COOK & MEET in Prague takes place on a regular schedule since 2013. In this page we present a selection of our recent events. For the complete gallery & news please visit our Facebook page.
"Best of year's party" |
"Alpine delights" |
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Taste & fun with nice friends to celebrate the last event of the year with easy & effective Italian delights ideal for your party or last-minute visits: Mediterranean skewers, bresaola and vegan beet carpaccio, truffle vol-au-vent and Sicilian pesto on “busiate” craft pasta, paired with our beloved Prosit by Marianna Cardone, Malvasia from Parma hills, Nebbiolo from Barolo and a super-Tuscan Pometti Val d’Orcia .
A sweet end with pears poached in Sangiovese dressed with cantuccini & pomegranate in Marsala and see you all in 24.12 at Kino Aero for “Life of Brian”, panettone and wine ! 14.12.17 |
A delightful international evening with new & old friends from Moldova, Germany, Ukraine, Romania, Italy & Czech Republic preparing and enjoying a selection of the best delights form the Alps. "Strangolapreti" , puffy and tasty spinach & cheese dumplings with speck & Montasio cheese dressing from Trentino, black Alba truffles vol-au-vent, grilled "tomini" with "cugna'" special sauce and "bunet" amaretti chocobomba from Piemonte, and special guests Cantuccini and Vin Santo form Tuscany. A wine journey from Tramin an der Weinstraße, the Italian Termeno, birthplace of Gewürztraminer wine in Alto Adige (Sud Tyrol), to Piemonte with noble Nebbiolo and Barbera Superiore from Barolo and of course Prosecco di Valdobbiadene. 7.12.17
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"Fresh Pasta Autumn party" |
"Truffle party Wine Contest" |
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A fun pasta-making dinner at Cook & Meet, the tagliatelle with Treviso Radicchio, gorgonzola & walnuts disappeared soooo quickly from the dishes even before taking the usual picture.
“Tomini elettrici “ , the super-fresh Piedmontese cheese according to my grandmas recipe and a new vodka melon & caramelized persimmon mousse in perfect pairing with “Friulano” white wine from the lesser known (a hidden gem) Friuli region & robust Barbera Superiore from our friends in Barolo. 23.11.17 |
A finger-licking, truffle-themed cooking & dining party. We started with a selection of Venetian-style "cicchetti" (tapas) starters including black truffle canape', "ventricina" spicy salame and sundried tomato, gorgonzola & pears & cranberries "owl", mortadella & special olives "Cerignola", followed by two types of delicious "risotto": hand-picked porcini mushroom & black truffle, and a classic gorgonzola, pears & walnuts. Finger-licking fun with a creative assortment of chocolate truffles decorated with pistachios and hazelnuts. The winners of the blind wine tasting competition were the robust "Barbera Superiore" by Scarzello and a crisp Chardonnay by Franco Conterno, both from my homeland Barolo, however Puglia was in a close second position ahead of Cadiz and Bordeaux. 1.9.17
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"Cocoa & fresh pasta party" |
"Middle Eastern Meze" |
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tGreat international friends , tasty Italian food , the fun of preparing "cocoa tagliatelle" & "bunet" amaretto pudding and premium wines pairing , including a spectacular Brunello di Montalcino courtesy of Tom: thank you dear fiends for another lovely "Cocoa & Wine party" ! See you all on Friday 1 September for a special "International Wine Challenge & Truffle party" , the last of the season by Cook & Meet ! 23.8.17
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Thank you dear friends for another splendid evening ant Cook & Meet ! We prepared and enjoyed together a selection of dishes from the Mediterranean sea & Middle east and even got a fabulous birthday cake. All paired with premium Italian wines from Puglia (a delightful "Le Rotaie" rose' by Pastini and full-bodied "Don Antonio" by Coppi) and Spanish noble wines form Cadiz area by Bodegas Barbadillo. 10.8.17
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"Soul kitchen" |
"International Wine Challenge" |
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Fun, taste, creativity, music and great friends at Cook & Meet! When "soul" enters the kitchen, inspiration is guaranteed: we travelled across Italy with an unusual "sushi" made of asparagus, Parmigiano Reggiano & Tuscan ham; "trinacrie" craft pasta from Sicily dressed with pancetta and artichokes; the classic "Schüttelbrot" bread from Trentino Alps, ideal base for grilled peppers, and a refreshing strawberry, ricotta & torrone millefoglie. A deliciously aromatic "Galà" Malvasia bianca and "Le Rotaie" rose' from Puglia were a perfect match, followed by a very drinkable Sangiovese Superiore by "Sabbioni". 11.5.17
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The 1st (of many) Wine Challenges at Cook & Meet: the fun & pleasure of discovering a premium selection of wines from around the world in a blind tasting!
The winners were both white and surprisingly from regions known for their noble reds: "Rugiada" by La Castellina (Chianti, Italy) and Verdejo by Bodegas De Alberto (Rueda, Spain), paired with special black (squid) & white home-made tagliatelle with mussels & prawns, and topped by our delicious panna cotta in a new rosemary & limoncello variation. 7.4.17 |
"Spanish fiesta"The taste, colors , energy of the Mediterranean Sea to the center of Prague ! Two delightful "Spanish fiesta" editions with old & new friends preparing together a special tuna & artichokes salad from Tarifa, a delightful chorizo , lemon & olives chicken stew with a Moroccan touch and our new strawberry and "torrone" (nougat) millefoglie dessert.
All paired with robust , fruity reds from Cadiz (the centuries- old Bodegas Barbadillo) and Rioja (the futuristic bodegas Baigorri). See you all on Friday 7th April for our unique "International wine challenge" and home-made pasta with seafood paradise ! 15 & 23.3.2017 |
"Rainbow Menu"Colors, taste, fun, creativity at Cook & Meet for a special "rainbow menu" to brighten a white winter. Beet Carpaccio with tasty goat cheese is a healthy and delicious starter, reinforced by "caciocavallo" cheese from Puglia and craft salame from Veneto. Home-made pasta can be prepared in a whole range of colors, and this time we went black with squid ink tagliatelle, dressed with a rich cherry tomatoes, zucchini and prawns plus a spicy touch of Tunisian harissa. Robust, full-bodied Primitivo di Manduria and crisp Arneis wines led us to the dessert, a new rendition of our classic panna cotta, this time with seasonal persimmon & amaretto crumble ! 19.1.17
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"Taste of Puglia & wine party" |
"Italian Neo-Classics" |
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The taste, colors, emotions of the Mediterranean sun all the way to snowy Prague ! Preparing fresh pasta "orecchiette" (small ears, literally) is always a lot of fun, and especially with old & new cosmopolitan friends and many glasses of crisp sparkling wine.
The ideal dressing is a rich tomato sauce (this time with the addition of spicy "harissa" from Tunisia) and the blissful "stracciatella" , the creamy heart of our beloved " burratine" cheese. After robust, full-bodied Primitivo di Manduria and Negramaro wines from Coppi family winery, a new instant classic: a filo pastry "millefoglie" with fresh ricotta and caramelised pears, best enjoyed with a Marsala "meditation wine". 13.1.17 |
We started an exciting new year with a blast at Cook & Meet: pasta party with our beloved "prawns & zucchini pesto" linguine and Klara's tasty spicy salame, goat cheese & peas recipe, ideal on craft "trinacrie" short pasta from Sicily.
Rose' wines don' t always enjoy a great reputation, so we like to present excellent choices like Bocelli from Toscana and a super-refreshing Raboso from Veneto, one of those bottles of which we will drink many in long spring days. Full-bodied Primitivo di Manduria and a robust barbera Superiore from Barolo completed a great night with finger-licking chocolate & mascarpone breadcrumb cakes. 5.1.17 |
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"Truffle delights" |
Gourmet tours & team building |
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Top-quality ingredients and a bit of creativity are the key to a gourmet adventure. Small effort and big result is what we like at Cook & Meet, and the „truffle menu“ is a classic example about how to prepare a quick, simple and great-value dinner with old and new friends from Brasil, England, Romania, Italy and the Czech Republic of course.
We started from fresh figs roasted in „pancetta“, „mortadella“ rolls and „stracciatella“ creamy cheese with truffle-flavored Aceto Balsamico di Modena, a nectar so irresistible that we even dipped our grissini straight into the bottle! A crisp white by apulean Cardone winery and a delightful sparkling „Malvasia“ from Parma hills are perfect dinner-openers, before enjoying a robust „Valpollicella Ripasso“ red from Amarone´s wine heavens. Fresh egg tagliatelle dressed with mushroom & black truffle sauce are always a guaranteed success, especially when topped by the „36 months Gran Speciale“ cheese from Parma and white truffle olive oil from Alba, the capital of truffle hunts. The classic „chocolate truffles“ praline from Piemonte are even better with a coffee scent, and paired with endless shots of herbs liqueur from the Alps,Elixirs from Bohemian monasteries, Sicilian Marsala fortified wine, delightful „oloroso“ sherry and even „eau de vie de figs“ brandy from Tunisia. 1.9.16 |
Autumn has been an incredibly exciting and busy time for Cook & Meet, with a series of gourmet tours with truffle hunts and wine discoveries in Piemonte (Barolo and Barbaresco area) and Toscana (Siena and Brunello di Montalcino area), "Slow food & fast cars" in Parma and Modena, Venice "canal food tours" and discoveries of Mantova for your next gourmet tours with us.
Teambuildings and corporate events in the kitchen are truly enjoable, in particular with friendly and exciting workshops preparing fresh pasta from classic tagliatelle to ravioli and tortellini, tasty dressings like rich wild boar ragout in Toscana, finger-licking panna cotta, cannoli siciliani and tiramisu' and rivers of premium italian wines. Raiffeisenbank, JayWay Travel, Affidea Medical, IWAP International Women's Asssociation of Prague are among the world-class companies and organization which chose Cook & Meet to organise their special events in Prague and Italy and we are always available for all corporate and teambuilding needs. |
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"Balkan feast" |
"Quiche & wine party" |
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A homage to the tasty and colorful Balkan cuisine starting from “Gibanica”, a delicious traditional Serbian cheese pie very popular all over the region: the variations range from sweet to savory, and from simple to festive and elaborate multi-layered cakes.
The Serbian verb gibati, means "to fold, sway, swing" and we prepared the “practical housewife” rendition filled with cottage and feta-style cheese. An ideal starter together with red beet & goat cheese carpaccio with pomegranate dressing, paired with a lovely Chardonnay by Kovačević winery. Tasty grilled ćevapčići sausages, shopska salad and grilled marinated peppers have been the heavyweight of the party, with a full-bodied Kovačević “Arnelius” red and a crisp white “8 Tamburasa”. Filo pastry baskets filled with creamy yogurt and apricots marinated in rum , a superb 12-years old Serbian plum brandy and Italian grappa barrique were the ideal topping of a wonderful evening. 27.8.16 |
Meet new friends from Canada and Brasil and enjoy a lovely evening in our courtyard, summertime rulez! „Quiches“ savoury cakes and „bunet“ chocolate dessert from my homeland Piemonte are classic examples of delicious, tasty and easy to prepare recipes.
Limited effort, a pinch of creativity and quality ingredients is all you need. My favorite quiche is our flagship saute peppers, feta cheese and rosemary, but also the classic „Lorraine“ with bacon (in our case diced „pancetta“) is fingers-licking. Especially if paired with a crisp white Arneis and our new favorite nectar, „Serralto“ by Coppi family winery which we discovered in our recent Italian Gourmet tour to Puglia. Even the cork itself emanated the perfume of an entire flower & vanilla bouquet, with a touch of marine air. Our grandmother´s classic dessert, the amaretti & cocoa pudding „bunet“ is an ideal match for Limoncello, Alpine herbs digestive and the last sip of our beloved 18-years Flor de Caña rum which we brought directly from Nicaragua. 24.8.16 |
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"Burmese & Vietnamese delights"
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"Cheese & wine summer party"
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A corner of South-East Asia in Prague with our special event tasting goodies from our 6-weeks exploration of the bustling streets, bumpy roads, mighty rivers, lush forests and gorgeous mountains of Burma & Vietnam. The preparation of the typical "tea leaf salad" and papaya, mango & prawns salad required a proper outfit with the typical Burmese farmers´hats and a refreshing "Mandalay mule" rum cocktail. Tasty "Summer rolls" with king prawns and a variation with marinated beef are a good match for rose´ wines from Piemonte and Veneto, while the Burmese chicken curry was paired with a delicate Chardonnay. A final touch of tropics with a delightful "mango & coconut panna cotta" and a sip of "Muscatel" by Red Mountain Winery, one of the only two Burmese wine makers. And now we are already planing the next Cook & Meet "Vietnam Gourmet tour" in November 2016 !
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Fresh-pasta making is the heart of Italian cuisine, and with nice international friends is even more fun! We opened the dances with gorgonzola, pears and walnuts "vol-au-vent", fire-smoked "provola" cheese from Puglia and a classic melon with Prosciutto di Parma served with a crisp "Arneis" from Piemonte and Apulean "Locorotondo" white wines, ideal for a garden party in our sunny courtyard. A sneak preview of our next truffle-hunt gourmet adventures in Autumn was offered by mushroom, "Gran Spieciale" 36-months Parmigiano Reggiano & truffle oil tagliatelle paired with a noble Tuscan "Orcia 106 DOC" from Moltalcino area and a robust "Primitivo" from Puglia. A lovely dinner topped by delicious "cannoli siciliani" with fresh ricotta, in the chocolate and candied orange with fresh cherries variation.
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"Italian Classics"
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"Taste of Puglia"
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Italian cuisine means extreme care in the choice of the ingredients, passion in the preparation and a great kitchen vibe. This week at "Italian Classics" by Cook & Meet we had old & new friends from Sweden, USA, UK, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Czech Republic and Italy and many funny and exciting stories whirled around glasses and plates. A sparkling “Prosit” is the perfect opening for every event, and a visit to the family-run Cardone winery will be among the highlights of our Puglia Gourmet Tour in July. The red, green and white of the Italian flag were properly represented by a red beet carpaccio with goat cheese, "anchovies in green sauce" (a typical Piedmontese delicacy) and a sublime "Parmigiano Reggiano 36 months" which we brought directly from the producer in Parma area. “Spaghetti alla carbonara” and “puttanesca” sauce on craft pasta “busiate” from Sicily are among the flagship of every traditional meal, perfectly paired with a delightfully powerful “Monteregio di Massa Marittima“ (a new classic on our table), “Primitivo di Manduria” and “Syrah” from Sicily. A rich and creamy “Tiramisu´” with Grappa, Amari and “Mirto” (blueberry liqueur) from Sardinia topped a magnificent evening.
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Preparing fresh pasta is always fun, an ideal occasion for relax and chat around a table with old & new friends from Lebanon, USA, Austria, England, Czech Republic and Italy and blissful “Prosit” Cardone sparkling wine. And when the result is delicious “orecchiette” in a rich tomato sauce and “stracciatella, paired with a full-bodied “Montereggio di Massa Marittima” red wine, even better!
“Stracciatella”, not to be mistaken with the homonymous vanilla & chocolate chips ice-cream, is the streaky, creamy heart of the wonderful and super-fresh “burratine”. Open them on a bed of Sicilian cherry tomatoes, fresh rucola and premium extra-virgin olive oil for a stairway to heaven. The magic trio of Apulian cheese is completed with “ricotta” for the “cannoli siciliani”, paired with a choice of Marsala fortified wine, Limoncello and Mirto, a typical Sardinian blueberry digestive. The countdown to our Puglia gourmet tour is started, but still time for more home-made tagliatelle this Thursday 9.6 with “Seafood and fresh pasta” party at Cook & Meet ! |
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"Truffle delights"
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"The perfect date menu"
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The elusive truffle is one of the gods of the gourmet world, and those from Alba sit undisputedly in the Olympus. The best way to enjoy them is to hunt them with dogs and friends (Cook & Meet tour to Piemonte in October, for example…) or in gourmet preparations like the white truffle butter and black truffle sauce.
The delicate, hand-made egg pasta “tajarin” is the ideal match for a delightful white truffle and cream sauce, while home-made puff pastry “vol au vents” filled with mushroom & black truffle create a rich and alternative starter. In a truffle dinner, the dessert is of course the “tartufo di cioccolato” typical of Piemonte, coated with cocoa powder or almond crumble. For the wine pairing we travelled all across Italy, choosing the bottles directly by the wine makers: crisp and fruity “Roero Arneis” born on the truffle hills, robust “Chianti Riserva Gallo Nero” and “Morellino di Scansano” from Toscana, “Prosecco di Valdobbiadene” from Veneto and our beloved sparkling “Prosit Cardone” from Puglia. |
A nice group of friends from Sweden, USA, Spain, Czech Republic and Italy for our “Perfect Date” menu! “Saltimbocca” in Italian means “jumping to the mouth”, and our pork fillet chops with tasty “pancetta” and sage leaves from our home garden really flew away from the dish, even better when accompanied by a saffron-flavoured “risotto alla Milanese” an paired with “Locorotondo” white wine from Puglia and “Chardonnay” from the heart of Barolo wine region. Puff-pastry cheese sticks with a special sundried tomato and almond “Sicilian pesto” is an instant classic for every finger-food party, in particular with a refreshing “Cucumber & vodka lemonade” cocktail as aperitif.
Every bottle has a story to tell and after ever Thursday, some more anecdote are added: the “Give me five” vodka I found in Tajikistan, with the anatomic grab so you can keep drinking while driving a heavy tractor in the steppe or flying a helicopter over Altaj; the very special Tunisian “eau de vie de figues” spirit from our Cook&Meeter friend Wassim , my favourite herb liqueur “San Simone” prepared according to secret and ancient monks´ recipes … |
"Mediterranean Meze"
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IWAP party
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A celebration of the flavours, colors and stories of the Mediterranean cuisine with cosmopolitan friends. We travelled from the Moroccan chicken with olives and lemon (with a generous help of Spanish chorizo for extra kick), to the Greek tzatziki, the Lebanese hummus, also in a variation with tasty sundried tomatoes, and a delicious cauliflower, cranberries & chickpeas salad. The grilled aubergines with Georgian topping became an instant success, like the truffles with real Tunisian dates. South Italy offered the wine pairing with a crisp “Catarratto Trefilari” & a robust “Nero d´Avola Syrah” from Sicily, “Locorotondo Il Castillo” and a full-bodied “Mescula” from our beloved Puglia.
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A special party for the "International Women's Association of Prague" preparing fresh pasta "tagliatelle" (in a special rendition with black squid ink) dressed with king prawns roasted in white wine and a rich tomato & zucchini sauce.
Panna cotta is always adorable, and especially with coconut milk & mango, lime and coconut liqueur topping. For a ladie´s night, a selection of premium italian wines from wineries run by ladies: the pearly sparkling wine by "Gardone" (Puglia), a delightful Roero Arneis, and finally Limoncello &honey-infused grappa. See you all again soon! |
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"Spanish party"
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"Italy Head to Toe"
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"Cocoa & Bocelli wines"
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"Anarchic Cookies"
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COCOA RULEZ! A lovely "cocoa party" at Cook & Meet, the last of this year with fresh home-made tagliatelle in a magnificent duck & red wine ragu´. A taste of my homeland Piemonte with "electrical tomino" fresh cheese, truffle-flavoured "robiola" and "salame cotto" all paired with Prosecco, Sangiovese and supertuscan "Poggioncino" by Andrea Bocelli´s family winery.
The classic dessert “bunet” from Piemonte is a typical example of tasty, easy, quick delicacy to complete your dinner with many, many rounds of Barolo grappa, Alpine “amaro” and “limoncello digestives . |
Blast your mind and bless your guts in a night of stimulating artwork & Anarchic cookies by the artist Marek Schovanek, tasty street-food Mexican cuisine & politically INcorrect games by Cook & Meet, great Italian and Chilean wines, hot music and tons of fun in the famous Dancing House! "A vehicle to present topics that are today surrounded by controversy and unresolved tension in our present political and artistic condition. Dealing with issues such as the state of capital, protest culture, revolution globalization and the history of high art, the topics engage provocative and hard hitting issues, but are made light by the use of the medium. "
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"Italian classics party"
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"Seafood & Andrea Bocelli´s wine" 26.11.2015Russian, american, english, czech and Italian friends celebrating the joy of food & wine around a table... a small message to this crazy world !
Preparing fresh pasta "tagliatelle" (in a special rendition with black squid ink)with cosmopolitan friends is my favourite Cook & Meet tradition, and even better when dressed (the pasta, not the friends) with king prawns and paired with Prosecco, Pinot Grigio and Vermentino by Andrea Bocelli´s family wines in occasion of the concert of the famous Italian artist in Prague. Pears poached in red wine are a simple, quick, tasty dessert with a pleasant twist of pre-Christmas flavour and Sri Lankan memories thanks to the peculiar star anise, cinnamon and cloves. |
"Truffle delights" 6.11.2015We celebrated the elusive king of cuisine: the white and black truffles which we dug out of the ground last Sunday in the scenic woods around Alba during our "truffle hunt" gourmet tour to Italy. Classic "tajarin" fresh pasta from Piemonte dressed with a white truffle cream and a black truffle & porcini mushroom sauce; fresh salame and roasted ham marinated in Arneis wine (by our friend Sandro Faccenda) with a touch of truffle olive oil and truffle-flavoured "robiola" Alpine cheese; a rich hazelnut cake with mascarpone & brandy cream with "baci di Cherasco" pralines was a ideal topping of a truly Piemontese dinner with great friends.
Most of you know Andrea Bocelli as the most famous contemporary Italian singer and talented tenor, but now many know that his family produces as well a range of interesting wines in Tuscany and Veneto: We enjoyed a refreshing Brut rose´ and pleasant Sangiovese that together with a crisp Prosecco superiore, a lovely Chardonnay from Sicily and a robust Gutturnio Superiore from Piacenza (ideal with tasty cured meats) created an unbeatable "bottle skyline" |
"Sweet & savoury" 23.10.2015Tasty, quick, simply irresistible: dried apricots and prunes marinated in rum & and wrapped in pancetta are a delicious finger food ideal for Autumn movie marathons, together with our favourite rosemary & cheese puff pastry sticks and a velvety pumpkin & gingerbread soup. Open a few bottles of delightful Prosecco Superiore by Giusti winery and the party is ready.
At "Sweet & Savoury" menu by Cook & Meet we challenged our taste buds with unusual and stimulating combinations of flavours: the juicy pork fillet wrapped in pancetta and served with plum jam & red wine sauce was even better than we expected, a proper match with handfuls of fluffy "stuffing muffins". Paired with a selection of noble Tuscan wine like "Chianti Classico Riserva" from the winery San Felice (prized at the latest International Wine Show in Prague) and "Alcide" by the winery of the famous singer Andrea Bocelli, a sumptuous dinner was topped with an unusual caramelised fennels tarte tatin & the usual choice of Amaro san Simone, Limoncello, Grappa di Arneis, marsala digestives. See you all on 6.11 for our special "Truffle Treasures" menu at Cook & Meet |
"Seafood & fresh pasta" 15.10.2015 |
"Taste of Puglia & Wine party" 8.10.2015 |
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"Insalata di mare" (seafood salad) is a classic delight of the Mediterranean sea: a triumph of octopus, mussels, cuttlefish, squid, king prawns, ideally to be "fished out" according to your taste thanks to our friends of Gemma. Paired with a crisp "Il Castillo" by Cardone winery from magnificent Puglia and a "Vermentino di Gallura" from Sardinia.
Fresh pasta is fun to make and delicious to eat, like the traditional "tagliatella" with a rich tomatoes, capers, anchovies, sundried tomatoes sauce with all the flavours of the Mediterranean sea including a special topping of a gourmet "bottarga", a tuna caviar preparation we brought all the way from Sicily. The youngest chefs so far at our Cook & Meet well deserved black apron as "apprentice master chef"! At Cook & Meet, an "alcohol problem" means an empty glass. As usual, we solved many, many "problems" with a choice of our favourite white wines from Puglia and Veneto. grappa di Franciacorta and Arneis, limoncello, a special "Mirto" blueberry liqueur from Sardinia and Marsala meditation wine, ideal with a creamy dessert with ricotta & caramelised celery. |
"Orecchiette" or "small ears" is a traditional, delicious Italian hand-made pasta, typical of Puglia: we fell in love with this magnificent region and is a pure pleasure to share its flavours with international friends.
The best way to prepare this durum (or semolina) flour pasta is around a table with good friends, enjoying the delicate, pearl-colored sparkling wine "Prosit" by the family winery Cardone from Puglia; dressit with a tasty cherry tomatoes sauce and above all top it with "stracciatella", the creamy streaky heart of "burrata" cheese from our friends of Mozzarellart. Beyond words.. Mediterranean starters like artichokes, sundried tomatoes and super-fresh "burratine" cheese are a perfect match for a refreshing "Moscow mule" cocktail, a new favourite at our Cook & Meet. After such a start, nothing less than home-made "cannoli siciliani" with super-fresh ricotta cheese (both classic with candied oranges and in a chocolate and pistachio variation) and Marsala meditation wine to complete a splendid evening. |
"Mediterranean Meze"
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"Pesto(s) & Wine party"
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The Mediterranean sea is by nature a meeting point of cultures, languages, taste and flavours, an ideal setting to meet cosmopolitan old & new friends from all over the world at Cook & Meet. During our "Mediterraenan Meze" menu we prepared and enjoyed together delicious Moroccan "kefta kebabs" , "hummus" in a special rendition with sundried tomatoes, Lebanese "baba ghanouj" aubergine dip, roasted cauliflower & chickpeas salad and a classic Greek "tzatziki". topped with a refreshing yoghurt-y dessert.
A Georgian red wine "Mukuzani" which I drove back from Georgia to Prague brought me back memories of the amazing Caucasus and it is such a pleasure to share stories around a table covered with tasty food, paired with "Primitivo di Manduria" from magnificent Puglia and a choice of Italian digestives. Our favourite bottle of "High Five" vodka from Tajikistan (with a grip suitable to be drank while driving a harvester or flying a helicopter) is always a star, especially when used for our "cucumber & vodka lemonade" |
Many old & new friends around our table enjoying a selection of tasty starters like grilled pepper rolls, "vitello tonnato" (roast beef in special tuna-flavoured sauce) , sundried tomatoes courtesy of our friends of Gemma and a special fresh cheese "robiola" with black truffles. A perfect match for white wines Malvasia di Candia Aromatica from Parma and a refreshing spumante Bosca brut from my homeland Piemonte.
Pesto is a classic preparation from the Genova region, and we prepared it in the most traditional version with fresh pasta "troffie", "pecorino nero" and "Parmigiano Reggiano" cheese (whose respective % can be discussed for hours by Italians) and green beans. A second tasty rendition with sundried tomatoes, capers and almonds dressed hand-made "trinacrie" pasta from Sicily, paired with full-bodied red wines Negroamaro and Morellino di Scansano. "Chocolate truffles" are finger-licking pralines from Piemonte, fun to make in a rock & roll decoration with hazelnuts, almonds or pistachio and paired with a "San Simone" herb liqueur from Torino or a Marsala meditation wine. |
"Cheese & Wine party"
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"F.o.o.d. Picnic in Ladronka" 29.8.2015Thank you dear Cook & Meet-ers for a lovelypicnic in the beautiful Ladronka park!
Many bottles of Prosecco "evaporated" in the sunshine together with a rich Italian pasta salad, Omani desserts and more goodies. Congratulations to Olesya Yefimov for your new "Master Chef" special black apron by Cook & Meet! With 3 participations to our Italian gourmand tours (and Igor Yefimov too, well done!) and countless Thursdays since the very first one in 2013, one of our best supporters. We will be in Italy for 2 weeks on a gourmet tours and back on Thursday 17.9 for our "CHEESE & WINE party" with all the goodies we will bring from Italy, see you all there! |
"Prawns & fresh pasta"
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"Italian BBQ"
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"Taste of Puglia & wine party " 23.7.2015At "Taste of Puglia & Wine Party" we prepared a selection of the best recipes from the marvellous, sunny region of Puglia in south Italy. It is always such a pleasure to see friends learning and enjoying traditional Italian recipes, and "orecchiette" fresh pasta are a classic example of easy, tasty, healthy Italian delight paired with full-bouquet "Primitivo di Manduria" red wine. Dress them with fresh tomatoes and "stracciatella" (the streaky, creamy heart of "burrata" cheese) from Puglia, and buon appetito!
If you like cheese, you will love "burrata": a creamy heart of "stracciatella" streaks melting with fresh cream in a pocket of tasty "mozzarella", created in front of our eyes by Mozzarellart masters. A drop of premium EVO oil, lemon zest and the stairway to paradise is laid. An ideal summer starter together with spicy peppers filled with anchovies and tuna paste, marinated artichokes, wild boar salame from Norcia, all served with crunchy "taralli" bread and crisp Rose´wine from the sunny Salento region of South Puglia. "Ricotta" fresh cheese is an ideal base for creamy, rich desserts: we prepared a special dressing with caramelised celery (yes, celery) and roasted almonds, served with a choice of digestives like Marsala meditation wine from Sicily, ice-cold Limoncello, barrique Grappa and Alpine herbs Amaro. Looking forward to see you all again soon at Cook & Meet next week! |
"Gnocchi & Prosecco party" 6.8.2015Summer days in Prague, and the best time to enjoy Cook & Meet fresh courtyard with nice cosmopolitan friends! Red beet carpaccio is a tasty, refreshing, easy starter or salad, topped with Parmigiano Reggiano shaves or in a fully vegan version with apples in lemon, with a special touch of pomegranate juice. A perfect match for a classic prosciutto & melone with Prosecco di Valdobbiadene D.O.C. and Superiore D.O.C.G. by Giusti wines, our favourite estate in the next "Venice in a bubble(s)" Italian Gourmand Tour.
The main course were home-made pink gnocchi served with Klara´s delightful mint, peas and goat cheese dressing, definitely a new classic and with a particularly apt Italian flag colors paired with a superb "Locorotondo" crisp white wine we brought directly from the family winery "I Pastini" in Puglia, a new favourite of our Cook & Meet events. A rich seasonal fruit salad with Arrack (pure coconut liqueur we brought from Sri Lanka) and Italian Vermouth was paired with a new-entry dessert:: amaretto semifreddo with the supreme hazelnuts from our friend "papa dei Boschi", the master of home-made cocoa & hazelnut cream properly defined "the Nutella for adults", served with my beloved "San Simone" herb liqueur from Torino, Limoncello and a choice of grappa. |
"Taste of Sicily"
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"Roman Pasta Classics"
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"Gnocchi & Prosecco"
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"Fresh pasta & white wine"
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At "Gnocchi & Prosecco party" by Cook & Meet on Thursday 23.4, a nice team of friends from Mexico, USA, Syria, Czech Republic and Italy gathered to prepare 2 types of hand-made Italian gnocchi and enjoy Prosecco and Chardonnay wines from Veneto, Friuli and Sicily Italian regions.
Our special vegan "carpaccio" with red beet & apples is always a successful, light, healthy and tasty spring starter, together with super-tasty Sicilian marinated olives and a creamy Robiola cheese from Piemonte Alps... a celebration of the diversity of Italian gastronomy The classic Italian potato gnocchi are fun to make with friends and gorgeous to eat! We prepared them both in the classic version dressed with Bra aged cheese from the Alps and walnuts, and our special red beet variation with Klaras´s creative green peas, mint & goat cheese dressing to celebrate the Italian National Holiday (Liberation from fascisms) on 25th April. "Ricotta, hazelnuts & chocolate flan" was a delicious topping of a nice Cook & Meet party with cosmopolitan friends, served with the usual rich selection of home-made Italian digestives. We are off 2 weeks to Piemonte, Parma & Cinque Terre for 2 Italian gourmand tours with Cook & Meet friends, so see you all again in Prague in mid May! |
Fresh pasta is not "produced", but "is born"... the magic ritual of creating tagliatelle out of eggs & flour makes me feel like a midwife! We filled our "Tagliatelle fountain" and prepared a rich dressing with a “ragu´bolognese” in a quick & easy version enriched by fresh Italian fennel sausage, and in the delicate orange sauce variant with the orange flowers extract from Tunisia.
I love to introduce my friends to unusual delicacies from my homeland Piemonte like "vitello tonnato" (delicate roast beef slices, dressed with a unique tuna & capers sauce), "tomini elettrici" (fresh Alpine cheese marinated with parsley & chilli olive oil) and spicy peppers filled with tuna & capers from Sicily. The ideal match for a tasty aperitivo was a delightful semi-sparkling Chardonnay freshly brought from our "Parma & Cinque Terre" Italian gourmand tour. We went on with crisp Vermentino di Gallura, my favourite Roero Arneis from my homeland Piemonte and a full body Primitivo di Manduria. A creamy “bunet” chocolate & amaretti pudding completed a lovely evening, served with Limoncello, Grappe, Digestives from the high Alps, and the special “High Five” vodka from Tajikistan which is always fun to handle. |
"Italian Classics"
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"Mediterranean Meze"
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The special "ITALIAN CLASSICS " party was a homage to simple, tasty, truly Italian recipes: a poker of traditional pasta dishes with penne alla puttanesca, spaghetti carbonara, troffie al pesto and spaghetti aglio, olio & peperoncino, all prepared with the fresh ingredients that we brought from our Italian Gourmand Tour.
Did you know that the traditional way of preparing "pesto alla Genovese" requires cooking the pasta (either fresh troffie or high-quality "trenette") with sliced potatoes and green beans? Our favourite dish was "penne alla puttanesca", a burst of Mediterranean flavours thanks to dressed Sicilian olives and capers, premium anchovies and cherry tomatoes, a good match for the overwhelming appeal of Sofia Loren. We enjoyed together a choice of premium Italian wines Cannonau (Sardinia). Morellino di Scansano (Tuscany) and Nero d´Avola (Sicily). A creamy panna cotta with berries coulis perfectly topped a magnificent evening. |
In these crazy days of tension in the Mediterranean, we gathered around a table old and new friends from many different Countries to prepare a delicious Mediterranean Menu from Morocco to Spain, Lebanon, Italy, Tunisia and Oman (special non-Med guest).
From Iran to Gibraltar, every village will tell you they invented the "kofta" kebabs: we prepared the delicious Moroccan kefta version with my fresh mint, served with Lebanese hummus and Greek tzaziki, a refreshing hyper-vitamin fennel & orange salad from Sicily and a tasty chorizo & bean salad from Andalusia. On the 1st day of spring, the true taste of summer : watermelon sorbet with vodka & white wine. "Halva" is the symbol of the traditional Omani hospitality that I experienced in my recent journey to Oman: a delicious dessert with exotic flavours of cardamom, saffron and rose water, together with special "date truffles" inspired by the traditional chocolate brothers from Italy, a perfect match with Marsala meditation wine from Sicily. Finger-licking finale of a great evening! |
"Italian Delights Party" 8.1.2015A triumph of Italian delights freshly brought from Italy like "electric tomini" (fresh tasty cheese dressed with pepper & chili), "anchovies in green sauce", assorted salami, apricots filled with almond and wrapped in speck... finger licking ! A magnificent "spaghetti carbonara" as main course with proper "guanciale" cured meat and pecorino cheese, cheese tasting from Langhe wine hills and finally creative and delicious mini - crumble pies mascarpone, ricotta & chocolate. Not enough? Omani dades filled with ricotta and orange zest to sweeten our Italian espresso coffee. We appreciated the difference of wine flavour travelling from North to South Italy with Prosecco (Veneto), Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso (Friuli), Morellino di Scansano (Toscana), Primitivo di Manduria (Puglia) ,and a choice of gourmet cdigestives.
"Cocoa delights"
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"Fresh Pasta Party" 15.1.2015A creative, funny and tasty "Fresh Pasta party" with home-made ravioli filled with ricotta & spinach and a rich walnut sauce, piadina with roasted porchetta & mozzarella di bufala just brought from Italy, a choice of salami (crudo al Barolo & cotto from Piemonte) and spicy Sicilian olives, and finally a traditional chocolate "bunet" cocoa & amaretti (macaroons) pudding.
The tasting of Italian white wines ranged from North to South with our beloved crispy Arneis (Piemonte), a refreshing Vermentino di Gallura (Sardinia), fruity Bianco del Salento (Puglia) and the newcomer ” Est, Est, Est” of Montefiascone (Lazio). The pleasure of sharing typical recipes from my homeland Piemonte with great international friends!. "Vegan party"
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"Caribbean party"
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"Fresh pasta & Wine"
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At Caribbean party by Cook & Meet we applied the “classic recipe” for a perfect dinner: good friends, creative ideas and tasty ingredients like Bahamas rum, pineapple juice, coconut liqueur and a drop of cream for an unbeatable piña colada.
A star of the evening was a delicious "Ceviche" , a classic Latin American starter that I started to appreciate in Nicaragua : fresh, simple and delicious prawns marinade that will brighten every meal. Avocado salad, coconut chicken bites with a spicy dip, beans & rice & rum (you must try it!) are classic Caribbean meals, ideally topped by a refreshing dessert made of grilled and caramelised pineapple drizzled with crumbled coconut on a bed on lime ice-cream, all served with original calypso and reggae music! |
A great group of old & new cosmopolitan friends from UK, Canada, Ukraine, Poland, Tunisia, Czech Republic & Italy prepared together typical Italian fresh pasta “tajarin” (thin, delicate tagliatelle from my homeland Piemonte) both classic and with a pinch of orange zest, dressed with tasty truffle butter and a special orange & cream sauce. A feast of assorted Mediterranean starters (sundried tomatoes, artichokes with thyme, olives from Puglia and grilled peppers) paired with a choice of premium Italian wines exploring different regions: Barbera Superiore (Piemonte), Cannnonau (Sardegna) and Nero d´Avola (Siciclia). A delicate dessert “poached pears in wine & amaretti” and digestives like my mum´s “apple seed liqueur” and honey grappa topped a lovely evening.
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"Gnocchi & Holy Beer"
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"Vegan party"
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