The second in TASTE’s series of interactive cooking events featuring Grana Padano cheese built on the success of last year’s debut, with 40 foodies trying their hands at cooking – and enjoying – a delectable menu created by TASTE’s food director, Abigail Donnelly. This year, the event took place at Meuse Farm in Hout Bay, an organic vegetable and herb farm on the back slopes of Table Mountain.

The event was supported by Rialto Foods, which supplies Woolworths with Grana Padano and other Italian products, and Waterford Wines, who provided perfectly paired wines and entertaining tasting notes throughout the evening. Grana Padano is a hard cheese originating from Italy's Po Valley around the year 1 000 and was originally crafted by Benedictine monks. It boasts a rich, full-bodied profile with a distinctive nutty flavour. This iconic cheese, aged for between nine and 25 months, is celebrated for its versatility and flavour. The cheese was featured in dishes on a menu tailored to showcase its versatility and full-bodied flavour. Waterford’s wines, produced in the picturesque Blaauwklippen Valley in Stellenbosch, reflect this unique terroir and are created using a regenerative farming approach.

To start

On arrival at Meuse Farm, guests were treated to cichetti (snacks) and cocktails on the deck overlooking the farm’s gardens, against the striking backdrop of the mountain. They included featherlight Grana Padano puffs with spicy ’nduja aïoli, which were a big hit; irresistible bruschetta topped with fragrant tomatoes and Parma ham; and blue corn polenta topped with truffle-and-artichoke pesto and finely grated Grana Padano, served on spoons for a perfectly flavourful mouthful. These were served with Italian-style bicicletta cocktails – dry white wine with Campari and sparkling water – and Waterford’s crisp single-vineyard Chardonnay 2021, as well as a selection of refreshing non-alcoholic cordials with sparkling water and fresh fruit.

All hands on deck

Once guests had enjoyed their fill of the cichetti, they were invited into the interactive kitchen where workstations had been set up with the ingredients required to make the spring green risotto and fettuccine carbonara that would be served as the main courses. Before they started, Abigail delved a little deeper into the history of Grana Padano, explaining its provenance and unique characteristics, and the best ways to enjoy it.

Then it was time to start preparing some of the ingredients that would go into the risotto and the sauce for the classic Roman carbonara – leeks were chopped, many eggs were separated, and mountains of Grana Padano grated with much hilarity. Under Abigail’s guidance, the guests made short work of the prep and were soon ready to watch the risotto being prepared over the firepit outside, an unusual and theatrical way of enjoying this Italian specialty. There was a lot of excitement as everyone gathered around the fire, bowls in hand, ready to enjoy a ladleful straight from pot. It was topped with fresh, blanched asparagus, sugar snap peas, a drizzle of truffle oil, and a generous handful of grated Grana Padano.

The main event

Once the guests had scraped their bowls clean, it was time to sit down in the glass-walled dining room overlooking the farm to enjoy the main courses. The setting sun bathed the mountains in its glow as platter after platter emerged from the kitchen, with Dylan and Jeremy from Waterford keeping spirits high as they filled glasses with their Antigo 2021, a full-bodied, Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend. Olive bread with anchovies and balsamic vinegar; apple, walnut and fennel salad; and charred red peppers baked in a Grana Padano sauce accompanied more of the hugely popular risotto and fettuccine carbonara the guests had helped to prepare earlier, which was topped with salty fried prosciutto, perfectly offsetting the richness of the pasta.

La dolce vita

It wasn’t difficult to tempt the guests back into the kitchen for dessert – a tower of fresh panettone and Woolworths’ deliciously creamy vanilla ice cream with olive oil and a fabulously interactive deconstructed tiramisu soon had their full attention. In a genius move, Abigail and her team had covered tables in tinfoil and spread them with savoiardi biscuits, which were then drizzled in coffee and liqueur, spread with whipped mascarpone, scattered with fresh cherries, and dusted with cocoa powder. The queue was soon snaking out of the doors as everyone waited to help themselves. The panettones were also a hit, deliciously soft and fragrant, and an unusual but perfect pairing with the creamy ice cream and delicate olive oil. The dessert was served with Waterford’s Heatherleigh, a subtle, layered dessert wine, crafted from raisin-dried grapes. A giant wheel of Grana Padano was also on offer, with guests sneaking chunks as they enjoyed dessert.

The evening soon turned into a party with guests lingering to talk and laugh as time passed. Eventually the room started to empty as people reluctantly headed home, bearing goodie bags containing two copies of TASTE magazine, a bottle of Waterford’s Rose-Mary rosé, a tasting voucher to be used at the farm, as well as treats from Woolworths, including a mini panettone, special festive season olives, and a generous wedge of Grana Padano. In the words of one guest, “What a beautiful evening! Such a generous spread, and relaxed and fun!”