Intro to Italian Cuisine, from Cocktails to Pasta and Beyond - Udemy

In this course, you'll learn everything you need to know to make some of the classics of Italian cooking—not just the recipes but the techniques behind them, including:

• The principles underlying the classic Negroni cocktail—and when to break with them
• How to amplify the taste of ripe tomatoes—and wring flavor from out-of-season ones
• How to sear meat properly—and make use of the delicious brown bits left on the pan
• The idea of "marrying" pasta with its sauce, an essential skill for making glossy, tasty noodle dishes

All of these dishes are easy enough for beginners, but each has enough insight and wisdom to be valuable to more experienced home cooks as well. None requires exotic ingredients—your local supermarket should have everything. Nor will you need to invest in any fancy, expensive equipment—the knives, pots, and pans you already own should suffice.

Your instructors, meanwhile, are among the best in the business—award winners and pioneers who bring decades of restaurant experience to the aid of you, the home cook. They are:

• Anita Lo, the longtime chef at Annisa, in NYC, and a familiar face on Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef America, and Chopped
• Julie Reiner, the NYC cocktail maven behind Brooklyn's Clover Club
• Nancy Silverton, a Los Angeles legend who founded Campanile and La Brea Bakery, and who now runs Osteria Mozza and Pizzeria Mozza
• Melissa Hamilton and Christopher Hirsheimer, the chefs at the Canal House, in Lambertville, N.J.
• Tony Mantuano, a Chicago stalwart and the chef at Spiaggia