June 5+6

On Thursday the only meal of note was during lunch when I step into a café near my house for a bite. I had their mushroom risotto and an espresso with brandy, because I can so there. But seriously the risotto was tasty and filling but nothing spectacular but perhaps that may be related to the fact that it was a premade dish that they were merely reheating. However I was glad I picked up the coffee and brandy, I actually think it went pretty well with the risotto and I was happy I gave it a try. The next day was far more interesting, starting off with going back to the mensa for lunch where I had a ricotta with a grape tomato which was quite good and very refreshing. I had a pasta with a mussel and red sauce, the mussels added a nice taste to the mix however the pasta was very smooth and did not hold the little sauce that was there very well. I also had an orange which I neurotically set to peeling and cleaning. For dinner I again set to cooking, I started by making my peppers and mushroom side. However this time I added red wine and let it cook down and reduce and I was sorta psyched about how it came out since I can’t ever recall having cooked with wine before. But it seems the universe has to maintain balance, because as pleased as I was with my side I was at least equally disappointed with my main course, tri-pepper pasta, which I had made successfully a number of times before. The dish is a simple one pot camping dish that I didn’t mess up as far as technique, but there was a cheese in the fridge with a slightly pungent smell that I figured I could use to cut the parmesan and try to use it up, “waste not, want not”. I’m dumb as hell some times, that little bit of cheese was strong of taste and scent, I decided that that cheese was a lost cause.

June 4

Wednesday was day a good number of us were waiting for, the evening of our cooking lessons. The chef that taught us worked at a local culinary school and was supposed to be quite well known, I had never heard of him but among his acclaims is that he has cooked for the Pope. He was a large kind fellow who seemed to have a pretty good sense of humor. The first dish was a tomato stuffed with mixed veggies and served atop a pesto sauce. I expected it to be on the mushy end of things, but the tomato was able maintain a good portion of it texture and the cool salty quality lent by the pesto was able to make the flavor just, god I really wish I could come up with a better descriptor for the sensation, “pop”. For this dish we learned how to peel a tomato, and I was able to pickup an interest tip or two on plating. The next dish was a citrus chicken pasta, which was equally amazing if not more so. It was a very light dish with a great lemon kick to it, it was so good I made sure to go back for seconds. The third dish that was served was sort of a veal marsala, the dish was perfectly tender, with a fantastic savory flavor. And lastly for dessert we had panna cotta with fresh berries, a custardy dish similar to crème brûlée without the caramelized sugar. Smooth, creamy, cool, and refreshing, it was a truly perfect end to a perfect meal. Plus I got keep the chef’s hat, Sweet!