Italian Cooking Parties with Vera and Cristiana

In February, Ciao Andiamo led a week-long series of Private Italian Cooking Parties in New York. The parties were hosted right in people's homes, together with their families and friends, everywhere from Chelsea and Midtown Manhattan to Long Island and Westchester.

Classes were run by some of our wonderful Italy collaborators, who flew in special from Umbria, and brought with them some fantastic small-production wines, cheeses, olive oil and other local ingredients.

It was a whirlwind of a week, with 4 dinners in 7 nights. And we loved every minute of it.

Vera ('la mamma') and Cristiana (her daughter) whipped up a traditional Italian feast, featuring several courses of typical Umbrian dishes, amazing wines and -- the highlight -- handmade pasta.

Some of our guests asked if we would be bringing a pasta-making machine, and Cristiana replied 'la mamma e' la machinetta' ('my mother is the machine!'). And what a treat it was to watch Vera work, making the pasta from scratch, as though we had just stepped back in time into old-world Italy.

To make the pasta, Versa started first with some flour, creating a hole in the center, into which she cracked the eggs, and then added salt and mixed together to form the dough...

 

 

And then came some pure pasta-making magic...

Many a brave dinner guest volunteered to lend Vera a hand, and they fared pretty well, I must say.

And when we weren't putting the guests to work, they got to enjoy all the delicious creations and an authentic Italian feast.

 Here's a look back at some of the dishes (in pictures):

Aged Balsamic over Pecorino Cheese from Pienza in Tuscany. Served along with assorted Bruschetta.

Radicchio Strudel with Ham and Mozzarella, Cristiana's Signature Dish.

Handmade Tagliatelle alla Spoletina (with Tomatoes, Oil, Garlic & Parsley). We also served a Pasta al Tartufo (with truffle sauce) and a Pasta Cacio e Pepe (pecorino cheese and peppercorns, very typical pasta in Rome).

Eggplant Parmigiana. So fresh and delicious (and not fried). We also featured a Tagliata (steak filet) with Mediterranean herbs.

Panpeppato (or 'peppered bread'). Typical chocolate dessert with nuts and spices served during Christmas-time.

Here are a couple of the recipes, if you'd like to try at home:

Grazie mille Vera, Cristiana, Max (Cristiana's husband) and Federico (their 11-year-old son)!

Buon appetito!

Emily and George's Italian Honeymoon

Today is Valentine's Day, and I can't think of a better time to share the story of two recent newlyweds-- Emily and George--a truly wonderful couple whose honeymoon I had the pleasure of planning last October.

This was their first time ever in Italy, and they were looking for an experience full of art, culture and local discovery mixed with beautiful surroundings and relaxation. Not to mention some amazing meals, flowing vino, and romantic surprises.

And that's exactly what they got...

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Emily and George spent their first couple of days in Rome, seeing the sites, touring the Vatican with one of our fantastic guides, and savoring all the local Roman cuisine.

The highlight in Rome may well have been a surprise dinner George put together for Emily, in one of the the city's best restaurants, set in a romantic, cave-like atmosphere. When they arrived, flowers (and later a serenade) awaited Emily, and they dined in a private nook on fine wines and innovative dishes from one of Rome's master chefs.

After Rome, they ventured south, stopping first in Pompeii, to explore the ancient city ruins preserved by the volcanic ash of Mt. Vesuvius...

...and then to Positano - where they spent the final part of their honeymoon, in the blissful calm of the Amalfi Coast, with its cliff-side towns hugged by the blues of the Mediterranean.

When they weren't busy soaking in the sun and beauty along the coast, we took them on some local excursions. One day, a market shop and cooking class in a family-run restaurant....

 

 
...and another day, a driving excursion through the different coastal towns, from Ravello to Sorrento, with a behind-the scenes tour at a local olive grove, lunch high up in the hills above Positano with no menu (only whatever mamma was serving that day), and a wine tasting of some of the typical grapes of the Campania region...

Grazie mille to George and Emily for sharing your beautiful photos and honeymoon experiences with our friends at Ciao...wishing you many more incredible years and shared moments together...

Happy Valentine's Day!

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