I love Popolo Producer evenings. They’re such fun. Filled with great people, wine and Italian food with great views of the Brisbane city and river… what more are you looking for?!
At this event we learnt how to make mozzarella. Racheal, Jay and I were the first to arrive and mingle before it was time to frock up (put on our aprons) and get dirty.
Alessandro, the cheesemaker, had bought along the curd for us so the first thing we did was grab some of that, break it up, then add hot water and whip it around, before rolling it into balls and placing in cold water. This is all in-between sips of delicious wine and laughs all around the table. I think Alessandro did the hard work for us before he arrived.
Alessandro was everything you could hope for from a cheesemaker and host. He was exceptionally passionate and knowledgeable. And he was very Italian which makes for a very entertaining evening of hand waving and lots of yelling. He has a facility in Coorparoo, Casa Motta where he creates beautiful, authentic, artisan cheese and sells onsite. I’m going to visit shortly.
When our cheese was ready, Popolo served caprese breads which we added some our own very own mozzarella to and devoured on the spot. The mozzarella was perfectly mild and a perfect accompaniment to tomatoes and basil with salt and pepper. Delightful mains followed which we all enjoyed together.
You might recall that I went to another one of these last year, I highly recommend heading along. They are such fun to do with a group. There’s a electric atmosphere, flowing wine and floating canapes (enough for dinner) plus you get to learn something new!
