Cooking with Rosetta
Have you been cooking with Rosetta? If you haven’t, you should.
Rosetta as born and raised in Calabria, the “toe” of the Italian boot. In the typical tradition of the place, all of her family food were homemade- including flour!, so when her entire family moved to Northern California in the early 70s it was quite a shock for everyone. Her mother and father, though, kept all the traditions they brought from Calabria- from making ricotta to homemade vinegar and candied fruit, everything in Rosetta’s kitchen is prepared from scratch. So, when she decided to quit her chemical engineering career 4 years ago, it was a natural step to transition into cooking! Rosetta shares her passion for food, the traditions of Southern Italy, and her vast knowledge about each ingredient with a class a couple of times per month. Don’t miss the chance ot partake in creating a meal from scratch and then enjoy each course!
I came to my second Rosetta class very excited, because there is always something new to learn from Rosetta! Her knowledge and cooking tips are always amazing, and it is the most enjoyable experience to be in these very interactive and hands-on classes. Also, you get to learn about Calabria and its foods- an unexplored area by mainstream tourism! My latest class, though, was a bit northern than Calabria: we explored the nuances and beauty of Napolitean pizza.
Each station worked on a pizza, one of the six we prepared during the evening: Classic Margherita (tomato sauce, mozzarella and basil), Pizza ai Funghi (wild mushrooms sauteed with garlic and parsley, fontina cheese), Pizza con la Zucca (roasted butternut squash, garlic, parsley, mozzarella and asiago), Pizza con le Patate (sliced roasted potatoes with rosemary, onions, fontina, gorgonzola), Pizza Mediterranea (tomato sauce, grilled eggplants, goat cheese, mozzarella, prosciutto), and Pizza Dolce (dessert pizza topped with fresh ricotta cream, shaved almonds and figs). My favorite? I loved them all, but my sweet tooth drew me toward the Pizza Dolce- I never had it, and it was the only pizza I took seconds of!
The pizza was absolutely fabulous! All the students worked really hard to duplicate Rosetta’s exhibition of how to make each pizza, and there was an amazing enery among the roup- it was a really nice evening of cooking and also eating! All of Rosetta’s classes end with the enjoyment of the labour, so we got to sit all together and enjoy the fabolous pizza we prepared ourselves! If you want to see more pictures of the fabulous evening, you can find them here.
Don’t miss Rosetta’s upcoming classes- her new schedule just came out with the full spring 2009 classes lineup. And just in case she decides to go back to engineering, you want to catch her before she stops the classes!! Rosetta classes are wonderful for a friends’ outing, but they also make terrific gifts for friends and family! I have signed up for the ricotta making class on April 24th. Yes, 2009! I never plan things this far ahead, but anything for Rosetta! Classes fill up fast- who’s joining me for an Italy in SF with Rosetta outing?
Pizza con le Patate (sliced roasted potatoes with rosemary, onions, fontina, gorgonzola)
Pizza Mediterranea (tomato sauce, grilled eggplants, goat cheese, mozzarella, prosciutto)
Pizza ai Funghi (wild mushrooms sauteed with garlic and parsley, fontina cheese)
Pizza con la Zucca (roasted butternut squash, garlic, parsley, mozzarella and asiago)
Pizza Dolce (dessert pizza topped with fresh ricotta cream, shaved almonds and figs)
Rosetta moves fast! I caught a smile as she was cutting the pizza slices!
rosetta at cookingwithrosetta dot com
Filed under: Culinary Culture, East Bay, Events
Those pizzas look great. What an interesting cooking class.
Oh wow! I love this post. Beautiful pizza’s and looks like so much fun!
YUM! I’ll have mine with tuna and red onions, thanks
I’ve attended two of her classes: handmade pasta and the ricotta class. Both were great! Am looking forward to the next pizza class, as my husband and I are going (though he doesnt know yet as it’s his holiday gift!).
They look absolutely delicious. I’ve never had a sweet pizza before… but figs with ricotta and almonds… Yes, that’s a ‘goer’.
PS I found you via Napa Farmhouse and I love your site, I’m adding it to my favourites. Great job.
[...] a Calabria native– a Calabrese. Her passion for her native region of Italy is showcased in her monthly classes in the San Francisco Bay Area, and in 2010 her first cookbook about Calabria will be published by [...]