Cactus Man

We have tried to find him on facebook as he hasn't answered an email. Could you please tell us how you searched and found him on facebook, we tried the restaurant and his first name, we don't have his last name.

Since we were referred to Ristorante Pizzeria Aqua by our B + B, we didn't have the usual contact information. I have his information as Ristorante Pizzeria Aqua, Via Benci E Gatti 3, Civitavecchia, Italy. Phone +39 0766 22201. Email aquacivitavecchia@Hotmail.it

Sorry for the delay, we were cruising in the Caribbean.

May I ask which B&B?

 

can you share their info?

The B & B was

La Corte degli Ulivi, Via Terme di Triano, 88-0053, Civitavecchia (RM) Italia

Tel +39 335 8470162 http://Http://lacortedegliulivi.eu

Tel +39 338 9190211 info@lacortedegliulivi.eu

The property is located about halfway between the freeway and downtown. As I recall, it's about 5 minutes to town by cab. The property is operated by brothers, one of whom used to be a language professor. He speaks English well. The property has been in the family for years and has just undergone a major renovation. Our room had a large balcony, large enough for a table and chairs. The doors are the most secure I have ever encountered, and I was a residential construction lender for years. I thought the price was reasonable, especially for the quality of the property. The hosts were very friendly. Between the people at the B & B and at Ristorante Aqua, our visit to Civitevecchia resulted in some of our nicest travel memories. My wife arranged the reservation via email.

Since this restaurant was suggested by our B & B hosts, Federico just picked us up at the B & B. I looked up contact info for it. If you search for Ristorante Pizzeria Aqua Civitavecchia, the web site should come up. One of the choices is through Trip Advisor which also has a lot of information. The email address appears to be aquacivitavecchia@hotmail.it Since his "sous chef" is from England, I think communication should be good.

Civitavecchia Cooking Class at Ristorante Pizzeria AQUA

Never would I guess I would take a cooking class on vacation. At dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria AQUA, the chef asked us if we would like to take a cooking class the next morning. After a sharing a bottle of wine at our delicious dinner, my wife (who on our first date said she didn't cook) was willing to give it a try. So, the next morning Chef Federico picked us up at the bed and breakfast where we were staying.

The best part of the lesson was eating lunch. After washing up from the lesson, we went to the dining room, started with a glass of house wine. The first course was saltimbocca with parmigiana. Delicious. The next course was gnocchi with bolognaise sauce. Also delicious. The finale was Tira Misu. It was a delightful ending to what turned out to be one of our more memorable "excursions” in our years of cruising. We spent about 3 hours at a cost of a low priced tour. For people that have spent a lot of time in Rome, I highly recommend this as an alternative. Chef Federico or his English assistant Tracy will pick you up at the ship or hotel and take you back. Highlights of the lesson follow.

The first thing he did was to put some potatoes on to boil to make gnocchi. While that was cooking Federico showed us how to make Tira Misu. Whipping cream, mascarpone cheese, sugar, cinnamon, Marsala wine, and eggs. He taught us how to pasteurize the eggs so the Tira Misu can be stored for a few days. We were in charge of soaking the lady fingers in a coffee Marsala wine mixture and layering them with the cream mixture. After shaking powdered cocoa on top, these were set aside in the refrigerator.

Next - Parmegiana

Eggplant was sliced thin and grilled. We layered the eggplant, tomato sauce, mozzarella, grated Parmesan, and a little virgin olive oil several times. This will be cooked at 200C or 375F for about 20 minutes. For the portion for the two of us a small disposable aluminum pan was used.

Bolognaise Sauce

Peeled carrot, celery and half an onion were all diced. Federico showed us how to cut them without cutting ourselves. To the diced veggies were added a clove of garlic, a pinch of hot pepper flakes and olive oil. He added a splash of wine to keep the veggies from browning. Then he added a half kilo of 70 percent ground beef and 30 percent ground pork with some black pepper. To this is added enough tomato sauce to cover the meat. Add a sprig of basil, pinch of salt and simmer for 20 minutes. When it is done the extra can be frozen in portions for another meal.

Gnocchi

While the sauce is simmering, we made gnocchi. This was amazing to me. Federico put about 400 grams (looked like about 2 cups to me) of flour on the counter and made a bowl in the center. Into the center we put 2 eggs, about a spoonful of olive oil, pinch each of salt and pepper. We scrambled the eggs, folding in some of the flour. He peeled by hand two of the boiled potatoes and using a ricer, put them into the egg mixture. Adding a touch of water, we mixed the potatoes into the flour and eggs by hand. Shortly, we had a big ball of dough. Cutting off smaller pieces we rolled the dough into "snakes" which were then cut into 3/4 to 1 inch pieces. He showed us his grandmother’s method of using a fork to mark the gnocchi noodles. This is cooked in boiling water until the noodles float; then they are done.

Saltimbocca Alamana

Federico took thinly sliced beef and dredged the pieces in flour. To this small pieces of fresh sage leaf are added and then covered with prosciutto. Using a toothpick to keep the meat together, the meat is cooked in a fry pan.

At this point we were ready for lunch.

As an aside, Federico can arrange a tour of a nearby medieval town (15 minutes by freeway to the town or 30 minutes through the countryside) that can be done in an afternoon. Nearby, Etruscan tombs (approximately 500 BC) were discovered, excavated and displayed. That is another worthy adventure if you have the time in Civitavecchia. Overall, I was very pleased with time we spent in Civitavecchia.