COOKING LESSON in ROMA

When in Rome, do as the Romans!

Me and my friend Rachel rather recently (June, cough) went to Rome. 
It was one of the best experiences of my life and I would highly recommend visiting Italy. A country of such rich history, art, culture and love for the good life can certainly teach you to relax and enjoy the beauty of doing nothing "Il bel far niente". I think there is an underlying message there, us busy Londoners almost crave keeping busy, in a constant rush, instead of enjoying a peaceful and stress free life. We can learn a lot from Italians.

Anyway one of the things which we planned (well I planned) was to take up a cooking lesson in Rome. Ever since becoming a vegetarian one of the most difficult things is having enough variety, so as not to get sick of eating the same food, the way I like to avoid this is by trying out different cuisines.

Here's just a collage of my favourite images from the lesson. The food was absolutely delicious and every wine pairing was impeccable. I'm only 20 years old so I don't have much experience with wine, my general motto is to buy the cheapest, but after a brief lesson I feel like a connoisseur. 

Chef Andrea was quite the character, very loud and oddly humorous considering the slight language barrier. He made sure to make an example of us since we were quite late (but not the latest). I suppose the mix of characters added to the joy of the lesson: we had a few Londoners, then some from the States, and finally a couple from Switzerland.

My favourite item from the whole menu was definitely the first course, and the wine that was paired with it! How I wish I could find it in London... However my sister is going to Tuscany soon so hopefully she can track it down for me! 

Other courses included homemade fettuccine with homemade sauce, eggplant parmigiana and finally our personalized chocolate souffle.

Favourite dish: Pumpkin Flowers with eggplant and mozzarella with Southern Style Pesto

 Wine: Chardonnay Spumante 2008

 xxx