Be prepared to feel hungry - Tuscan Cooking Class

We’ve made reference a few times over the course of the trip that various things have been highlights. Well, we are not overstating things to say that the Tuscan Cooking Class we did is an absolute highlight, and something that we will both take with us for the rest of our lives.

The course was based at a hotel just outside the Tuscan town of Lucca and was run by a charming, hilarious and talented local chef. Thanks to the low season we were lucky to have only one other participant in the class, which meant lots of hands on attention for us.

It was a cold and rainy day outside so we were very happy to be tucked up inside the warm Tuscan kitchen getting our hands delightfully dirty making the following dishes:

 

Antipasti  - Appetisers

Panzanella - Tuscan Bread Salad

Crostini ai fegatini – Bread Croutons with chicken liver and capers pate

Crostini alle Melanzane – Bread Croutons with baked eggplant topping

Primi – First Course

Tortelli di vedura Lucchese -  Vegetable ravioli

Ragu alla Lucchese – aromatic Ragu (meat sauce)

Secondi – Main course

Arista di Maiale alla Toscana – Roast Loin of Pork with herb and pancetta crust

Patate Arrosto – Roast Potatoes

Dolci – Desserts

Cantuccini di Prato – Biscotti from Prato dipped in Vino santo

We made everything from scratch and learnt a whole range of new skills. It was great to get a first hand insight into authentic Italian cooking which is simple, robust, fresh and aromatic…and so so delicious!

Significantly, we also got to make fresh pasta. For all those people out there with pasta makers sitting in the back of a cupboard collecting dust – shame on you! Take heart and be inspired! Dust off your pasta makers and give it a go – it is far quicker than we thought, incredibly simple, and oh so rewarding. Imagine spending a cold Sunday afternoon rolling your handmade pasta whilst a pot of delicious aromatic ragu simmers on the stovetop…what could be better? For those still not feeling inspired, we will be giving you a call when we get home to borrow your pasta maker :)

At the end of our fabulous lesson we got to sit down and eat a long and leisurely lunch enjoying the fruits of our labour with some perfectly matched Chianti wines with our fellow classmate and the brilliant Chef Paolo. It was a wonderful day.