Date: Saturday 6th March
Time: 5-6.30pm
Location: Zoom Video
Who is hosting? The masterclass will be led by our dear friend Danilo Cortellini (Head Chef at the Italian Embassy) and our Head Chef Roberta d’Elia.
Have you ever heard of "Settimana Bianca"? A winter tradition in Italy, translating literally as "white week", this cosy holiday is typically spent in the snow-capped mountains, skiing, drinking fizz and chowing down on creamy, cheesy alpine cooking. In honour of this indulgent winter occasion, we've teamed up with our friend Danilo Cortellini, Head Chef at the Italian Embassy, to bring you a complimentary winter cooking class, exclusively for our subscribers.
Under the Michelin-star guidance of Chef Cortellini, a Masterchef Professional finalist, you'll learn how to make a traditional winter bruschetta before preparing one of Cortellini's favourite alpine pasta dishes from scratch: Sweet potato Gnocchi with Radicchio & Smoked Cheese. Pasta Evangelists superstar sfoglina, Roberta will be your co-host for the evening, taking any questions you may have for Danilo about his home region of Abruzzo, the Italian Embassy, and of course Masterchef... the floor is yours!
Our menu:
- Aperitivo: Anchovy Bruschetta (we recommend pairing with a dry prosecco)
- Fresh pasta: Sweet Potato Gnocchi w/ Radicchio & Smoked Cheese
What you'll need at home:
Aperitivo
- A bottle of your favourite Italian fizz (optional - we recommend a Brut style!)
- 2 large slices of rustic bread per person
- 80g butter (unsalted, softened) per person
- 4 anchovy per person (if you are vegetarian you can use capers instead)
- 1 small bunch of fresh herbs, chopped (either chives, parsley, wild fennel or dill)
- 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon, zest
- 20ml cold sparkling water
- 1/2 garlic clove (optional)
- Black pepper to taste
Fresh pasta (serves 4):
For the cheese sauce:
- 1 small bunch of parsley, chopped
- 30g butter
- 20g grated Grana Padano cheese
- 30g smoked ricotta (salted ricotta or any other smoked hard cheese will work as well, if not available, regular Grana Padano will work too)
- 1 onion, chopped
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the radicchio:
- 2 radicchio (or red chicory)
- 100ml balsamic vinegar
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- 15g sugar
- 1 garlic clove, crushed
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
For the gnocchi:
- 400g rock salt
- 4 large sweet potatoes (use 2 potatoes per person)**
- 320g 00 flour
- 80g of grated Grana Padano cheese
- Salt to taste
** Please follow these steps to prepare your potatoes ahead of class. Cook them in the oven. Rinse well and place the potatoes in a baking tray over the rock salt. Bake at 160 for about 1 hour (until they are soft and well-cooked, depending on the size). Once ready let them cool down a couple of minutes then peel from the skin and blitz them in a food processor to obtain a smooth puree. You can even mash them by hand and pass them through a sieve if lumpy. Let the puree drain in a fine sieve for a few hours (even overnight).
How it Works
- Book - Book yourself a space onto this exclusive masterclass using the code SETTIMANABIANCA. Spaces are limited and tickets will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis.
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One day before class - All attendees will be sent a Chef’s Welcome email including Zoom log-in details and class checklist. If you have not received your Zoom link, please contact Roberta@pastaevangelists.com.
- Preparing for class - Simply gather and prepare the ingredients above, and make some space in your kitchen so you can prepare your pasta.
- Cook - Happy Pasta Making!
If you have booked a session and you cannot attend, please contact Roberta@pastaevangelists.com as soon as possible where we can allocate your space to somebody else.
