Our Non-Cooking Time in Tuscany

Jeremy and I had both been to Italy on different occasions in the past. On my trip, it rained constantly. On his trip, he shared a car with his brother and sister-in-law while the camped or slept in hostels. Shall we say that our previous circumstances were not great, yet we both fell in love with Italy. This trip was different in that it was PERFECT, or PERFECTO as Chef Claudio would have said, in every way. Jeremy and I will now have a life long affair with Italy. I do see us going there regularly if not only for the food, but also for the shopping!

Saturday, 25 August 2007

We traveled on Lufthansa via Munich. This was a bit odd because the entire flight, direct to Florence from London is less than 2 hours. However, we couldn't find a reasonably priced flight which took us directly to Florence. To Pisa, 80 miles away, yes, but not Florence. With our 3 hour layover in Munich it took a long time to get there. But thankfully, Jeremy has his Star Alliance Membership. We just hung out in the lounge, ate pretzels, drank beer, and enjoyed the great customer service, something London truly lacks.

Once in Florence, we easily caught a cab to the Hilton. I must say, the Italians, men and women, are just beautiful physically and personality wise. The people at the front desk of the Hilton, wearing Hilton uniforms, just looked like they were filming a runway shoot. How do they do it? Since it was late, we just ate in the hotel. Again, the food, even for a hotel, was just amazing -- good food, of which one can taste the passion which went into it. And I must mention the room ... another thing out of a fashion magazine. It was totally modern Italian with sliding walls, tasteful mirrors, and sleek, low lines. I was sad to leave it in a sense.

Sunday, 25 August 2007

We took the shuttle bus from the hotel to the main train station where we checked our bags and headed out to explore. Jeremy had not seen David the last time he was in Florence. Part of what I love about seeing David is watching people's faces who are seeing him for the first time. We all have seen the pictures, but it is something totally different to experience him first hand. Jeremy was impressed. The temperature was ~100 degrees, so we made our way to one of Rick Steves' recommended gelaterias for what I considered at "to die for" chocolate and hazelnut taste of heaven. Jeremy got the peach. He laughed because it was the first time he could remember that he had the healthy option and I had the unhealthy one. Personally, I can still taste that gelato. I think that is a pretty darn healthy experience. :-)

We then spent the afternoon wandering around the Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, Duomo, and various spots until we stopped for lunch at another Rick Steves' reco, Ristorante Paoli. The comical thing about this was, that I had been there 7 years earlier with my friend Cassie! Well, it is still good, and still going strong I'm happy to report.

About now it was time to pick up our bags and meet our transfer for the cooking school. The school was about an hour out of Florence. When we arrived at the B&B, Chef Claudio was waiting for us at the door with cold white wine and a smile. He welcomed us, and explained the week. Asked if we had any questions, then escorted us to our rooms. A wonderful arrival experience which set the tone for the rest of the week.

Later that evening Claudio, on his way to his restaurant, dropped us off at the Casagrande Hotel where the majority of the group was staying. There we had a pre-dinner meeting with Elena, our contact from the International Kitchen. She was impressively professional, explaining with passion the week ahead of us. Afterwards, we had a wonderful dinner at the Casagrande where the food did not stop. The Italians cannot truly eat like this everyday. If they did, there is no way they maintain such wonderful figures!

Monday, 26 August 2007

This morning Jeremy and I started out with a 30 minute WALK. The hills surrounding the B&B were very steep. I'm training for the Amsterdam Marathon, one of the most, if not the most, flat marathons. I saw now reason to try to these hills. It was very nice just to walk along in the morning with Jeremy enjoying the Italian country side.

After class, we had a few hours just to relax. I took the opportunity to just lie out by the pool. With temps at or close to 100, I was enjoying it. My "I've been too long in grey, cold, rainy London" body was longing for some heat. I was able to do this for about an hour until the mosquitoes found me. It was then time to go in to the air conditioning.

Our evening activity was a delightful drive through the Chianti region of Tuscan resulting in a wine tasting at the I Selvaitci (Sel-va-TEE-cee) Winery. Oh yes, I do enjoy this kind of living. The winery produces ~80k bottles of wine a year with 95% being exported. Of that, 70% is exported to the US. Giuseppe, who is one in a long line of the I Selvaitci family, was wonderful at explaining the wine making process, the grapes used, and selling his wine. Jeremy and I left with a case. :-)

An interesting note on the drinking of wine in Italy. In England, by comparison, people drink to excess, get belligerent, and physically sick ... sometimes by 2:00 in the afternoon! In Italy, people drink, but they don't get "drunk". One of the women in our group works for the world's largest spirits company, Diageo. Because they study the drinking habits of the world, she said that in Italy, (Spain, Greece, France, etc), they believe in beauty, love, sex, style, and having a passion for what they do. If a person is too drunk to truly function, how can that person create the beauty around them ... or perform sexually. They are not going to sacrifice their art. I really respect that view.

After our wine tasting, we went back to Claudio's restaurant for a cheese tasting and "light" dinner. We sampled three types of Peccorino (Goat) Cheeses ... 1 month which is very creamy and mild; 3 months, which is stronger, and firm, and 1 year which resembles parmesan in a lot of ways. I could see eating the one year cheese with a nice balsamic or on a salad, while the 3 month would be good to fry, and the one month would make a nice snake with bread.

Our light dinner was still more than a person should eat at one time. It was a beautiful evening , dinning under the stars, in a medieval town square. Another perfect ending to a perfect day.


Tuesday, 28 August 2007

I started out the morning with a solo one hour walk in the country side. Each morning out, I saw many people walking and RUNNING those hills. Talk about making me feel like a slob! After a wonderfully light breakfast of mainly fresh fruit from the garden and delicious cappuccinos, we headed to class.

Our evening excursion started with a delightful stop in the town where Americo Vespucci's family was from. It was this very small, walled city/castle called Montefioralle. What it really had was CHARM. Each home was cuter than the rest. You could tell that the locals were like, "ugh, more tourists", but I certainly did love the stop.

We continued on to the town of Greve, also in Chianti. In Greve, where Verrazono (think of the bridge in NYC) is from, we stopped for a quick visit to the Falorni Butcher, est. 1729 and still run by the original family's 8th generation.

http://www.falorni.it/

I was hoping for a behind the scenes tour, but it was a more "wander about, and purchase if you like". A few members in our group did.

We then went to a large wine co-op for a tasting. They place was huge, and had a pay as you taste type of process. You would purchase something that resembles a credit card with a value on it. You would then wander around the shop inspecting the wines. If you wanted to taste one, you would put your glass under the tap, place the credit card in the slot, and push the button. The placard gave the basic information on the wine. I felt this was a very impersonal way to "taste". I love when the wine maker is out there explaining the process and shows the true passion as in the I Selvatici Winery from the night before. Turns out, there was some mix up with the co-op. According to our guide, it was already paid for. According to the co-op, it was not. We all decided we would prefer to leave than pay "again". Not very good marketing on the part of the co-op people, but hey, there lost!

After Greve, we drove to a delightful farmhouse isolated in the Chianti country side. Here we had another true wine tour and tasting followed by another great dinner. During our wine tasting, they told us why the symbol of Florence is a "black rooster". The Siennese and the Florentines where constantly fighting for the Chianti region. It was decided, because they didn't have a true time keeping system, that a rider from each City would take off at when the "cock crowed" in the morning, of a specific date. Where the riders met would determine the borders. The Florentines decided to not feed or water their rooster for 3 days beforehand. That poor bird started crowing in the middle of the night. At this signal, the rider took off, claiming ~70% of Chianti for Florence. I still can't believe the Siennese bought it!

For dinner this evening, Jeremy bought a bottle of 1971 Chianti Classico to be served with the dinner for the entire group. It was his birthday the next day, and he wanted to give a gift to everyone. I thought that was a wonderful gesture!


Wednesday, 29 August 2007

Today's first excursion was to the town of Arezzo. This is the town where "Life is Beautiful" was filmed. We had a wonderful guide by the name of Suzanna. She was a PhD in Art History and Restoration. She had worked on the restoration of the local church, San Francesco, with the famous frescoes by Piero della Francesca, " The Legend of the True Cross". I would have normally looked at the frescos and went "Ok, cool. Next", but with her passion behind the story, I was mesmerized. She led us through the town which was preparing for a jousting tournament over the weekend. The grandstands were set up and we were able to watch the competitors practice. They no longer try to knock each other off the horses as in days of old. Now, there is a dummy set up, which holds a board in one hand and has this whip-like object in the other hand. The jouster is the hit the board as close to the center as possible, without getting hit by the whip. Arezzo is divided into four sections. Two competitors from each section is allowed. Suzanna said they can get up to 40,000 people in the square to watch the competition. Sounds like a cool day.

We finished our Arezzo tour with the customary Chianti wine tasting. This was a "special" wine tasting due to the mix-up in Greve the day before. The interpreter for the presentation was wonderful. She kind of sounded like Elmo, was totally animated, cute, and had numerous tattoos!

We finished the evening with another wonderful dinner at Claudio's restaurant, under the stars.


Thursday, 30 August 2007

Today was the day of my dreams. I finally made it to the Prada Outlet!!!! Oh joyous day. :-) I had two hours, and had done my homework. In hindsight, I could have used three hours. I was able to pick up two bags, three sweaters, three pairs of pants - or trousers as the say in the UK, and a jacket. All in all, a good day.

After a shopping, I did an hour afternoon walk. I needed someplace to use up all my shopping energy!

At 6:30, we had a tour of the Casagrande Hotel. The hotel is a 15th Century home, with parts still preserved as the home. We were able to see the dinning room, living room, chapel, and the bedroom that Pope Leo II or 10th, I'm not sure, had slept. All I can say is the Pope was not a tall man. Our guide was wonderful, letting us truly inspect the furniture and general surroundings. It was cool to be wandering around the "home" of a 15th century lawyer.

Afterwards, he took us for a tour of the winery, followed by another wonderful wine tasting. Chianti is the main wine, but they also made a very nice white. When I asked, "What kind of grapes are the white wine made of?" He replied, "Chardonnay, I think. The white really doesn't matter." I just laughed. They sell the white for 3.50 Euro, and it was a perfect summer white. If it only didn't cost to ship ...

Dinner this evening was another wonderful night, under the stars, at the Casagrande.

Friday, 31 August 2007

Today was all touring. I got up early for my walk, then had another delightfully fresh and light breakfast. I think they eat light breakfasts because they eat such big dinners, so late.

Our guide, Max or Maximo, picked us up, and may I just say, WOW! This man should have been on the cover of GQ. He was impecably dressed, 6'4", and had worked as a body guard in the past. One top of it, he was an excellent guide. Such a deal!!!

Max started by taking us to the US WWII Cemetery. It was a sobering moment, but one of which I was proud. I think a lot of us, at least me, forget about the fighting in Italy since Mussolini fell faster than Hitler.

Next stop was the town of San Gimignano. Perfect! This is what Italy is all about. Perfectly preserved medieval towns, and wonderful gelato. We took a tour of their church, Collegiate Church, where they made me wear a paper robe. My "skorts" were too short. Ok, I can respect that. The church contains more spectacular frescoes from the 14th century. If you ever have seen Tea with Mussolini, you have seen San Gimignano. If you've not seen it, I highly recommend it. It is based on a true story of how a bunch of British and a few American women, worked to save San Gimignao during WWI.

Next was lunch at this wonderful town called Monteriggorni! It looked just like a castle, not like a town. I wouldn't even have stopped there because I wouldn't have known it was a town! Jeremy saw it when he was in Italy 8 years ago. He stopped by the side of the road and took a picture, but didn't even think to go in. The town has like two restaurants, two shops, a church, and 40 residents. After we ordered our "light" lunch, a refreshing change, we climbed the town's outer walls just to do it. I think it is the only touristy way they had to make money. Of course, lunch was perfect. The owner kept saying, "Sorry, we are just a family owned restaurant. We don't have a lot." Trust me, it was perfect!

We continued on to Sienna. Sienna is known for being one of the least friendly cities in Italy. And from what we heard, they are paying the price for it. The city government is now training shop owners to be nicer. We didn't have any trouble wandering around, and eating gelato. So far, Milano has the best, but I'll keep checking. :-) We did have a lucky break at the Cattedrale di Siena. This is a catherdrale that is more of an art museum. They were trying to out do the catherdrale in Florence, and did. They were still working on it when they ran out of money. Our break you ask? The floor of the catherdrale was uncovered. It turns out that they keep the floor covered for 10-11 months out of the year. The floor is a major work of art, so they keep it covered to preserve it. We happened to make it a day or so after it was uncovered. Totally cool!

Our "Last Supper" was held at Claudio's restaurant, inside. It had started to lightly rain. This was actually a very nice change. Niccola had asked what we would like. We all thought seafood would be good. Turns out to be some of the best seafood I had ever eaten. Perfect ending for a perfect week!

The Cooking Classes

The classes started at approximately 9:30 and went to approximately 1:00 each day, followed by a lunch "based on our efforts" as the brochure says. All the lunches included all you could drink of white or red wine, plus still or fizzante water. They were hands on classes held at Chef Claudio's B&B in La Cucina, an underground large room designed for training 12 people at once. The kitchen included two 8 burner gas stoves, ovens, a large sink, and plenty of counter space. The only thing there wasn't a lot of were chairs, but I never even thought about using one while focusing on the cooking.

The 12-students in the class were an interesting mix of personalities. We ranged in age from 30 to, I would guess, the mid-60's. I know one couple was there celebrating their retirement. The one thing we all had in common was our love of food and cooking. However, our experience levels varied from those who just enjoyed cooking to those who are truly passionate about it. The one thing we did not have were any professionally trained chefs, besides Claudio. As a whole, the group got along very well, which is a good thing when you are spending so much time together.

Monday, 27 August 2007

• Fried Zucchini Flowers stuffed with Pecorino Cheese
• Barley Soup
• Tomato Bread Soup
• Beef Stew w/Peppers and Onions
• Zucchini Timbale
• Potato Gnocchi w/either Tomato Sauce or Butter and Sage Sauce
• Eggplant Parmesan
• Tiramisu

Don't worry, I won't describe each recipes in detail, only the ones I thought were the most amazing! If you have any interest in knowing more about a specific recipe, please let me know. I'll be more than happy to explain it.

From the list above, I absolutely LOVED the Beef Stew (less the peppers and onions), and Tomato Bread Soup. Jeremy was our sous chef for the Tomato Bread Soup, but honestly, I think I would have loved it no matter who made it. It came down to being only a few ingredients such as leeks, olive oil, tomatoes, water, basil, salt and pepper to taste, and stale bread! A good friend of mine in Chicago who is Italian American and a trained chef told me once that all Italian cooking was limited to a few ingredients and only those in season. Cooking with Claudio only strengthened her words. For the Beef Stew, we took beef shoulder, not a great cut of meat in general, cut it into cubes, then sauteed it in olive oil. Next, covered it in water and boiled it down to a low gravy. Step two repeat water. Step three, pour bottle of Chianti over the meet, and boil to a reduction. Repeat with water until meat is fork tender. It takes a while, maybe a few hours, but was to die for amazing. I was truly shocked. I made both the Beef Stew and Tomato Bread Soup at home. The stew came out "to die for", but I think I added a bit too much bread to the soup. It was ok, but not perfecto. I do think it also would have helped for me to have Tuscan style (no salt) stale white bread instead.

Back in class, I made the eggplant parm. What I can tell you is that authentic Tuscan cooking isn't exactly like Italian American cooking, which is heavily Sicilian influenced. All I did was lightly fry the eggplant in olive oil, then layer it with fresh tomato sauce and a bit of Parmesan cheese. It was good, especially if you love eggplant, which I do, but it wasn't what I was use to. I did notice I needed to change my thinking on a few items.

Now, for those of you who love Tiramisu, yes, fabulous! The only thing we added that I did not know was in the recipe was vermouth. What can I say, when in Figlene ... :-)


Tuesday, 28 August 2007

Today cooking class actually started at the local fresh food market. Once a week, a huge market comes to town. They sell everything from toe nail clippers to trout! It was truly complete and the prices very reasonable if not down right inexpensive. Claudo lead us around the market pointing out the different cheeses, vegetables, meat, and fish. One person commented that he liked Rainbow Trout. "You like Trout. We make Trout." was Claudio's reply. Another person saw anchovies, and we ended up with them, and where they delicious!!!!

Today's Creations included

• Porchini Mushroom Soup
• Polenta layered with gorgonzola dolce cheese
• Rainbow Trout, fried
• Swordfish
• Fresh Tagliatelle Pasta with Calamari and Tomato Sauce
• Fresh Spaghetti Pasta with Clams
• Hot Caprese Salad
• Fried Zucchini Flowers
• Fried Pecornio Cheese
• Risotto w/ gorgonzola dolce cheese
• Biscotti

What I found the best for today, for my taste, was the fresh pastas. It turns out, they are actually very easy to prepare. Sure, opening a package of dried pasta and throwing into boiling water is easier, but for the few minutes it takes to make the pasta, I did think it was worth it. The only tool needed is a pasta press. You can pick one of these up at most cooking/kitchen gadget stores. If you want to make fresh pasta to eat immediately or, at the most, within the next two days, you make it with 100 grams of flour to 1 egg, per serving. Four servings equals 400 grams of flour and 4 eggs. That's it. Keep it in the refridgerator and do NOT freeze. If you want to make pasta to freeze or dried for later, you make it with semolina flour and water only. We did not make this kind because Chef Claudio prefers fresh. I'm going to look it up. Sometimes, your own dried is better than a store bought brand ... sometimes.

I also really enjoyed the Hot Caprese Salad. It was a basic fresh mozzarella slices with olive oil, but the kick was cherry tomatoes. They were sauteed in olive oil first before being poured onto the cheese. We didn't put any basil on it, but if I were to make it again, and I would. I just love the taste of fresh basil.

I also learned that since gorgonzola dolce is one of my favorite cheeses, that I don't like to mix it with anything. I felt it was lost in the polenta and the risotto, but again, that is my own opinion. That said, I did have TWO servings of the polenta. It was so decadent that I knew I would never make it again!

BTW, I made the biscotti at home. Now that was PERFECTO!


Wednesday, 29 August 2007

Today's Creations included

• Foccaccia
• Ricotta Gnocchi
• Ravioli
• Risotto with Saffron
• Risotto with Grape Tendrils
• Anchovies
• Torta della Nonna (Grandmother's Cake) with Figs
• Sangiovese grape pie
• Pasta Fagioli
• Barley Salad

+++ Special Porfiteroles prepared by Chef Claudio in honor of Jeremy's Birthday+++

Today was a Tuscan Food Orgy. I felt as if I couldn't move when we were done. Personally, I made the Foccaccia and was blown away by my talents. I had never made bread before, except a quick bread like Banana Bread. This turned out so wonderful, that I'm going to attempt it at home. I say attempt because we cooked the Foccaccia in an outdoor pizza oven. It had to be at least 600 degrees. My test at home will include a pizza stone and an oven as hot as I can get it.

Today, it just seemed like the food never ended. AND having three desserts really didn't help the waiste line one bit. Of course, everything was so amazingly perfecto, I HAD to try a taste of it all. I think I may still be recovering.

Thursday, 30 August 2007

Today the class went from 12 students to 6. As I mentioned before, there are two options, the 3 half days of cooking or the 4 half days with a full day of touring. In addition, Chef Claudio had been picked to represent Tuscany in an International Cooking competition in Munich. He had to leave for that. His sous chef, Niccola took over the lessons for the day. This was an interesting change of pace. Chef Claudio is truly wonderful, but after three days, it was nice to get a different prespective. We did not make as much today, becuase there were not as many of us to make it!

Today's Creations included

• Black Eye Pea and Barley Soup
• Salt Cod with Tomato Sauce and Fried Potatos
• Duck Breast
• Egg White and Green Pepper Fritatta
• Eggplant Timbale
• Penne Pasta with Tomato Sauce
• Sauted Zucchini and Tomatoes
• Grandmother's Cake w/ Pine Nuts and Raisins

Trust me, this was plenty of food, again! Today, my challenge was the Grandmother's Cake. It is more of a pie than a cake. We used a butter, flour and egg batter. I'm use to shortening, flour and water only. The crust did turn out good, but it was much softer than I'm use to working with. It will take practice, but practice I will, if I must. :-)

The other cool tip we learned today was with the Penne. If you are using a short (like penne -- NOT spaghetti), dried (not fresh) pasta, you can cook the pasta in the sauce rather than in water. So think of this, most of us boil water, cook the pasta, and mix it with the sauce. If you take the pasta, put it into the sauce, slowly cook the pasta, the sauce infuses into the pasta. It added an entirely new level to the pasta. The starch from the pasta also thickens the sauce. Everyone in the class agreed that this was a wonderful discovery!

Unfortunately, after day four, cooking classes were over. Honestly, I felt great about the amount of time we spent. Technical knowledge, and hands on experience we acquired were perfecto without becoming tedious or routine.

To anyone who loves to cook, I was say take the four day class. To anyone who likes to cook and just wants to enjoy Italy, I would say, take the three day class. BTW, Chef Claudio NEVER made anyone attend a class, participate, or eat anything they didn't like. Truly perfecto!!!

Tuscany Our Best Vacation Ever!

Or should I now say "our best 'holiday' ever". We are living in London after all. I don't even think the English use the word vacation for anything. The point is, it was wonderful. Even Jeremy, who can always find something to complain about said, "Wow, this is perfect." For those of you who do not know, we went to Tuscany for a week long cooking class. We found it online at the International Kitchen Cooking School,

http://www.theinternationalkitchen.com/

The ironic thing is that they are located in the IBM Building in Chicago. We had to move from Chicago to London to find a cooking school in Italy which is managed from Chicago!

I'm going to split this blog into two main sections, the cooking classes, and the tours. The program we signed up for was the six night program, with four half days of cooking classes, and acccomodations at Chef Claudio's B&B.

http://www.theinternationalkitchen.com/tuscany.htm

Chef Claudio is 45-year old, passionate, artistic, life-loving, and as one member of our group said, a truly special person. Even when I knew what we were cooking wasn't "perfecto" he would make us feel as if were. He didn't have a precise, "this is what we are cooking, and how we are going to do it" plan. He asked what do you want to cook, and then we would cook it. He was truly sensitive to people's food limitations. One woman was a Type I Diabetic with severe food limitations. Each day, Claudio made sure she had plenty to cook and eat, without limiting the rest of us.

The B&B where Jeremy and I stayed, was run by Claudio's sister Sabrina. Sabrina is certainly the mind behind the business. Claudio is an artist, while Sabrina keeps everything running. She was super smart, with the people skills and love of life that Claudio exhibits. She told me that the school is fully booked with 12 students from mid-April to November, with usually 8 students in March through mid-April. On the off months, December - February, they are extremely busy with their restaurant, and try to fit in a holiday. Last year, their holiday was traveling to the States (Arizona, Chicago, and Orlando) promoting their business.

http://www.torreguelfa.it/

The B&B is located approximately 10 kilometers outside of the city of Figlene Valdarno, Tuscany, about an hour outside of Florence, on a 10 arce farm where they grow everything from Sangiovese grapes to figs to pumpkins. I think they grew everything they could for that climate. While touring the gardens, we passed an older woman with the most amazing arms I've ever seen cutting vegetables with a scythe. I later found out that the extremely fit woman was Claudio and Sabrina's 76-year old mother!!! Wow, you got to love that. Turns out, Claudio lives with his wife Daniella and their wonderful, spoiled poodle in the "front of the house", while Sabrina and both of her parents live in the "back of the house". They have a few people helping them out with cleaning and paperwork in the office. Otherwise, it is a family owned and operated business, but one where we felt totally relaxed and at home.

If you do want to do this program, there is an option of staying at the Casagrande Hotel. This is a beautiful 16th century home built along the old city walls, located within steps of the medieval square. The hotel's amenities include gardens, spa, a pool and a restaurant. Eight of our group stayed there and seemed to be very pleased.