Some of you may have noticed my tweets about going to see Gennaro Contaldo the Italian Chef who many have seen on TV and YouTube. Well last week I went along to see him with a small group of other London based food bloggers for a Pasta Masterclass.
With the pasta already made before we arrived Gennaro demonstrated the ease of making a range of tasty pasta dishes using minimal ingredients but with one important ingredient included in each dish. The key ingredient was the new Bertolli product available to buy which combines Bertolli olive oil with butter. Once heated this creates a creamy coating that has the flavour of butter and oil combined.
Combine the butter with a little dill for example then spread it on crackers and top with smoked salmon and a sprinkle of paprika. These were gorgeous.
Spread the butter on some warmed sliced baguette, top with some cooked tomato and roasted red pepper and caper berries then sprinkle with coriander and serve.
Pasta is the UK’s no1 go to but did you know different pasta dishes have specific pasta shapes? Experimenting with pasta rather than having a simple tomato sauce with mozzarella is something that more and more Brit’s are doing. About 47% add something a bit more exciting which is why Italian staples such as pesto, pine nuts, sundried tomatoes and prosciutto have become mainstays in UK cupboards. Gennaro gave onlookers tips as he busily cooked his super hand helper Gina was at hand to make sure he had everything thing that he required.
Some of the dishes made include:
A few of the tips that Gennaro mentioned for cooking pasta.
1. Use plenty of water, this dilutes the starch from the pasta and prevents the pasta sticking together.
2. Add salt to the water for added flavour.
3. Always make sure that the water is boiling before adding the salt to allow for even distribution.
4. Make sure the pasta is Al dente (slightly undercooked). The reason for this is that because it is slightly undercooked, it can be chewed for longer. This means you get to savour the flavour for longer – and your body will find it easier to digest too!
5. Add some of the pasta water in with the pasta one strained and added to the sauce to help loosen the sauce. This in turn ensures the pasta absorbs the sauce to the fullest and that each pasta shape is coated all over.
6. Each pasta shape goes with a certain sauce; it can get complicated, but basically long pasta shapes like spaghetti or linguine go with lighter sauces and short shapes like penne with heavier, more robust sauces.
Have fun cooking!!!!
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This post has made me so hungry. The Farfalle Con Piselli looks particularly delicious.
I must admit it was an amazing experience, the food was gorgeous.
Looks like you had a lot of fun! Great tips from Gennaro at the end especially cooking the pasta so it’s Al dente, I hadn’t thought of doing that before.
Laura x x x
I’ve always cooked that way as I do personally prefer it like that 😉
This looks so yummy. I love my pasta dishes.
He sure knows what he’s doing!
it all looks delicious & a lot of fun.
He made quite a few dishes which was great as we got to try them all.
This must have been a great experience for you! Plus learning so much about pasta 😀
It was fantastic, yes we learnt loads plus he’s really lovely.
From the photos that were taken, it looks like you had absolute fun! I’m sure you learned a lot of great tricks and tips from Gennaro on how to make delicious meal, especially when it comes to cooking pasta he’s the real deal!
He really is, I was so lucky to get to go.
From the photos that were taken, it looks like you had absolute fun! I’m sure you learned a lot of great tricks and tips from Gennaro on how to make delicious meal, especially when it comes to cooking pasta he’s the real deal!
He really is and very passionate about cooking 😉
I adore Italian food, these looks scrumptious!! what an experience!!
It was great fun and he gave some great tips.