Cactus Man Posted November 20, 2016 #1 Share Posted November 20, 2016 Civitavecchia Cooking Class at Ristorante Pizzeria AQUA Never would I guess I would take a cooking class on vacation. At dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria AQUA, the chef asked us if we would like to take a cooking class the next morning. After a sharing a bottle of wine at our delicious dinner, my wife (who on our first date said she didn't cook) was willing to give it a try. So, the next morning Chef Federico picked us up at the bed and breakfast where we were staying. The best part of the lesson was eating lunch. After washing up from the lesson, we went to the dining room, started with a glass of house wine. The first course was saltimbocca with parmigiana. Delicious. The next course was gnocchi with bolognaise sauce. Also delicious. The finale was Tira Misu. It was a delightful ending to what turned out to be one of our more memorable "excursions” in our years of cruising. We spent about 3 hours at a cost of a low priced tour. For people that have spent a lot of time in Rome, I highly recommend this as an alternative. Chef Federico or his English assistant Tracy will pick you up at the ship or hotel and take you back. Highlights of the lesson follow. The first thing he did was to put some potatoes on to boil to make gnocchi. While that was cooking Federico showed us how to make Tira Misu. Whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar, cinnamon, Marsala wine, and eggs. He taught us how to pasteurize the eggs so the Tira Misu can be stored for a few days. We were in charge of soaking the lady fingers in a coffee Marsala wine mixture and layering them with the cream mixture. After shaking powdered cocoa on top, these were set aside in the refrigerator. Next - Parmegiana Eggplant was sliced thin and grilled. We layered the eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and a little virgin olive oil several times. This will be cooked at 200C or 375F for about 20 minutes. For the portion for the two of us a small disposable aluminum pan was used. Bolognaise Sauce Peeled carrot, celery and half an onion were all diced. Federico showed us how to cut them without cutting ourselves. To the diced veggies were added a clove of garlic, a pinch of hot pepper flakes and olive oil. He added a splash of wine to keep the veggies from browning. Then he added a half kilo of 70 percent ground beef and 30 percent ground pork with some black pepper. To this is added enough tomato sauce to cover the meat. Add a sprig of basil, pinch of salt and simmer for 20 minutes. When it is done the extra can be frozen in portions for another meal. Gnocchi While the sauce is simmering, we made gnocchi. This was amazing to me. Federico put about 400 grams (looked like about 2 cups to me) of flour on the counter and made a bowl in the center. Into the center we put 2 eggs, about a spoonful of olive oil, pinch each of salt and pepper. We scrambled the eggs, folding in some of the flour. He peeled by hand two of the boiled potatoes and using a ricer, put them into the egg mixture. Adding a touch of water, we mixed the potatoes into the flour and eggs by hand. Shortly, we had a big ball of dough. Cutting off smaller pieces we rolled the dough into "snakes" which were then cut into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces. He showed us his grandmother’s method of using a fork to mark the gnocchi noodles. This is cooked in boiling water until the noodles float; then they are done. Saltimbocca Alamana Federico took thinly sliced beef and dredged the pieces in flour. To this small pieces of fresh sage leaf are added and then covered with prosciutto. Using a toothpick to keep the meat together, the meat is cooked in a fry pan. At this point we were ready for lunch. As an aside, Federico can arrange a tour of a nearby medieval town (15 minutes by freeway to the town or 30 minutes through the countryside) that can be done in an afternoon. Nearby, Etruscan tombs (approximately 500 BC) were discovered, excavated and displayed. That is another worthy adventure if you have the time in Civitavecchia. Overall, I was very pleased with time we spent in Civitavecchia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarponJan Posted November 21, 2016 #2 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Thanks. I will look into this when we are in Civitavecchia next year as we do not plan to go into Rome. Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted November 21, 2016 #3 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Thank you for this. We also will be in Civitavecchia for a day and this looks like a nice option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruisingxpert Posted November 23, 2016 #4 Share Posted November 23, 2016 Sounds like a great idea. I'm going to Civitavecchia next November. Does he have a site where I can book in advance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUISEBOY305 Posted December 6, 2016 #5 Share Posted December 6, 2016 Civitavecchia Cooking Class at Ristorante Pizzeria AQUA Never would I guess I would take a cooking class on vacation. At dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria AQUA, the chef asked us if we would like to take a cooking class the next morning. After a sharing a bottle of wine at our delicious dinner, my wife (who on our first date said she didn't cook) was willing to give it a try. So, the next morning Chef Federico picked us up at the bed and breakfast where we were staying. The best part of the lesson was eating lunch. After washing up from the lesson, we went to the dining room, started with a glass of house wine. The first course was saltimbocca with parmigiana. Delicious. The next course was gnocchi with bolognaise sauce. Also delicious. The finale was Tira Misu. It was a delightful ending to what turned out to be one of our more memorable "excursions” in our years of cruising. We spent about 3 hours at a cost of a low priced tour. For people that have spent a lot of time in Rome, I highly recommend this as an alternative. Chef Federico or his English assistant Tracy will pick you up at the ship or hotel and take you back. Highlights of the lesson follow. The first thing he did was to put some potatoes on to boil to make gnocchi. While that was cooking Federico showed us how to make Tira Misu. Whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar, cinnamon, Marsala wine, and eggs. He taught us how to pasteurize the eggs so the Tira Misu can be stored for a few days. We were in charge of soaking the lady fingers in a coffee Marsala wine mixture and layering them with the cream mixture. After shaking powdered cocoa on top, these were set aside in the refrigerator. Next - Parmegiana Eggplant was sliced thin and grilled. We layered the eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and a little virgin olive oil several times. This will be cooked at 200C or 375F for about 20 minutes. For the portion for the two of us a small disposable aluminum pan was used. Bolognaise Sauce Peeled carrot, celery and half an onion were all diced. Federico showed us how to cut them without cutting ourselves. To the diced veggies were added a clove of garlic, a pinch of hot pepper flakes and olive oil. He added a splash of wine to keep the veggies from browning. Then he added a half kilo of 70 percent ground beef and 30 percent ground pork with some black pepper. To this is added enough tomato sauce to cover the meat. Add a sprig of basil, pinch of salt and simmer for 20 minutes. When it is done the extra can be frozen in portions for another meal. Gnocchi While the sauce is simmering, we made gnocchi. This was amazing to me. Federico put about 400 grams (looked like about 2 cups to me) of flour on the counter and made a bowl in the center. Into the center we put 2 eggs, about a spoonful of olive oil, pinch each of salt and pepper. We scrambled the eggs, folding in some of the flour. He peeled by hand two of the boiled potatoes and using a ricer, put them into the egg mixture. Adding a touch of water, we mixed the potatoes into the flour and eggs by hand. Shortly, we had a big ball of dough. Cutting off smaller pieces we rolled the dough into "snakes" which were then cut into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces. He showed us his grandmother’s method of using a fork to mark the gnocchi noodles. This is cooked in boiling water until the noodles float; then they are done. Saltimbocca Alamana Federico took thinly sliced beef and dredged the pieces in flour. To this small pieces of fresh sage leaf are added and then covered with prosciutto. Using a toothpick to keep the meat together, the meat is cooked in a fry pan. At this point we were ready for lunch. As an aside, Federico can arrange a tour of a nearby medieval town (15 minutes by freeway to the town or 30 minutes through the countryside) that can be done in an afternoon. Nearby, Etruscan tombs (approximately 500 BC) were discovered, excavated and displayed. That is another worthy adventure if you have the time in Civitavecchia. Overall, I was very pleased with time we spent in Civitavecchia. This is an excellent recommendation. Thank you so much for taking the time and sharing your experience with us. I am definitely putting this on my to-do list in Civitavecchia. Plan on staying day before Greek-Isles cruise (after Rome) and possible a day after cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Man Posted December 8, 2016 Author #6 Share Posted December 8, 2016 Since this restaurant was suggested by our B & B hosts, Federico just picked us up at the B & B. I looked up contact info for it. If you search for Ristorante Pizzeria Aqua Civitavecchia, the web site should come up. One of the choices is through Trip Advisor which also has a lot of information. The email address appears to be aquacivitavecchia@hotmail.it Since his "sous chef" is from England, I think communication should be good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted December 8, 2016 #7 Share Posted December 8, 2016 I couldn't find a website but did find a Facebook page. I am communicating with them through the PM feature. If anyone has a link for the website, I would love it if you could post it here. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted December 10, 2016 #8 Share Posted December 10, 2016 Civitavecchia Cooking Class at Ristorante Pizzeria AQUA Never would I guess I would take a cooking class on vacation. At dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria AQUA, the chef asked us if we would like to take a cooking class the next morning. After a sharing a bottle of wine at our delicious dinner, my wife (who on our first date said she didn't cook) was willing to give it a try. So, the next morning Chef Federico picked us up at the bed and breakfast where we were staying. The best part of the lesson was eating lunch. After washing up from the lesson, we went to the dining room, started with a glass of house wine. The first course was saltimbocca with parmigiana. Delicious. The next course was gnocchi with bolognaise sauce. Also delicious. The finale was Tira Misu. It was a delightful ending to what turned out to be one of our more memorable "excursions” in our years of cruising. We spent about 3 hours at a cost of a low priced tour. For people that have spent a lot of time in Rome, I highly recommend this as an alternative. Chef Federico or his English assistant Tracy will pick you up at the ship or hotel and take you back. Highlights of the lesson follow. The first thing he did was to put some potatoes on to boil to make gnocchi. While that was cooking Federico showed us how to make Tira Misu. Whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar, cinnamon, Marsala wine, and eggs. He taught us how to pasteurize the eggs so the Tira Misu can be stored for a few days. We were in charge of soaking the lady fingers in a coffee Marsala wine mixture and layering them with the cream mixture. After shaking powdered cocoa on top, these were set aside in the refrigerator. Next - Parmegiana Eggplant was sliced thin and grilled. We layered the eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and a little virgin olive oil several times. This will be cooked at 200C or 375F for about 20 minutes. For the portion for the two of us a small disposable aluminum pan was used. Bolognaise Sauce Peeled carrot, celery and half an onion were all diced. Federico showed us how to cut them without cutting ourselves. To the diced veggies were added a clove of garlic, a pinch of hot pepper flakes and olive oil. He added a splash of wine to keep the veggies from browning. Then he added a half kilo of 70 percent ground beef and 30 percent ground pork with some black pepper. To this is added enough tomato sauce to cover the meat. Add a sprig of basil, pinch of salt and simmer for 20 minutes. When it is done the extra can be frozen in portions for another meal. Gnocchi While the sauce is simmering, we made gnocchi. This was amazing to me. Federico put about 400 grams (looked like about 2 cups to me) of flour on the counter and made a bowl in the center. Into the center we put 2 eggs, about a spoonful of olive oil, pinch each of salt and pepper. We scrambled the eggs, folding in some of the flour. He peeled by hand two of the boiled potatoes and using a ricer, put them into the egg mixture. Adding a touch of water, we mixed the potatoes into the flour and eggs by hand. Shortly, we had a big ball of dough. Cutting off smaller pieces we rolled the dough into "snakes" which were then cut into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces. He showed us his grandmother’s method of using a fork to mark the gnocchi noodles. This is cooked in boiling water until the noodles float; then they are done. Saltimbocca Alamana Federico took thinly sliced beef and dredged the pieces in flour. To this small pieces of fresh sage leaf are added and then covered with prosciutto. Using a toothpick to keep the meat together, the meat is cooked in a fry pan. At this point we were ready for lunch. As an aside, Federico can arrange a tour of a nearby medieval town (15 minutes by freeway to the town or 30 minutes through the countryside) that can be done in an afternoon. Nearby, Etruscan tombs (approximately 500 BC) were discovered, excavated and displayed. That is another worthy adventure if you have the time in Civitavecchia. Overall, I was very pleased with time we spent in Civitavecchia. Just booked this cooking class for me and my husband. Thanks for posting!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUISEBOY305 Posted December 11, 2016 #9 Share Posted December 11, 2016 Since this restaurant was suggested by our B & B hosts, Federico just picked us up at the B & B. I looked up contact info for it. If you search for Ristorante Pizzeria Aqua Civitavecchia, the web site should come up. One of the choices is through Trip Advisor which also has a lot of information. The email address appears to be aquacivitavecchia@hotmail.it Since his "sous chef" is from England, I think communication should be good. May I ask which B&B? can you share their info? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacaranda Queen Posted December 15, 2016 #10 Share Posted December 15, 2016 Thanks for info about what sounds like a great option for our day in Civitavecchia. Now we just have to decide which option to choose. Decisions, decisions :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare electro Posted December 16, 2016 #11 Share Posted December 16, 2016 Just booked this cooking class for me and my husband. Thanks for posting!! Really wanted to do this on our upcoming cruise. We emailed a couple of time and never got a response :( How did you arrange it? Lois Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Man Posted December 16, 2016 Author #12 Share Posted December 16, 2016 May I ask which B&B? can you share their info? The B & B was La Corte degli Ulivi, Via Terme di Triano, 88-0053, Civitavecchia (RM) Italia Tel +39 335 8470162 http://Http://lacortedegliulivi.eu Tel +39 338 9190211 info@lacortedegliulivi.eu The property is located about halfway between the freeway and downtown. As I recall, it's about 5 minutes to town by cab. The property is operated by brothers, one of whom used to be a language professor. He speaks English well. The property has been in the family for years and has just undergone a major renovation. Our room had a large balcony, large enough for a table and chairs. The doors are the most secure I have ever encountered, and I was a residential construction lender for years. I thought the price was reasonable, especially for the quality of the property. The hosts were very friendly. Between the people at the B & B and at Ristorante Aqua, our visit to Civitevecchia resulted in some of our nicest travel memories. My wife arranged the reservation via email. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted December 17, 2016 #13 Share Posted December 17, 2016 Really wanted to do this on our upcoming cruise.We emailed a couple of time and never got a response :( How did you arrange it? Lois through their Facebook page got responses in about 24 hrs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vjh Posted March 30, 2017 #14 Share Posted March 30, 2017 through their Facebook page got responses in about 24 hrs We have tried to find him on facebook as he hasn't answered an email. Could you please tell us how you searched and found him on facebook, we tried the restaurant and his first name, we don't have his last name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRUISEBOY305 Posted March 30, 2017 #15 Share Posted March 30, 2017 We have tried to find him on facebook as he hasn't answered an email. Could you please tell us how you searched and found him on facebook, we tried the restaurant and his first name, we don't have his last name. https://www.facebook.com/federico.aqua Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diane.in.ny Posted March 30, 2017 #16 Share Posted March 30, 2017 PM him on facebook. That's how we contacted him. We have reserved spaces in his class for our turnaround day on a B2B I gave him my email address and asked him to write me there but all communication is coming through facebook. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus Man Posted April 9, 2017 Author #17 Share Posted April 9, 2017 We have tried to find him on facebook as he hasn't answered an email. Could you please tell us how you searched and found him on facebook, we tried the restaurant and his first name, we don't have his last name. Since we were referred to Ristorante Pizzeria Aqua by our B + B, we didn't have the usual contact information. I have his information as Ristorante Pizzeria Aqua, Via Benci E Gatti 3, Civitavecchia, Italy. Phone +39 0766 22201. Email aquacivitavecchia@Hotmail.it Sorry for the delay, we were cruising in the Caribbean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarponJan Posted April 9, 2017 #18 Share Posted April 9, 2017 I contacted them thru their Facebook page and got a response and confirmation of our booking in September. Search for this on Facebook: Ristorante Aqua Pizzeria Pizzeria Aqua Ristorante Aqua Pizzeria Ristorante Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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