After a busy morning and a delizioso lunch, I took a nice hour-long walk around the property, followed by a nice hour long pisolino, or nap! After a shot of espresso, it was time to put my apron back on and head down to the kitchen for the PM session, which began promptly at 5pm.
Things really started heating up! We learned about making classic Italian “Brodo” or broth, which is different from stock, which throws in all the vegetable peels and discards. Sandra shared that while Italians do not like to waste anything, they believe in only consuming the best, healthiest foods, and feel that things like vegetable peels are more likely to contain harmful substances, so they do not use them! Makes sense to me!
We made risotto, with white truffle butter, and with butternut squash, since it was autumn, despite the fact that it was 70 degrees and sunny out!
We observed (and tasted) as Alessio and Ottavia shared with us the secrets of making real gelato!
We learned about bread making from Alessio, and made delicious little custard tarts for dessert!
Then it was time to learn about Lasagna, in this case a vegetarian version of Bolognese Lasagna, with freshly made sheets of pasta, a slow-cooked sauce with finely chopped veggies, béchamel, and Parmigiano-Reggiano, layered to perfection!
As if this wasn’t enough, next we learned to de-bone and stuff a chicken.
After a long, but very fun afternoon learning, it was time to eat! This evening, we enjoyed a visit and wine tasting (a bit more than a taste) from the celebrated Cennatoio Winery in Panzano in Chianti (Tuscany, not far from Florence), by winemaker Emiliano Alessi. Cennatoio was named a Golden Palate Italia® Winery in 2014 after Emiliano’s visit to Toscana Saporita when I first came for the regular class. We enjoyed great wines with the amazing food we helped make (and had the opportunity to purchase wines and have them shipped home, which I did– their Oleandro Chianti and Etrusco Red are phenomenal– definitely look for them!) It was a great time–we sat around telling stories, jokes, and getting to know everyone better, while enjoying outstanding food and wine! Viva La Toscana!
Fred with Emiliano Alessi.
Sandra and Chris always seem to have each other in stitches! I love happy chefs!
Chicken, Salad, Lasagna, and Gelato we made, with Amarena Cherries by Fabbri in Bologna.
