If you want to cook like an Italian, then you need to learn from the best in the business – makes sense, right?

Giuseppe Pagliaricci (Perugino) and Egidio Squillace (Event Style)

Six Italian chefs are each holding an Italian Cooking Master Class between 20 May and 9 September 2013 at the stunning Accento Home showroom in Claremont, Perth. Each chef’s restaurant has earned the Ospitalità Italiana certification awarded by the Italian Government. That means they are proficient with Italian cooking knowledge, have Italian speaking staff available, and use some Italian imported ingredients such as extra virgin olive oil.

Last night was the Accento Italian Cooking Master Class series launch. We thought the chefs would be demonstrating three or four dishes. Wrong. We watched them prepare and we tasted  20 dishes. No wonder we all rolled out of there at the end of the night, vowing not to eat for the next week!

Giuseppe Pagliaricci from Perugino Restaurant and Egidio Squillace from Event Style were our chefs for the night. They wow’d the room with every dish.  Just when you think, ‘this one is my favourite,’ the next dish is even better. Their execution was mesmerising to watch. Precise cooking times and fastidious presentations to ensure we were well looked after. This is what we ate:

Finger food / Antipasti

1. Prawn and pesto sauce
2. Scallop carpaccio with mango
3. Pumpkin and smoked cheese dumpling
4. Bacala (cod) and potato fritters
5. Bacala (cod) fritters (without potato)
6. Prawns and pancetta with balsamic
7. Deep fried mozzarella balls
8. Crostini with cheese and truffle
9. Herbed focaccia
10. Crostini with Italian sausage and cheese

Pasta

1. Gnocchi with gorgonzola, apple, parmesan and pine nuts
2. Ravioli filled with potato, cheddar, and proscuito di San Daniele with a pumpkin sauce and a dash of béchamel

Main / meat

1. Rack of lamb cooked with olive oil, lemon juice and oregano
2. Chicken with olive oil, mint, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper
3. Rabbit with black olives and white wine

Dessert & Cakes

1. Macadamia panna cotta with white chocolate sauce
2. Pistachio panna cotta with berry sauce
3. Fig and amaretti tart
4. Rice and apple cake (gluten free)
5. Quince and chestnut cake

Needless to say, the food was delectable. The gnocchi was an absolute stand out dish. The gorgonzola had that gorgeous blue cheese bite to it, the sauce was creamy, and the addition of apples added a tarty sweetness to the salty cheese sauce. The gnocchi were light and fluffy, just as they should be – and just as one would expect them to be given they were made by a pro.

Guests can expect to taste a number of beautifully cooked Italian dishes. Moreover, there’s the chance to ask questions, like, ‘how do you make the gnocchi so it is light and airy?’ Or, ‘what is the secret to cooking the perfect tomato base sauce?’

Marco Mari, Secretary General of the Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) that are facilitating the cooking series said that attending a class is a perfect opportunity to learn from the best in the business as the masters of Italian cuisine are not readily accessible.

“Guests will learn techniques and specific Italian dishes, and they will also taste all the dishes and sample matched Italian wines, so we advise guests to come along with an empty stomach!”

For the wine aficionado, varietals on offer include Barolo, Chianti Classico, and Nero D’Avola Syrah from the respective esteemed wineries Michele Chiarlo (Piedmont), San Fabiano Calcinaia (Tuscany), and Fuedo Arancio (Sicily) to name a few.

Mr Mari said the series is designed to be informative and fun. “For the same price as eating out at a good restaurant, guests have the added bonus of taking home new skills, making it exceptional value for money.”

If the launch is anything to go by, I’d recommend wearing elasticated pants, the most stylish ones you have of course. After all, you will be mingling with Italians.

FACT FILE

All demonstrations start at 6.30pm and held at the Accento Showroom, 256 Stirling Highway Claremont. Cost per class is $90 or $500 for the series of six.

For more information, visit www.icci.asn.au or call 08 9217 4200.

Declaration: The ICCI is a client of Dianne Bortoletto’s business, Pronto PR. Despite this fact, I would have posted about the cooking class in any case because learning about great food is an absolute passion of mine – and so is eating it!

Other Blogs

Check out what other food bloggers had to say:
Perth Munchkin

.

Eating without cooking

To eat like this, you can always book a table at Perugino Restaurant in West Perth. It’s one of the best Italian restaurants in the city, getting the mix of food, service and ambience right.

If you have a function, then Event Style are the caterers that will ensure every guest is impressed and left feeling satisfied.