Ciao mi amica e mi amico! Come stai?
My weekend turns out to be great, although I spent more of my days at home and working for my stories. It is already June and the days are starting to be gloomier (goodbye summer love!) as the monsoon season starts to kick-in.
So I spent my Friday night watching movie while enjoying my vino and a cupcake. I watched this American movie, that is filmed in Verona, Italy and I couldn’t help but feel so fantastic and dreamy.
You see, Italy is very close to my heart. Aside from loving Italian home foods since at early age (thanks to my Dad) and for constantly watching travel movies and religiously reading books about it, to the point of learning their language. I find Italy the most romantic place on Earth (of course aside from my country Philippines).
And adding to that passion for Italy also came my Amore, which makes everything oh so complete.
So I was so thrilled when I got an invitation from Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, to join them for a master cooking demo with their guest, Chef Andrea Delzanno from Marco Polo Hong Kong.
Dressed-up with my favorite Italia brunch outfit, inspired by the collection from Dolce and Gabbana, I went to Marco Polo Manila last Saturday and witnessed the chef’s cooking flair.
Chef Andrea’s recipes are something that he proud of. She shared us some of the traditional recipe that passed on many generations of his family. Born and raised in Piedmont, Italy, Chef Andrea has been working on truffles and the best Italian wines since he was kid. He started training with chefs who have headed kitchens of Michelin-starred restaurants at a very young age of 20, from Italy, to New York, all the way to Asia. He has brought new milestones in the restaurants he has worked with as he garners prestigious awards, both local and international. Moving in Marco Polo Hong Kong last 2015, he has shared his trademark formula for creatively cooking with his favourite ingredients of porcini mushrooms, red prawn, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and truffles.
Laying down Chef Andrea’s ingredients for his three recipes – Papa Al Pomodoro, Inguine Alle Vongole, and Tiramisu.
Now, let me share you Chef Andrea’s amazing recipes!
How to Prepare Chef Andrea’s Papa Al Pomodoro (or traditional tomato soup)
Most of the Italian bambinos (or kids in Italian language) love tomato soup and it is a staple in every Italian homes.
Ingredients are:
1000 grams – quality canned plum tomatoes
500 grams – fresh tomatoes (ripe)
100 grams – garlic chopped
50 grams – unsalted butter
100 MI – cream
200 grams – baguette
20 grams – parmigiano cheese
200 grams – onion
20 MI – olive oil
Some water, salt and pepper
Procedure:
1. Slice the onion and cook with olive oil.
2. Add the fresh tomato, canned tomato, bread, cream and water.
3. Add seasoning and cook for about one hour.
4. Process the soup in a blender.
5. Make the garlic bread by slicing the baguette and adding the garlic, butter and parmigiana cheese, then baking for about three minutes in a hot oven (about 200 degrees).
How to prepare Linguine Alle Vongole (linguine with clams, garlic, olive oil, chilli and parsley) by Chef Andrea
Ingredients:
100 Grams – Linguine Pasta
150 Grams – Fresh Clams (small)
10 Grams – Garlic Chopped
10 MI – Olive Oil
100 MI – Dry white wine
10 Grams – Parsley (flat leaves) chopped
1 Gram – Dried chili
Salt and pepper
Procedure:
1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water for about 8-minutes then drain.
2. Heat the oil and add the garlic, chili and clams.
3. Add the white wine and cover the pan and steam until the clams fully open.
4. Add the pasta and toss together, letting the sauce reduce.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Place in the dish and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.
How to Make Chef Andrea’s Tiramisu
Ingredients:
10 each – raw egg yolk
10 Tbsp – sugar
10 each – raw egg whites
1000 grams – Mascarpone Cheese
20 Grams – cocoa powder
200 grams – ladies fingers
50 MI – Kahlua
1000 MI – Espresso coffee
Procedure:
1. Whisk the egg whites and reserve.
2. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and the mascarpone cheese.
3. Slowly fold in the egg whites to the mascarpone mixture.
4. Soak the ladies fingers with the espresso and layer them in a glass together with the tiramisu cream.
5. Place in the fridge for a few hours.
6. Sprinkle with cocoa powder just before serving.
And after witnessing Chef’s flair, we are headed to Cucina for a sumptuous lunch prepared by Chef Andrea’s culinary team. I will share it on my separate post, Bellas!
Cooking is a way of life in Italy, that’s why it is a great experience to visit restaurants owned by Italian Chef, or even by Italian Moms. Even my Amore is raving about his Momma’s risotto which I think I should learn to prepare it soon, or maybe ask some advice from my in-laws.
Molto Grazie Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, and Chef Andrea for this wonderful experience. I felt more attached to the Italian culture and I can’t wait to taste more of its amazing and rich epicurean culture.
Visit Marco Polo Ortigas Manila from June 7 to 18, 2017 and celebrate the Italian flair at Cucina and enjoy Chef Andrea’s food!
To know more about the hotel, visit www.marcopolohotels.com. Follow the Hotel in Facebook at facebook.com/MarcoPoloOrtigasManila or @MarcoPoloManila on Twitter or Instagram.
Ciao!
Un bacio, Blair
I love Italian food! Italy was the only country in my Europe trip where I hoarded of food so much! This looks like one awesome workshop! Lovely recipes!
ReplyDeleteI agree! Italians cooks really well. My Amore is an Italian and cooking if his forte too. So sometimes I have moments that dieting is not allowed :)
DeleteWe've only visited Manila once on a short stop over but this looks amazing. Tiramisu is my absolute favorite. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteOh next time, you should stay a bit longer :) You have missed the intriguing beauty of Manila.
DeleteYummy I love Italian food and would have loved to watch a master in his base make it. I bet you enjoyed every bit of your session.
ReplyDeleteI did LJ, and when I visit Hong Kong, I will visit his restaurant in Marco Polo HK.
DeleteI love attending cooking demos like this one. The
ReplyDeleteI like be attending cooking demos like this one. The recipe sounds delicious.
ReplyDeleteOh my Helene, yes he cooks fantastic.
DeleteNow I'm starving! I love italian food so much and I also love to see live cooking demonstrations from the best chefs! This would have been wonderful!
ReplyDeleteWatching the chef doing live cooking demo is something amazing. Not all chef wants an audience in his kitchen.
DeleteItalian food is one of the best in the world and one of my fav! I would love to watch a chef make it in front of me coz it really looks amazing! xx corinne
ReplyDeleteI agree. I makes you feel so important when the chef prepares your meal.
DeleteThe food looks very delicious. I will try one of his recipe.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah! Chef will appreciate it.
DeleteI would love to watch a master chef in action! So cool! The tomato soup recipe looks amazing, thank you for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Shannon :) Keep on browsing my blog!
DeleteMy youngest son loves tomato soup and was asking how it is made. I need to make this soup for him.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome! You can also prepare a pumpkin soup for him.
DeleteWhat a cool experience to watch a master chef at work -- an in Italy!!! Thanks for the great recipe.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Heidi!
DeleteYum I love Italian food. This looks like such a fun experience! The recipe sounds delicious and the pictures look super yummy too!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Jenn! Yeah Italian foods are very close to my heart, maybe because I love the culture of cooking ever since, and because of Amore.
DeleteYou are so lucky! I would love to attend a cooking demo like this! I love to learn new techniques!
ReplyDeleteThank you Jessica, I enjoyed watching and sniffing the aroma of all the ingredients, lol
DeleteI am awestruck that you taught yourself to speak Italian!! You have so many fun stories and photos of your adventures.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jen. Am not yet fluent in Italian (ohh I wish!!!) but am trying my best :)
DeleteThanks for sharing wonderful recipes. We love Italian food! will try some of these wonderful recipes. Will bookmark your website.
ReplyDeleteThank you Sarah and Chef Andrea will appreciate it. It is inspired from his grandmother's recipes :)
DeleteI feel the same way about Italian food that you do! How fun that you got to watch him cook. I'm craving some tiramisu now!
ReplyDeleteHis tiramisu feels like heaven in my mouth. Not so sweet and won't hurt your throat just like when you eat so sweet chocolates.
DeleteI would have loved to attended this event! It is so easy to make such wonderful food and events like this show us how to do it! I am so glad you got to go!
ReplyDeleteYeah and I am thankful for Marco Polo Hotel Manila for inviting me :)
DeleteOoo I'm all about food, so I would enjoy watching a cooking demo. All his food looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteVery mouth watery.. I learned a lot from him.
DeleteGetting an invitation from Marco Polo Ortigas Manila to participate in a master cooking demo sounds amazing! What an exciting experience!
ReplyDeleteYes they are so generous by this invitation and I am very thankful. I am hoping they would invite me over for more cooking demo, haha
DeleteThat is so awesome that you got to meet him and cook with him. I'm sure you learned a lot of his techniques.
ReplyDeleteI do! I do! Oh when I visit Hong Kong soon, I will hunt him at Marco Polo Hong Kong.
DeleteDelish! I love the recipe as well. Would love to attend a cooking demo!
ReplyDeleteXOXO //
SINCERELY OPHELIA | NYC Petite Fashion Blogger
Or if you are going to Hong Kong, you can visit Chef Andrea at Marco Polo Hong Kong.
DeleteThat would of been amazing to goto, it's always so interesting to see how a chef creates signature dishes. I'd want to learn those passed down recipes.
ReplyDeleteI agree. It was actually my honour to know his grandmother's secret recipe.
DeleteI am from the Mediterranean and I love it when I see people show our cooking the way it is. It is down to excellent ingredients and simple cooking. It really is not complicated at all. This really made me smile, thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting Gloria. So it means you know how to prepare excellent Mediterranean foods?! Teach us!
DeleteYou are so lucky to have such an opportunity to cook with a prestigious chef. Tiramisu is actually my favourite desert and I can't wait to go to Italy x
ReplyDeleteHello Ana, now tiramisu becomes my favorite too after tasting Chef Andrea's specialty.
DeleteWhen you will visit Italy?
Thank you for sharing these recipes! While I cannot get to Manila to have a demonstration, I am excited to try them in my own home.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome Ashley. You can save this post and try Chef Andrea's recipe :)
DeleteI love Italian food and having a partner who is Italian you can guess we eat a lot of Italian cuisine. I'd love to attend a cooking demo like this, so much can be learned and they are also super fun!
ReplyDeleteHey Aimee, my partner is Italian too! But he is also adventurous on foods. We ate Italian foods and recently Japanese foods.
DeleteI am sure it's so much fun to watch a master chef cook. I would love to try the Tiramisu recipe.
ReplyDeleteYes it is! I was like a kid in the kitchen :)
DeleteI love cooking and I'd love to improve my skills. This cooking demo would be a blast - I would love to attend an event like this.
ReplyDeleteMost hotels are hosting this kind of cooking demo - and I thank Marco Polo Manila for their generosity :)
DeleteThis all looks incredible! I love Italian food and what an awesome experience it must have been, to watch it be prepared by a master chef! Wow.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting Echo!
DeleteWow!Love to see all the food ideas.Seems he is so talented in food art!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I would be glad to dine at Marco Polo Hong Kong, only if Chef Andrea will prepare my food.
DeleteIts already gloomy in the Philippines, thats sad. What movie did you watch set in Verona? I am about to go to Italy for a month in three weeks and I am very excited.
ReplyDeleteHello Dear,
DeleteThe movie is called "Letters to Juliet" oohh I love that movie. You must visit Verona!!!
Great to know that. Thank you for all the lovely recipes. Will give it a try😍
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome opportunity to watch and learn from a master. I am married to an Italian so love authentic Italian cooking and food too.
ReplyDeleteOhh dear!
DeleteSo every night is a romantic dinner with him? Ah sorry I have that thing with Italians so I am lucky to have my Amore (he is Italian too!)
Looks delish! I have to try a cooking demo, it looks fun.
ReplyDeleteit is soo fun and makes me more hungry!!!
DeleteThank you so much for the recipes. I've never attended a cooking demo, this looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteOh you should! Especially if it is with famous chef :)
DeleteThis master cooking demo with Chef Andrea Delzanno had to be quite interesting. I would love to go to one some day. I grow up in with an Italian grandmother so I love Italian foods. Thanks for sharing your experience.
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful Rebecca.
DeleteWhat are your grandmothers' favorite dishes?
This looks like a fun cooking demo! I love going to event like this. Italian recipes are awesome. It looks like you have lots of fun. Thanks for sharing your experience!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Sharon!
Deletecook shows and demos are my thing, i love food and watching to see how a few are made out is fun and interesting to watch too.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I wish to attend more cooking demos.
DeleteThis is awesome! I haven't seen many chefs from actual restaurants giving out recipes for their dishes so this is great!
ReplyDeleteI know right! Most chef doesn't like to share their recipes or even have a guest audience to their kitchen.
DeleteThat sounds excellent! I'd love to make that at this very second, but we've already had supper for the day. I will have to make this for my family this weekend. I know everyone would enjoy it!
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome! Thank you for visiting Lalia :)
DeleteThis definitely looks like an experience. I love mussels. Theyre always so delicious.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you babe.
DeleteThank you for visiting and keep on browsing my blog.