsessed with it.  The filtered divider help brings the fruit/veggie flavors into the water without having them dump out into your glass:

 

Simple ideas can be genius :)

Monday, Monday. Are you up to anything other than the usual today? Nothing too exciting here- teaching Pump, working and a few errands.