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Risotto Cooking Class at The Ritz

September 26, 2011

Last Friday I was fortunate enough to attend The Ritz Carlton’s Risotto Cooking Class. I’ve always wanted to learn how to make Risotto and it’s always been so intimidating for me so this was the perfect opportunity!

I was one of the first to arrive at Lobo, Ritz’ Italian Restauran, and they graciously offered us drinks and pastries for breakfast. They have very yummy cappuccinos!

Display of the different pasta’s they use


Normally The Ritz holds it’s  cooking classes in their demo kitchen (which is where I attended the Pasta vs Pastry Cooking Class) however this time we had it in their main kitchen as The Ritz was a full house. It was so clean, one of my fellow attendees said “we can sleep in this kitchen!” LOL!

The enthusiastic attendees

Basic risotto ingredients:

  • Shallots/onions
  • Garlic
  • Chicken Stock (If you don’t have homemade, you can use cubes or stock from can)
  • Arborio/Carnaroli (Short, fat grains that are high in starch) *DO NOT wash the rice or it wont be creamy
  • Butter
  • Parmesan Cheese (Best parmesan cheese is Grana Padano, even better than Regiano according to Chef because Regiano takes 17months to make, while Grana Padano takes even longer at 24months)

Options for dressing up a basic risotto:

  • Saffron (Risotto Milanese)
  • Squid ink & prawns (Black Risotto) *can be found in Kem Chicks, but make sure to get the pure not diluted with water
  • Seafood Risotto *some people use fish stock for this, but Chef prefers using chicken because it doesn’t have the fish taste

Chef giving us an intro on Risotto

Risotto must be cooked at the lowest possible temperature. If it boils then it will burn and be bitter. You will have to start again.

1. The olive oil is ready once it spread smoothly on the bottom of the pan, like water.

2. Add onions and garlic (remove from the fire if it is too hot so it doesn’t burn) until it is translucent. If they burn then it will be bitter.

3. Add pre-cooked risotto

  • Risotto that has been cooked for 10mins in chicken stock
  • If you are not using it immediately, place in a flat tray and spread so it cools fast or place in ref so it doesn’t continue to cook.
  • Can stay in the ref for up to 3 days

4. Add a shot of white wine

5. When it has evaporated, add chicken stock to cover the risotto (about 2 ladles for 2 ladles of risotto. 1:1 ratio) and thicken

6.  Add 2 packets of pure squid ink, salt, pepper and tomato sauce (NOT paste)

7.  While that is thickening saute prawn until it is half cooked *the secret to it not sticking in the pan is when you place it in hot olive oil, DO NOT move it around until the bottom has cooked sufficiently and no longer sticks to the pan. If you move it immediately, it will stick.

8.  Stir risotto constantly. DO NOT leave for 5-7 mins without stirring or else the sides will burn

    • To make sure it is not burnt, scratch the bottom of the pan with your spoon. If you can see the bottom then it isn’t burnt.
9. Once it is half cooked, stir prawns into risotto
10. Risotto is thickening. Keep on tasting it while cooking so you’ll know when it’s done. If the risotto is still al dente, then keep adding stock little by little until it is thick and creamy

11. Then remove from heat and place about 4-5 cold butter cubes and a handful of grated Grana Padano

12. Stir in to melt (Below chef gives us each a tasting portion)

CHEESE RISOTTO

  • Do steps 1-5
  • Then skip to 10-12.
  • For step #11, aside from the Grana Padano, you can add gorgonzola, blue cheese or taleggio cheese. NO hard cheeses that do not melt easily.
For SEAFOOD RISOTTO, you can add mascarpone cheese aside from the Grana Padano.

Now it’s time for some volunteers to try their hand at Asparagus and Mushroom Risotto.


MUSHROOM RISOTTO

  • Steps 1-5
  • Saute mushrooms with salt & pepper in olive oil
  • Add 1-2 spoons of brown sauce (steak sauce?) with red wine reduction
  • Once mushrooms are done mix in with the risotto
  • Step 10-12

Volunteer #1 is doing the ASPARAGUS RISOTTO.

  • Steps 1-5
  • Add big handful of peeled and half-cooked asparagus
  • Once it’s thickened, turn off and add a dollop of pesto
  • Step 11-12

Cooking class is over. Now it was time to enjoy the lunch that Chef Mariano prepared for us! I love the long table setting, which even had menus and place cards for all the participants. Loved it!

Bread basket with our favorite sambal bread (A must try at Lobo!)



Insalata Caprese

Sliced Roman tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella marinated with Genovese pesto and mixed salad

Risotto alla Milanese

Saffron arborio risotto with Grana Padano shavings and fresh chives. Served with red or white wine according to your preference.

Tortino di Mele for dessert

Small apple tart dusted with cinnamon and bourbon vanilla ice cream.

The friends I made during the class. I think what made this class especially enjoyable for me are the new friends I met. The other attendees obviously loved food, talking about it and making it. So it was fun talking to then, asking them questions and sharing tips and our different points of view during the class. At lunch it felt more like a lunch with friends, rather than with people you just met.

Pavan and I

The charming Joe

Attendee with Hanny of the Ritz

Sofie and friend

Setting up for our group pic!

Thanks Hanny for taking our picture with Chef Mariano!

The ALL ABOUT RISOTTOA COOKING CLASS was held last September 23,2011. Participants paid IDR 450,000++ for

  • Class on:
    • How to make a basic risotto
    • Different kinds of risotto with added ingredients
    • Tips on how to make the perfect risotto
  • Three course lunch with wine
  • Risotto cooking class certificate
I think it was quite a steal and great value for money considering what we learned and the excellent meal we had afterward. I highly recommend to anyone who is passionate about cooking. The tips and tricks I learn from Chef Mariano in these classes have changed the way I cook, and enable a newbie cook like me to be more confident in the kitchen.

Next cooking classes will be on:

  • October 2 – Cooking Class for Kids (Cupcakes and Pizza + safety, sanitation & food presentation) IDR 175,000++
  • October 22 – All About Fish Cooking Class (how to choose, clean and cook fish) IDR 350,000++ [CANCELLED]

Notes from Chef:

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Welcome

Hello! I’m Ayessa, trailing spouse to a diplomat, mama to DiploBaby and DiploDog and founder of Declutter MNL. I love talking about how to achieve a minimaluxe lifestyle one step at a time.

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GOOD TO KNOW GUIDE

FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @UNDIPLOMATICWIFE

HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport? We are very lucky th HOW NEAR IS @geneveaeroport?

We are very lucky that the Geneva Airport is very near because it is located 4 km northwest of the city centre. It takes us less than 15mins by car & is easier to get to than airports outside the city.

BUT also means that many of the Geneva residents suffer from AIRCRAFT NOISE POLLUTION. 

In some parts of Geneva, like Vernier, Meyrin, Bellevue, Versoix, etc will have the airplane pass on top of you or very near you. This is something to consider when you are MOVING TO GENEVA & looking for a home.

When we were in @bioparcgeneve recently, it felt like airplane after airplane was going overhead every few mins. The poor animals were screaming each time.

A  report by the European Environment Agency(EEA) in 2017 said that 12% or 73,500 Geneva residents have their hearing disturbed by aircraft noise. Probably the figures have risen with the natural increase population & travel?

“The EEA describes noise as a pervasive pollutant that directly affects the health and well-being of humans and wildlife. Populations exposed to high noise levels can exhibit stress reactions, sleep-stage changes, and clinical symptoms like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. All of these can contribute to premature mortality. The World Health Organization (WHO) reckons that humans exposed to noise levels above 40 decibels at night experience adverse health effects.

Across Europe it is estimated that noise contributed to at least 900,000 additional cases of hypertension in 2011.” - @le_news_ch 

DID YOU KNOW that owners of homes affected by the noise can request for soundproofing to be paid for by GVA? 

Check if your home meets the conditions for FREE SOUNDPROOFING c/o Genève Aéroport here:

https://www.gva.ch/en/Site/Geneve-Aeroport/Questions-Reponses-FAQ/Bruit#

SAVE or SHARE this now with someone you know who might be moving to Geneva or is already suffering from aircraft #noisepollution. 

#UDWinGeneva #UDWgenevagoodtoknow #expatingeneva #diplofamily #expatlife #genevaswitzerland #expatingeneva #filipinoingeneva #pinoyingeneva #movingtogeneva #movingtoswitzerland #movingtogeneva #genevaexpats #switzerlandexpatlife #geneva #genevaswitzerland
MERCADONA HAUL Whenever we go to Spain, we love t MERCADONA HAUL

Whenever we go to Spain, we love to go to @mercadona. It might be small but has a good affordable selection. It’s my thrifty Spanish MIL’s favorite.

We were so lucky that we had a @mercadona right beside our hotel Marina Badalona. Very convenient.
Our favorite things to bring home are:

☕️ frozen porras (bigger than churros)

🐑 baby lamb chops (the only lamb I eat coz it’s not malangsa & all you need to do is fry till crispy in olive oil with S&P) it’s called Chuletas Cabrito but TD calls it lechal 

🐽 chicharon or crispy pork rinds

🥔 Homemade potato chips. The best potato chips for me are from Spain. I don’t know how it’s so much yummier! The olive oil???

🎣 canned Sardines & tuna for me and Yaya B

TIPS:

🧊 For frozen items, we usually ask the hotel before we buy if they can put it in their freezer until we fly.

✍️ I usually bring different sizes ZIPLOCK BAGS, MASKING TAPE & MARKER when we travel so we can put everything in, label with our name and room number.

📸 then I take a photo so we can just show it to the staff and they can easily find it in their freezer.

✈️ When it’s time to pack, I placed our beach towels around the frozen packages coz I know they will SWEAT & I don’t want our other things to get wet 💦 

What  grocery do you usually like to shop for when in Spain? Where do you buy them?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries #udwtraveltips #udwtraveltip #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW C FREE GEAR RENTAL @boxup.app + OUTDOOR GYM at ISW Calisthenics Park 

📍Chem. des Tuileries 140, 1293 Bellevue

After the lovely BIOPARC we headed across to this chill park with ample PARKING that had so many things for kids & anyone who wants to move & work out:

⚽️ The kids wanted to kick around a football so we borrowed a ball from @boxup.app (they also have pumps, 🏓, 🏐, 🏀, etc) just download the app & turn on your Bluetooth & follow instructions! Return after 3hrs.

👟 Outdoor gym - this was a huge hit with the kids

⚽️ football - this too!

🏀 basketball court

🏓 Ping-pong 

🏐 Beach volleyball court

🤸🏻 Monkey bars

🛝 small playground

Thanks for the wonderful afternoon guys @lidia_otilia_botezatu! 
How lucky are we to have these beautiful, clean open spaces. And the free rental gear is AMAZING! so convenient.

This is in Geneva, about 15mins drive from where we live.

SAVE THIS on your list of PARKS to visit!

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. It’s not as close as the bioparc but bring earplugs/earphones if you are sensitive.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
BIOPARC GENÈVE Yesterday was a holiday in Switze BIOPARC GENÈVE

Yesterday was a holiday in Switzerland (except for Geneva). It was raining & miserable so I wanted to take @diplobaby out for a few hours. Thankfully midafternoon it stopped raining.

We met with our friends @lidia_otilia_botezatu in @bioparcgeneve and had a lovely time in this volunteer run zoo.

TIPS💡

🆓 It’s free for families on your FIRST visit!

🦢 you walk inside animal enclosures so wear shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty/stepping on poop. We wore boots & happy we did

🅿️ there’s parking inside on wood chips, if it’s full there’s another pavement parking (free up to 4hrs) across the roundabout 

🦔 Do not feed or touch the animals no matter how cute they are

🗺️ There are 2 routes (purple & blue) and 1-1.5hrs #diplshould be enough 

❎ Park closes at 4pm

SAVE THIS NOW if your looking for a fun & not too you can do in well und2hrs. It’s nice that you can go inside unlike most zoos so it’s quite unique.

⚠️ WARNING

it’s in the airplane path so there will be loud noise from that. @diplobaby who is super noise sensitive did not mind as much as I thought he would because he was so entertained by the animals.

#udwingeneva #genevaswitzerland #genevaforkids #diplobaby #diplofamily #filipinotravelblogger #pinayblogger #diplowife #diplomatswife #filipinoabroad #tdwtraveldiaries #takekidseverywhere #travelblogger #travelvlogger #travelvloggerph #filipinoblogger #filipinablogger #filipinavlogger #filipinoineurope #welltraveledkids #expatwoman #pinayblogger #familytravelblog
MARINA BADALONA HOTEL At first we were going to MARINA BADALONA HOTEL 

At first we were going to stay in the heart of Barcelona, where we stayed 8 years ago (I didn’t even know that @diplobaby was already in my tummy at 2 weeks old) but the “hotel” is now expensive with no amenities & small rooms. So TD found a hotel in #badalona - a 20min taxi ride from Barcelona city center - that was so fabulous & slightly less expensive.

SAVE THIS NOW for future trips to Barcelona

WHY I LOVED marinabadalona
🤍 All white interiors was so beautiful & calming
🤍 Gorgeous view of the Marina 
🤍 Everything was so aesthetic, even where you tap your card to enter the room
🤍 Massive bed
🤍 Electric curtains
🤍 Lots of closet space & hangers
🤍 2 TVs
🤍 Refrigerator
🤍 White/cream Nespresso & kettle
🤍 Architecture & interior design is sooooo me!
🤍 Small rooftop pool with unbelievable views (need to do a separate post)
🤍 5min walk to the beach
🤍 Gorg esplanade
🤍 Yummy restos beside
🤍 Mercadona right beside - so convenient!

FEW RECOS FOR IMPROVEMENT:
✌️ Loved the textured wall paper, but it’s difficult to keep clean inside the bathroom
✌️ The bathroom surface area was a bit small & our stuff kept falling off the sink
✌️ Not a single chair in the family room so when we had room service we had to eat standing
✌️ No salt & pepper with room service so we called to ask & were told we would be charged for them taking it up. After TD clarified that there was no S&P with our meal, they said they would bring it up. The person brought a small bowl of of salt & pepper combined. The salt was for DiploBaby’s salmon, but he can’t eat pepper, I wanted both for my pesto. Had to run down in my slippers & the resto staff were very apologetic coz who serves a mixed S&P ever? They gave me individually packaged ones which I really appreciated.
✌️ Since the hotel has a pool & is by the beach, I wish there was a place to hang & dry swim suits. Our suits & watershoes did not dry in the tub.

All in all the value we got from staying in this hotel was so high compared to a more expensive hotel in Barcelona. No hotel stay is perfect.

Now, would I stay there again? YES PLEASE! Would you?

#udwinbarcelona #udwinbadalona #udwtraveldiaries
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