Girls Day Out

For Mother's Day my sister and I got my mom a cooking class at one of our favorite restaurants, Il Granaio, in Mount Vernon.  We coordinated calendars and this Saturday, June 4 was the day!  We had the BEST time!  Alberto, chef and owner of Il Granaio, was fun and amazing to watch.  The food was absolutely wonderful. 

First he made Pasta e Fagioli Soup (a soup made with onions, carrots, celery, beans, and pancetta).

Then he made Spaghetti A.O.P. (spaghetti with olive oil, garlic, Italian parsley, and salt).  I was so excited to try it, I forgot to take a picture before digging in!

And finally Merluzzo con Arancia e Scalogne and salad (cod topped with orange peel, shallots, and pine nuts).  Again, I was SO excited to taste this since cod is one of my favorite things to eat!  I remembered to take a picture as I took my last bite.  Luckily my mom took her time eating and I was able to get a picture of her plate before it was gone!



Finally we were treated to homemade gelato, a special for the month of June!

Alberto's dad was visiting from Italy, so when we asked for a picture, we had to include him too!

All of the dishes had very "simple" ingredients, but were absolutely delicious!  Authentic Italian cuisine is definitely not what we think of as Italian food.  Simple ingredients put together to make wonderful, refreshing dishes!