Amoré Cucina

What’s your favourite pasta sauce? A spicy Puttanesca with those delightful anchovies and capers or good ol’ Bolognese with lots of juicy bits of mince… and apple juice! What has apple juice got to do with tomato sauce?

Before we go into much more detail we have to tell you the secret for the best sugo, and that is, it all depends on the base. That’s right, it begins with the humble ripe tomato or as it’s called in Italian, pomodoro: the golden apple, or in French, pomme d’amour: the apple of love.

All you need is a big group of family and friends, bung in a few boxes of tomatoes in mid season, maybe early March, and organise those many hands to help out with a little light work. Throw in some stories from the old days, a bit of gossip, a lot of satisfaction and a simple lunch, and presto! you fill the pantry with enough sauce for the rest of the year.

If it all sounds a bit daunting, come along to one of our fun classes to learn to prepare, bottle and preserve your own Southern Italian pasta sauce. Roll up your sleeves and get up to your elbows in the biggest tomato ‘jam’ ever seen. Then, after slaving over a hot cauldron, relax with a traditional lunch and a glass of wine! You’ll even take home some bottles to savour with friends and family and to help break the news gently about the little light work for next season.

Small pantry? Go with the small sauce that’s big on flavour!

Oven roasted tomatoes are reduced to a rich, ready to use sauce that replicates the traditional method where tomatoes were placed out in the hot Mediterranean sun for days on end to reduce to a paste or to make a rich red sauce.

The sauce can then be spread on pizza or bread and topped with your favourite cheese, as a pasta sauce or in small portions in risotto or stews etc. It can also be used as a dipping sauce for meatballs or dinner party finger food.

Each participant takes home a few jars to share with loved ones.

Also see Feed Your Italian Heart

In April 2010 this class will be devoted to pasta and pizza sauces to bottle and preserve for use throughout the year. It takes a good base tomato sauce (also known as passata) to make a great pasta sauce. The best time of the year to use fresh tomatoes for pasta sauce is late summer, early autumn.

In this fantastic hands on class learn to make your own pasta or pizza sauces to bottle and preserve then use during the year. We will teach you some basic tips for cooking pasta with sauces to match and have lots of tastings as we go.

Made in July and ready to slice at Christmas!

Capocollo is cured pork. The cut is from the top of the shoulder which is cured in salt, then wrapped in a protective skin and hung to dry for several months.

In this class participants prepare their own Capocollo to take home and nurture to be enjoyed at Christmas time.

Capocollo can be sliced like prosciutto and served as part of an antipasto platter. It teams especially well with cheese, olives, a glass of wine and some good company.

22nd July closed
29th July closed

Amoré Cucina Cooking Class
Be one of the few to discover a part of Melbourne fresh from the Tuscan hills and blossoming in the Shire of Nillumbik. The vineyard is at Panton Hill, on the edge of the Yarra Valley closest to Melbourne – food and wine capital of Australia. This winery is the perfect backdrop for a cooking class with all the flavours of the Mediterranean in the food and wine to match the venue.
Enjoy a cooking class followed by a full wine tasting. All food and recipes provided. (Menu example here)
Your day starts at 10.00am where you will assist in preparing a meal to remember .

29th May (closed)
10th July (closed)
24th July (closed)
31st July (closed)
9th October (closed)
30th October (closed)

PRIVATE TAPAS FUNCTION
Please contact us to organise a date for your group to have a Tapas Workshop on a THURSDAY or FRIDAY at the Panton Hill Winery.
Minimum number 6, maximum number 8 for everyone to have hands-on.
Larger groups can be catered for with a demonstration type cooking class, limited participation.

Make & Preserve Your Own Home-Made Italian Sausages

A fun hands-on class!

Winter, June, July and early August is the best time to use pork and make Calabrese salami.

In the spring evening classes you will learn to make Italian style pork sausages to eat fresh on the barby or freeze.

Need to bond with a few mates? Get a group of 6 people together! Ordinary sausages (not salami) can be made to eat fresh and/or freeze at any time of the year. Learn to make sausages using lamb or beef with various combinations of herbs, spices, wine and honey.
For a great team building day please contact us to organise a date for you (6 adults special price $500.00).

If it’s your turn to put on Christmas lunch, don’t panic! We have some great ideas on the menu for you to replicate and share this Christmas.

In this hands on class we will make delicate salmon crepes, roll a roast stuffed with an omelette of spinach, zucchini, eggplant and use other summer veges to decorate this festive meal. For dessert we will make a Panettone Ripieno di Gelato with rich home made chocolate sauce.

Add a little Italian to your Christmas lunch.

To be part of this once only class please register here – numbers are limited.

Date: 2010 date to be advised
Venue: Warrandyte

Also see Feed Your Italian Heart

In April 2010 this class will be devoted to pasta and pizza sauces to bottle and preserve for use throughout the year. It takes a good base tomato sauce (also known as passata) to make a great pasta sauce. The best time of the year to use fresh tomatoes for pasta sauce is late summer, early autumn.

In this fantastic hands on class learn to make your own pasta or pizza sauces to bottle and preserve then use during the year. We will teach you some basic tips for cooking pasta with sauces to match and have lots of tastings as we go.

We are taking orders for several bulk purchases of preserving tomatoes throughout the tomato season – February thru late March (depending on weather). These are commercial produce, vine ripened, excellent quality through the whole 16kg box and delivered to your door. Price is not confirmed at this point but will be competitive as we will pass on the savings. An Italian family preserving day starts at around 25 boxes and up, but if you’re not sure you can use this quantity yourself, share a load with family, friends and neighbours as we’re offering free local delivery for orders of 5 boxes or more.

To order or for any questions, please email

ag@amorecucina.com.au

A variety of meat, cheese, eggs and vegetables with at least 10 tapas to eat and lots of ideas to take home and share. And what goes better with this Spanish “small plate” feast? Sangria!

The “Wise King” of Castille and Leon, Alfonso X was ill when his chef decided that a succession of small dishes, each helped along with a small glass of wine, was sure to make him feel better. His recovery was so remarkable that the old king spread the news: eat little and often, he commanded, and you will live longer. And so became the tradition of Tapas.

In a Tapas Class, learn to prepare a variety of delicious dishes each with its own colour, texture and aroma providing an assortment of flavours without eating too much of one thing. Ideal for both vegetarians and meat-eaters.

Please contact us to organise a date for your group (min 4). Special price of $50.00 per person for a group of 6 or more if you book before end December 2010.