Cooking Classes @ Eataly

Don't worry, I am not turning into a cooking blog. I don't have the patience or skills for that one. Last week I had the amazing opportunity to attend a cooking class at Eataly. 
 I was the tag-along on Sandy's invite. 

The class that we attended was called The Art of Spring Risotto. 

I know what you're thinking....probably what I was thinking...Risotto is HARD TO MAKE!

Well I am happy to report that it is not hard. It just takes a lot of time....45 minutes....mostly stirring...and stirring....and stirring.

Did I mention that they serve wine in every class?

OK, now we're getting somewhere. This fabulous woman, Chef  Alicia Walter, is a walking encyclopedia (Google search for you younger people) of Italian cuisine. 

I think Sandy offended her when she mentioned that she has an "oven baked" risotto recipe. I had Sandy email me the recipe. #JustInCase

The class is demonstration style....works for me!

Alicia wants you to remember the correct order of ingredients when you make risotto. Here's what I remembered; all risotto has wine in it. And salt your risotto early in the process.

The Sous Chef did most of the stirring.

There were four recipes demonstrated.

Menu

Supplí (Fried Risotto Balls with Mozzarella)
Risotto Primavera alle Erbe (Spring Vegetable Risotto with Herbs)
Risotto con Gamberi & Dragoncello (Risotto with Shrimp & Tarragon)
Budino di Riso con Uva & Aceto Balsamico (Rice Pudding with Grapes & Balsamic Vinegar)

Each recipe used a different Italian rice. We also learned what region that particular rice came from.

This is the Spring Vegetable Risotto. It was unbelievable! 

The Shrimp & Tarragon Risotto. Out of this world, fantastic.

The Risotto Pudding. I forgot to take the picture before I started.

They bruleed the top of it. I was so full at this point, but felt it would be rude not to finish every bite :-).

This dessert was so amazing, and gluten free, I bought the rice used in this recipe.

And just to prove that I really did pay attention, I made risotto for my kids. They loved it.

This was just before all the real stirring began. I wish I had a Sous Chef.

It was great meeting Sandy, and sharing this experience. You can go here for a full Eataly class schedule. 

I'm going to make the pudding soon. I'll post it on Instagram. 

Have you ever taken a professional cooking class? Did they serve wine?

I almost forgot to tell you....Alicia gave us the inside scoop on Mario Batali.

Apparently, he is big on Twitter. If you use the symbol #HeyMB he will see your tweet, and possibly answer you. I tried it, and it didn't work for me....but I'll try it again.