Eating light and healthy is a lifestyle that’s gaining popularity. And the Lenten Season is a good reason to start and embrace this healthy habit.
Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa’s invitation for an exclusive cooking class by Italian Chef Gianfranco Pirrone and a preview of his new menu at the resort’s Acqua Cucina Italiana was very timely in the preparation and enjoyment of exciting meatless dishes for the Holy Week. Chef Franco chose to demonstrate two classic Italian recipes: Fetuccine with Truffle, Porcini Mushroom Cream Sauce (see recipe below) and Saffron Risotto with Shrimps. The recipes are simple for as long as we follow critical little details to ensure the success of the dishes, like keeping the pasta and Arborio rice cooked al dente and using the right ingredients. Like any seasoned chef, chef Franco cooks by instinct and taste, doing away with exact measurements. He likes to impart saltiness by using Parmesan cheese and very minimal salt.
Fettuccelle al tartufo e porcini
Parmigiana di melanzane con pomodori pachino e bufala
Spaghetti al profumo di Sicilia
Chef Franco hails from Sicily, which is the largest island along the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Italy. His grandmother, whom he fondly calls Nonna Maria, is an excellent cook, and she inspired him to pursue a culinary career. His culinary style features both the Southern olive-oil rich and Northern butter/cream rich cuisines. Chef Franco says they travelled frequently to the northern region so he has adopted both styles of cookery. But he remains Southern at heart so his healthier Sicilian orientation dictates his preference for grains, vegetables and fish.
Zuppetta piccante di cozze e calamari
Our preview of Aqua’s new menu started with Zuppetta Piccante di Cozze e Calamari (Hot Mussels and Calamari Tomato Soup), a recipe of Chef Franco’s grandmother. It was followed by three pasta courses: Traditional Pasta Cabonara on thin crust pizza, Agnolotti di bufala con pestocremoso ala Genovese (agnolotti filled with buffalo mozzarella with creamy basil pesto sauce) and Spaghetti al profumo di Sicilia (spaghetti with scallops and citrus pesto sauce on a bed of pistachio cream sauce). Sicilian vegetable dishes entail elaborate preparation like his delectable main course, Nonna Maria’s Layered Eggplant Cake with Buffalo Mozzarella and Cherry Tomatoes. The eggplants are thinly sliced, each layer filled with mozzarella, shaped like a cake and baked. It gave the plain eggplant a sophisticated style and taste.
Acqua Tiramisu
Dessert was the classic Italian favorite, Tiramisu, which means “pick me up” in Italian, a coffee flavored dessert made of lady fingers dipped in coffee, layered with whipped mixture of eggs, sugar and mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa powder.
Fettuccine with Truffle and Porcini Cream Sauce
Ingredients:
Onions, garlic, dried porcini mushrooms, cream, fettuccine pasta, Parmesan cheese, truffle oil, fresh herbs, salt and pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Sauté a little onion and garlic with butter
2. Add in the dried porcini mushroom and sauté together with onions and garlic before adding the cream
3. Season with salt and pepper then add in the fresh fetuccine pasta
4. While sautéing the pasta, add Parmesan cheese and truffle oil
5. Stir in some fresh herbs before serving.