– Media Invite –
Attended Gusto Italiano’s Culinary Masterclass by Chef Mario Caramella last Saturday afternoon at TOTT Cooking Studio. To be honest, I’m not a fan of cooking demonstrations but Chef Mario was highly entertaining and it was a pleasure being able to watch a talented chef like himself in action. A little background info on Chef Mario: Originally from Milan, he is a renowned chef within and outside native Italy. Chef Mario has headed the kitchens of some of the most well known and awarded restaurants in Hong Kong, Sydney, Thailand and Bali. He arrived in Singapore in January 2011, as a chef Patron of Forlino at One Fullerton. His new venture at inITALY sees his signature style in full flight, combining authentic Italian ingredients with culinary integrity, alongside a deep understanding of the art of hospitality.
The husband and I woke up early for this! Our usual practice is to sleep in on weekends and then head out for brunch. Hehe.
Chef Mario explained that Italians would know that Orecchiette “Carburrata” is a dish that does not exist. He invented this recipe one Sunday afternoon by using whatever ingredients that were available in his home to whip up lunch for his family members. “Carburrata” is essentially a Carbonara sauce with Burrata. The husband and I loved this dish!
(Recipe makes 4 portions – cooking time approx 30 mins)
Ingredients
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
8 slices pancetta or parma ham, diced
2pcs small shallots, chopped
8pc cherry tomatoes, chopped
1pc burrata
280gm Giuseppe Cocco Orecchiette
50gm rucola lea
50gm grated parmigiano reggiano
2pcs red chillies, sliced
Italian parsley, chopped
Black pepper, to taste
Method
1. Heat the extra virgin olive oil in a large pan. Add the pancetta and the chopped shallots and shallow fry until crispy. Add the cherry tomatoes and keep cooking for 2 more minutes over low flame.
2. Add the burrata, and then split it with a wooden spoon and cook until it melts to become a creamy sauce.
3. Add the pasta and saute. Add the grated parmigiano reggiano, sliced red chillies, the rucola leaf and Italian parsley. Mix and serve in a deep hot pasta bowl.
4. Finish with black pepper grounds.
Next up was the Chitarra Antica Cocco Spaghetti with Shiro Lobster, Botarga, Broccolini, Garlic & Chili.
(Recipes makes 4 portions – cooking time approx 30 mins)
Ingredients
240gm Giuseppe Cocco spaghetti chitarra antica pasta
60ml extra virgin olive oil
200gm broccolini floret, pre-cooked and chopped to your liking
4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
200g pachino cherry tomatoes
1pc whole Shiro ‘naked’ Boston lobster
Fresh basil leaves
Dried chilli, to taste
Grated botarga
Method
1. Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water.
2. Heat a large saute pan with the extra virgin olive oil. Add in the chopped broccolini florets, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Saute until fragrant and then add in dried chilli to taste.
3. Strain the spaghetti and add to saute pan with the lobster. Add in a few spoonfuls of water and saute until no more water is in the pan. Add the fresh basil leaves, grate some botarga on top and serve.
4. Do not serve parmigiano with this pasta.
Chef Mario told us that pasta is an ingredient that does not cost much but that doesn’t mean that we should only respect certain types of food based on its monetary value. Food should be respected based on how it tastes in our mouth. So that was the take-home message for most of us that day. Some food for thought!
Ending this post with a photo of us with Chef Mario Caramella! Stay connected with us on Facebook www.facebook.com/missuschewy and on Instagram @missuschewy and @misterchewy 🙂