One more week...

Still can't grasp the fact i'll be in italy untill february...



Fresh mozzarella with salsa verde

 So this week was a quiet week altogether but still eventful no the less, on monday we had a new chef (whose name I can't remember right now) and we went over lot of fresh herb techniques and recipies. We learned a salsa verde recipie along with steak tar tar, salted cod with orange segments, and poached shrimp with fresh mozz and fruit salsa. All cold served recipies garnished and made complete by the use of fresh herbs insted of sauces or glazes. That night some of the other students in our dorm went to a truffle hunt and were able to bring home white truffles, some the size of your hand, and that was a sight to see.

One of the dishes we made a potato and salted cod souffle

On tuesday we had chef mario once again and were slowly learning more about this 70 something year old man who we all refer to as pop-eye. He's written 7 books, teaches a college class with 1,600 students, and if anything goes the least bit wrong he sticks to he trademark statement of "Don't worry, Be happy." On that day he went over 2 basic plates of stuffed endives with a marinated leek salad and stuffed marinated onions. (I really should be writing the italian names but I can't fine my cook book at this exact moment.) That afternoon we were finally able to cook our own food, simple dishes but the feeling of using a kinfe again was fantastic, I can't wait untill extership so I can really get back to what  It used to be in the states.



Leek puree soup and squid.



On wensday we had chef mario again this time with the same results about the day, Don't worry just be happy. We went over a few different dishes including fried artichokes and fresh mozz, a potato and panchetta mixtured baked with fresh mozz and herbs, A vegetable lasgana consiting of eggplant and different peppers with a cheese and cream sauce, and a leek soup puree with poached squid. Its interesting to see someone with chef marios stature and speed at his age to think of all the ideas and recipies going through his head, now thats someone id like to grab a cup of coffe with.

White Wine

Today we were given a complete rundown in the proper way to serve, smell, drink, taste, and store wines. We spent more time learning about wines than I thought possible but I was pumped full of knowledge I dident know before and was suprised about all the little things we learned. How to grade wine based on color, flavor weither it was dry or not, the fruits used and how to distinguish them from each other when smeeling a wine, and every little thing you should look for when pairing a wine with your food. What we went over in 5 hours seemed like a life time of information for wines but the man giving the demo had been doing this for over 10 years and claimed we had barley touched the surface...I can belive it.

This weekend we are trying to figure out some train schedules and see if we can see more of this beautiful country while were here, Theres not alot of time...cherish what your given.

-R