This culinary program has been designed for lovers of Tuscany and all that it represents – the charming medieval towns, the centuries old traditions, the people and their culture, the art and of course, the great food and wine!! We have spent time with our chefs to create a week dedicated to the secrets and traditions of Tuscan cookery and participants will spend many hands on hours perfecting the skills of Tuscan cooking in an original kitchen in a 14th century villa near Florence.
During the week you
will have a wonderful
'Introduction to Tuscan
Cuisine'
We will discuss the history
of the Tuscan diet, typical
dishes, Tuscan bread, peasant
foods, and how the
gastronomy has changed
throughout the medieval and
renaissance periods up until
modern times. *sometimes the
day classes are changed to
evening classes to allow for
extra excursions.
Cooking Days- Each
day you will prepare a five
course meal
'I primi piatti' -Risotto's
, soups , gnocchi and fresh
handmade pasta 'You will
focus on pasta' – what would
Italy be without it?! We
will discuss different pasta
making techniques, stuffed
pastas, colouring and
flavouring pastas, different
sauces and how to match them
with different types of
pastas. Risotto's- what
makes a great risotto? The
do's and dont's, shortcuts
and the broths. Salads and
soups- there are many dishes
in Tuscany that focus on
soups in the winter and
salads in the summer using
old bread and the wonderful
variety of vegetables in
season. The combinations
seem countless.
'Seasonal Cooking' and
'Antipasti & Desserts'
The secret of all Italian
cookery are the fresh
products used. Fresh,
seasonal fruit and
vegetables are the base of
all tasty dishes and frozen
products are almost never
used. During the year the
menu's in all restaurants
change , adapting to the
produce available and we
will discuss the various
dishes popular for each
season.
'Secondi and
Contorni'
These are the meat, fish and
game dishes accompanied by
vegetables and flans.
'You will also learn
'Piatti Veloce' or 'Quick
Dishes'
These are great when time
sometimes seems so limited.
These are also finger foods
and in the mi
ddle dishes such as flans,
pizza, frittate and cheese
and vegetable combinations.
Lunch in the Hamlet
of Artimino
The group will then be taken
to the nearby medieval
hamlet of 'Artimino' which
sits on top of a hill
overlooking the vineyards
and farmland of Etruscan
times. From this hamlet you
can also look over to the
Medici Villa.You will have
an opportunity to admire
this magnificent villa,
famous for the 100 chimneys,
this differs from the
previous villa in that it
was not a residence but a
hunting lodge.You will dine
at a very famous restaurant
with incredible views, in
the summer and spring we sit
on the terrace and in the
winter in the old restored
farmhouse converted to a
restaurant. We then head
back to relax before the
cooking class begins in the
afternoon
