"Chef" For A Day

Ever since I can remember, my parents have always considered me a "pasta monster". I have always said that I can live without rice but I would never be able to survive the world wihout PASTA. Italian food has always been a favorite of mine since I began chewing with my teeth. I've been cooking since the age of 7 (but I'm definitely not the chef in the family) so maybe I've been making pasta for myself for that long too-- because I honestly don't remember when I started cooking main dishes. 

Going back to my point... Given my love for Italian food, I promised myself I was going to attend as many cooking classes as I could in Italy. So I did. During one of my Saturdays in Rome, I headed of to the Trastevere area of Rome and welcomed myself into the kitchen of the talkative and uberly charming Andrea Consoli. 

There was a small group of people waiting for him to come out of the kitchen when I arrived. If I remember right we were probably 11 or 12 people in the group-- one of the reasons why I liked the class was the number of participants. The group was intimate so the lunch afterwards was nice. We all talked and bonded over the 4 - hour course-- eating included, of course.

Our Menu for the Day:

Appetizer: Figs stuffed with goat cheese and honey, and with gorgonzola cheese and walnuts

First course: Gnocchi al pomodoro fresco e basilico

Second course: Chicken scaloppini with prosciutto, cheese and sage 

Second Course: Chicken Breasts in Orange Sauce (for the people in class who did not eat pork)

Dessert: Tiramisù

The class started with a short history lecture of the typical Roman dishes. I was surprised to learn that Romans had their own version of typical Filipino dishes like isaw (chicken intestines), diniguan (pork blood), and sisig (pork face?? LOL). There is definitely more to Italian cuisine than pasta, prosciutto, and parmesan cheese!

My highlight of the lecture was when he discussed to us (and demonstrated, of course) the difference between making tomato sauce using fresh tomatoes and canned. I now have a way of making my canned tomatoes not taste like the can! It was also during this class I learned how easy Tiramisu was to make! I made our dessert for the day (along with 2 other girls, Nikki and Lauren). I did the dipping of the lady fingers, which was definitely fun. He also taught the class how to de - bone a chicken, and how to make gnocchi in 3 hours - it takes 3 days to make gnocchi. 

My coffee - covered fingers!

I had so much fun in the kitchen. The class was interactive-- we talked, laughed, and took tons of pictures. We even got to pick on anything that was available in the kitchen! Chef Andrea was very nice and would always crack jokes. He kept the atmosphere light and totally enjoyable. The kitchen though was pretty small so it was a bit hard to move around, but I believe this contributed to the group's bond. (haha) 

Looking stressed, but happy with my dessert

After the cooking, the Chef and his assistant asked us to go back to our seats while they plated everything for us. The chicken scaloppini was my favorite dish of the day.... and of course my Tiramisu! The dishes were served one - at - a - time so we had time to devour and taste every dish we made. And the end of the meal came the sweetest of all: a personalized dessert plate! The chef gave us our own dessert plates with our names written with icing. 

This Saturday was probably one of the most enjoyable one I had in Rome. Learned a lot... and of course.... ate a lot!!! 

When in Rome, do more than site - seeing and restaurant - hunting. Live like the locals and  bring Italian cuisine back home by learning how to cook. I promise you it's worth every cent. 

Andrea Conosoli's classes are held in his family restaurant in the Trastevere are of Rome called Le Fate (The Fairies). To learn more about the cooking classes, check this out. You can also go to the restaurant's site here. They're open only for dinner since they have classes during the lunch hour. And for the students, we have a meal price! This got me really excited :-)

                                                    

Slicing my Gnocchi

My only BLURRY picture with the Chef

More pictures here!

Dessert Craving

I've been busy as hell these past 5 days. I've now moved into my new home for the next year.. hopefully 2.......

I've been having a craving for my favorite "cheat - day dessert" that I discovered one boring afternoon at home in Rome. Apparently, this dessert does exist and it really is done the way I did. Anyhoo, let's just say I invented it for the sake of my ego...

Affogato al Cafe


There's the fancy name they gave it. Well I knew that Affogato had something to do with coffee, but back home the only affogato that majority of the people order is the Affogato in Starbucks! Affogato in Italian means to drown. So this dessert consists of ice cream drowned by a shot of espresso!
*insert salivating moment here*

You can eat it anyway you want-- hot espresso or room temp., vanilla gelato or chocolate....

Here's my own version... I found a gelato cake that I would die for and with this, I make myself the most sinful thing I've ever tasted. Antica Gelateria del Corso is the brand-- their tortas/cakes come in 2 varieties: vanilla with a mocha center or chocolate with vanilla center.

I prefer the vanilla with warm espresso...

Antica Gelateria del Corso

A shot of espresso

Vanilla on the outside has sugary ice shavings covering it and a mocha center

This is how it looks once you've devoured 3/4 of it

Ok, maybe now I can sleep...

Ari's Nails

Yup, I went ahead and did it. I got my nails done after a month and a half of sacrificing. The experience was bittersweet. I missed my usual way of getting pampered in my own house with a familiar sofa, familiar faces, and a TV. But my visit to Ari's Nails was not bad at all!

Italians are still discovering the magic of a manicure and a pedicure. Fortunately for them, they have Ari's Nails to tell them just how a manicure and a pedicure are ought to be done. Owned by Stephanie Alliman, an American, the staff speak Italian, Spanish, and English. They offer a wide array of services from your basic manicures and pedicures to waxing. I read that their clients are mostly expats and tourists, but there are Italians who come as well. To know more or to set an appointment, check out their website or their Facebook account.

All of their products are American made and most of the things they use for their clients are available for purchase. They have a wide array of nail colors. That's why it may  take a while before you start your service because it's pretty hard to decided which color you'd want.


There are 2 manicure tables in the front and the rest of the services, including pedicures, are done at the back.

When you want a pedicure done, you get to sit on an ultra comfortable Lazyboy - like chair and get pampered. But I was wearing boots that day, so no feet - pampering for me. Misozi, my manicurist/Saturday - morning - gossip - friend was awesome. We chatted about each others lives while getting my nails cleaned and polished. I know now parts of her childhood and her early career challenges. (haha) Anyway, I had her paint my unghie (nails) with special nail polish that glows under black light.

Check out my nails! From pink to "glowy blue"

Both Stephanie and Misozi were nice and very warm people. We laughed and talked about random things. Another thing I liked about the place was that they played music I liked and most especially, music I understood. If Stephanie's around, your experience will probably come with a free singing and (a bit) dancing show! At Ari's Nails, you not only get the service, but you also get that feeling of being back home and gossiping with your girlfriends... which I miss BIG TIME!

Thanks Steph and Misozi. Until our next chit-chat!

Misozi (L) and Stephanie (R)

address: Via del Sudario, 39, Rome.

My Roman Weekend

I've been staying in Rome for the past 2 weeks to learn a little Italian... Last weekend though, I set school aside and did touristy things!

From school, Friday was spent with my friend Alane exploring streets leading to the popular Piazza del Popolo. We take this route almost everyday, but that particular Friday, we took time to take pictures of interesting finds. My biggest find?! A M.A.C. store!!!!! And not only that, it was a M.A.C. store that sold M.A.C. pro products!!!! hell yeah.. unfortunately for me, Rome will only be my home for the next 2 weeks. But for the others who are interested to know where it is, you can indulge yourselves at Via del Babuini, 124. No shopping that day though. There were way too many people! (In Rome, there are always a lot of people.)

Goofing around with Alane

Since I left the Philippines, I promised myself I was going to sacrifice and not have my nails done until I go home for the holidays. But I decided, twice a month wouldn't be as bad. So, I researched and found the ONLY ENGLISH SPEAKING nail salon in the city. Some nail salons would probably have technicians who speak english, but this salon is the only one where EVERYONE speaks both english and italian. This is important because I had to make sure they'd understand my instructions on how I wanted my nails to be done.. otherwise I'd get into trouble. haha Anyway as soon as I found a salon, I booked a Saturday morning appointment right away. I went to Ari's Nails for a manicure and some proper R&R. It was just what I needed. You can read more about my trip to Ari's in the review I wrote.

The rest of my Saturday was spent exploring the rest of the city.

Piazza del Popolo was chaotic that Saturday. (Hot) Policemen surrounded the plaza in fear of a riot. There was a big demonstration against.... animal testing, I think. Music was blasting from elf trucks and people screaming "gawd - knows - what" walked around the piazza and did there thing. And this was the first time I've ever seen a lime green flare upclose! hihi Me and my shallowness...

Piazza del Popolo surrounded by riot police

On the same day, I heard anticipated mass in a church called Santa Sussana in Via 20 Settembre. I wanted to go there because I found out that all their masses are in English. It was an hour's walk from my apartment, but it was well worth - it. It was a small (relative to the other churches in Rome) but beautiful church. And the sermon felt like Sunday school-- although I never really attended Sunday school *laughing at self*. After the gospel, the priest called the children up to the altar, and he gave them a short class/homily about the gospel. Cute. It was a nice touch. Apparently, it was Sunday school-- except that this particular one was held on Saturday nights. Pffft. Go figure.

Sunday was my touristy day! I planned a whole day with a friend of mine from back home-- well, more like ex - grade school substitute teacher, Tinggay. We started off in Piazza del Popolo to take a taxi to Catacombs of St. Callixtus. Taxis are easily found in this particular piazza thanks to the taxi stand across the obelisk. For future visits, cabs would probably be the best way to go if you were more than 2 people since it saves more time and you're a lot more comfortable in your own car versus commuting. Riding the metro, the bus or the trams require a lot of transfers and a longer walk. Although, I doubt you'd mind a walk with a view. The fee was €14,00 which isn't really that bad.

The catacombs are passageways containing chapels, and burials rooms found underground. I'm not sure if the whole complex structure was intentionally made into a labyrinth, but I suggest never to separate from the group while on the tour. I was told that there was an incident where one man got lost and never found his way out. Of course, it freaked me out a bit, but then stories like these are made up every minute by parents who want to scare their children so they'd stay put and behave.

The catacombs were free that day, but normally you'd have to pay €6,00. It is a must that you go inside the catacombs with a guide and a tour group. During normal days, there are times set for a certain group to be toured. You join according to time and language spoken. That day, i joined the Spanish - speaking group. Thank god for my then functioning brain. The tour was short. I expected more from it, but the guide was funny and he told a lot of jokes which made everything more interesting. There's a small chapel where groups can hear mass by special arrangements. Catacombs of St. Sebastian is also close to the one I visited, but we had a schedule to keep.

Lunch was supposed to be at 1 after our supposed visit to the Mercato di Testaccio. This market is open  normally open from 7AM - 1PM everyday except Sundays, but for some weird reason, only s few flower shops were open that day. But Mercato di Testaccio is a good place to find food, flowers, and (Italian made) SHOES! One thing you can try, is have lunch in the market or buy lunch from any of the market stalls and eat along the sidewalks. This is the best way to save money and you'll enjoy people - watching as well.

Anyway, since the closed market crushed my dreams of market shopping, we headed straight for our lunch date at the Trattoria da Bucatino (Via Luca Della Robbia, 84. You can call them at +39 06 574 6886 ). This place is well - known for their homemade pastas. It was a good thing we arrived a few minutes after 12. We were seated at a pretty comfortable table, and we didn't have to wait for one. At around 1 in the afternoon, they were already turning customers down despite having tables outside the restaurant, in their main dining hall and in their basement!


The place wasn't fancy - shmansy. Typical family restaurant with old pictures hanging on the wall and  wine bottles displayed all around. A table that caught my eye though was the one with all their appetizers  - of the day. The choices overwhelmed me... I got too scared to order a plate! One plate cost about €5 - €8 depending on the kind you order.

Appetizers

As I mentioned, the trattoria is known for their pastas, but then every chance I get of eating something else other than pasta, I certainly jump at. Hence, I ordered me some lamb and potatoes! My lamb was perfect. It had just the right amount of seasoning and herbs. To ad to that, it was probably the most tender lamb I've eaten in my entire life. The potatoes were steamed to perfection.  Tinggay, the - normally - unadventurous - eater ordered herself some cream based seafood risotto. I'm not a fan of cream, but this was good! Reminds me of a risotto milanese with seafood taste. There wasn't any actual seafood meat (I'm guessing it was pureed or something), but it was tasty. I give this meal an 8!

Seafood Risotto (cream)

My tender lamb

To digest the meal, we walked back to the metro and headed for the Jewish Ghetto to visit their synagogue. The Jewish People have a very interesting culture, I must say-- a visit to this place is a must if you're staying in Rome for 3 days or more. The synagogue cost me €4,00 since I'm just a student, but otherwise they charge €6,00. Unfortunately pictures are not allowed at all. Security is tight and it has been this way since 1992.

The Jewish Ghetto was a 50 - minute walk to our next destination, Galleria Borghese, so we decided to be pretty signorinas and take a cab. When we arrived at the Villa Borghese, a feeling of home sickness came over me. I missed my brothers instantly... because I was reminded of our trip to Versailles in France a couple of years back. But don't get me wrong, it was a happy feeling of home sickness. hihi
Although the Villa B. is not as big and grand as the palace and gardens at Versailles.. this was one hell of a view! The Galleria Borghese is a sure MUST for visitors.

The galleria is in a compound called the Villa Borghese, which is actually a park. You can rent bicycles, segways, and other ways of transportation to tour yourself around the big garden. I was happy just sitting and, again, people - watching. I strongly suggest you stay and sit in one of the benches. This is probably also a nice spot for photo ops!

In the galleria/museum, do not miss out on:
- any of the Bernini sculptures (especially Pluto and Proserpina and Apollo and Daphne)
- the sculpture of Pauline Bonaparte byAntonio Canova
- the painting of Jacopo Zucci entitled Amor (Cupid) and Psyche
and
- Titian's Sacred and Profane Love
... they were my favorites!

And before heading home, we stumbled upon a flea market! During Saturdays, Rome has tons of these. Just research about which ones are open near your area. I hope you enjoyed!

gallery of My Roman Weekend.

Siena the Great

"Letters to Juliet" a movie starring Amanda Seyfried, made me dream of Tuscany even more. Though the movie was not spectacular, the setting was breathtaking. So in planning the trip, it was a must for me to visit Siena. Yes it was another touristy town, but I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. So, off we went.

Coming to Siena, the first thing you ought to see is the Duomo di Siena. The cathedral was intended to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest Catholic building, but unfortunately due to an epidemic that hit the town in the 1300/1400s, the project was not finished.   note: Audio guides are available inside to give tourists all the history lectures they need.. hence, I was able to give a teeny bit of history!
The Duomo's highlight is no doubt its floor-- covered entirely of marble mosaics. To preserve them, the administration does not allow flash photography and feet stepping on the mosaics. Three other things that I loved about this city's Duomo were the cathedral's dome, the Piccolomini library, and the sculpture of St. Peter (part of the Piccolomini Altar) by the great Michelangelo.

Duomo di Siena's Dome surrounded by martyrs

Piccolomini library ceiling

St. Peter by Michelangelo

Lines are normally long for the tickets to enter the Duomo, but we were lucky that day. We arrived just before the heard. €12 gets you inside the main church and the baptistry located behind the cathedral.

One thing I did not like about this visit was the horrendous number of people in the lovely Piazza del Campo. One could no longer appreciate the beauty of the buildings, the view, etc. because there were just way too many people. Walking around the tiny streets quite far from the piazza were much more pleasant than sitting in a coffee shop and people watching-- something I normally would love to do.

It was here that I discovered Homer Simpson's first love: DUFF BEER!!! Dad and I just had to order.. we shared a bottle and tried to figure out what it tasted like. I was disappointed to find out that it wasn't an Italian product... The German - made beer cost us €3,50.. damn thing was hella expensive! But at least for a moment, I was happy knowing I just tasted Homer's best friend... parang San Mig lang!

Enjoy the pictures!

The morning we left our villa...

So, I'm sitting outside the apartment with a gelato and going through the pictures of 2 weeks ago, our Tuscan tour.... I still can't get over the place we had in Radda. I made a gallery of the day we had to pack our bags and move on... click me!

The Beginning of the Chianti Region, Tuscany

Radda In Chianti

We went around the Chianti region of Tuscany. As previously advised, if you plan on going around Tuscany you'd probably have to pick certain towns as your "home" for a couple of nights then move on to another town if you want. During the trip, my parents and I discovered that you can actually make any town your home. It's just better to pick the major ones since they have more facilities... like an Internet point-- a rare commodity in this part of Italy.

One of the biggest highlights of our Tuscan tour was the apartment we rented in Radda in Chianti. It was an accidental discovery, but a beautiful one. Mom originally booked a bed & breakfast for us 3, but lo and behold, a couple of days before arriving, we were told that they were fully booked. The owner referred us to his friend who owned a pretty big land that had 4 apartments in it, 3 he was renting out. With no other choice left, we accepted. No doubts here though. I was expecting a ratty old place, but we were given a VILLA! The apartment/house rented to us had 2 rooms. on the top floor, a kitchen, and a living room on the bottom floor which had the door that led to the beautiful veranda overlooking the owner's vineyard and olive tree grove. The veranda was separated by a few bushes which led to the pool-- it was just way too cold to swim, but the water was calling to me.

The place was perfect. The veranda was our breakfast nook and our wine bar during the early afternoon. We had the view-- it was beautiful during sunrise and sunset. Kudos to you, Mr. Creator!

Check out our "villa" if you want. I also took a couple of pictures of the town.