Lake Como - Il Cominetto (Varenna)

Lake Como is a very beautiful place. Picturesque and peaceful. You would be able to drive around it in a day, however it will take you more than one day to explore all the wonderful towns around it. 

There are loads of restaurants to visit, but I always love recommendations. One of the recommendations was Il Cominetto, a small family run restaurant sat at the top of Varenna and dating back generations. We signed up to the cooking class.

The owner, Moreno, met us by the Varenna ferry and took us up the winding roads to Il Cominetto to reveal the stunning views down below.

The class started at 10.30am and continued with a full day of drinking fabulous wine while cooking Wild mushroom and apple Risotto, Tagliatelle and Tortelloni.

Moreno making Pasta

Moreno started off with a demonstration of how to make pasta from scratch. A load of eggs and flour later, and we were given the opportunity to roll and cut our own. The cooking class was informative and fun, and you definitely leave feeling full to the brim and inspired by the wonderful freshness of simple Italian cooking.

Tagliatelle with pork meatballs and tomato

Tortelloni with fresh ricotta and garden herbs

We cut and rolled our own Tagliatelle which are long flat ribbons of pasta, and stuffed the Tortelloni with fresh ricotta and herbs. It is a wonder that such simple ingredients could deliver such a divine taste, but this is what Italy is all about.

Moreno cooking risotto

By the end of the day, around 3pm, Moreno was kind enough to do the rest of the cooking for us, and the wonderful aroma of wild mushrooms filled the room. I don't even want to reminisce of how much fresh butter went into this dish, but I do remember the amazing taste and creaminess of this risotto. It would have to be one of the best I have tasted to date. 

Wild mushroom and apple risotto

 We were able to take all the recipes home with us, and each received a certificate of completion signed by Moreno. This is definitely a fun day out, filled with loads of food, wine and amazing cooking tips you can take home with you.


Check out their website here