Before we get started, I want to introduce you to Go Charleston Deals. Locally owned by Holly Roberson, they offer a fabulous daily deal from one of Charleston’s businesses. I’m a huge fan of Go Charleston deals because each purchase not only gives the consumer a discount, but also stimulates the growth of Charleston’s economy. They support 3 of Charleston’s charities: Darkness to Light, Chase After a Cure, and South Carolina Special Olympics. When you purchase a deal, you have the option for Go Charleston deals to donate 5% of the sale to the charity of your choice. Everyone wins!
My most recent Go Charleston deal was for an Italian cooking class at Bacco in Mt. Pleasant. For just $32, we had over 2 hours of food, wine, and fun! Check it out!
Upon our arrival, we were served a few delicious appetizers prepared by Bacco’s Chef and Owner Michael Scognamiglio. Roasted parsnips, eggplant bruschetta, caprese salad and oh, a slab of parmesan:
While we nibbled, Michael demonstrated how to make the pasta. As a big group of ladies who like to chat, we had plenty of questions and Michael was happy to answer them.
Then it was our turn! We were paired up and given all the ingredients needed to make fresh gnocchi: 1 lb. of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese, 1 egg, 1 cup of flour, and salt. We were also given gloves for sanitary purposes. This made drinking wine just a bit awkward.
First we mixed the egg and the cheeses.
Next we added the flour and salt to the cheese mixture to form a dough. We were told to make sure not to over knead!
Once a smooth ball of dough was formed, we cut it in six sections and rolled them into snake-like pieces, about 1 inch thick. Using our fingertips, we poked the dough in 1 inch increments to form the separate pieces.
We then cut between each indent to make the gnocchi! How cute are they?
The gnocchi was placed in a bag for us to take home. Meanwhile, our dinner was being prepared.
We had a short break, then returned to the dinner tables for a gnocchi trifecta and a glass of wine. All three sauces were incredibly delicious, but the tomato-based was my favorite. Though I have never eaten at Bacco, I am sure that if their menu items are as delicious as what I sampled, I need to get there quick. As should you!
After dinner, we made sure to snap a photo of a few of us with the master behind fresh Italian food! Do you like how Mia (left) is holding Michael’s waist? That flirt!
We all had a great time and were impressed at how easy it was to make the pasta. It is definitely worth making at home. The results are unbelievably fresh and will make you never want to purchase boxed pasta again. We’re hoping that Bacco will pair up with Go Charleston Deals for another cooking class. Are you reading Michael? We want more lessons!
Have you ever made your own pasta?
Have you ever taken a cooking class? What did you learn?
Have you signed up with Go Charleston Deals yet? GO!
