Tuscan Cooking

Observations:

Before, during and after cooking, there is wine!  Fresh ingredients, no prepared foods, all organic ingredients are preferred, many from their own gardens.

We couldn’t gape too long at the castle because we had that 4:30 appointment I mentioned earlier.  A lovely young English-speaking Italian woman named Caterina met us at the castle to take us to our cooking class with Nonna (Grandma) Ciana!  Caterina drove us along some beautiful Tuscan back roads for about 15 minutes, describing the areas we passed and a little about her life, until we reached Nonna’s house.

We had no idea what to expect.  To our delight, we discovered we were the only students.  Nonna Ciana speaks very little English, so Caterina was not only cooking assistant, but also interpreter.  Before I get into the actual cooking, I have to pause a moment to describe what this was like.  It was so much more than a cooking lesson.  This was about warmth, hospitality, humor, and grace in a way that is so characteristic of the Italian culture.  In this woman’s kitchen, a woman that we’d never met before, whose language we don’t speak, in a place we didn’t know at all, we felt immediately as at-home as we would in the kitchen of our own families.  We spent about five hours there listening and learning, laughing and enjoying.  Not once did we feel out of place.  Caterina and Nonna made us feel like they were truly delighted to have us there.  And they do this about three times a week?!  Does everyone walk away with not only an education and a full belly, but a plastered smile and a warmed heart?

Nonna’s kitchen:

Wine was poured to get things started.  The lesson began by making, from scratch of course, tagliatelle, a fettuccini-like pasta.  For my family and friends who love to cook, I'm including some step-by-step pictures.

The process of making the dough:

They used what they called 0-0-0 flour; I think it's the same as all purpose

 We were instructed to repeatedly hold the dough at one end and pull and stretch it; the more you work it, the better; the warmth from your hands helps

 Once the dough was worked enough, we let the ball rest for awhile

The tagliatelle is going to be cooked with zucchini and zucchini flowers!

 We put a small piece of dried chili pepper, garlic cloves and oil in a pan and heated that for a bit

 Sliced the zucchini

 The garlic in the pan was crushed to release the flavor

 We added the zucchini slices and browned them a bit

Then we added the zucchini flowers

While that was cooking, we went back to the tagliatelle.

Time to roll out the dough.  Nonna separated the dough into four pieces so we could all roll.  This was not easy work.  It took a long time and required muscle strength.  Nonna and Caterina's experience really shines.

 Nonna said that the way Chris was rolling out the dough, he’s a natural-born pizza dough maker.

The dough has to be rolled out very thin.  So thin that when Caterina held it up, you could see her hand through it.

Once the dough is rolled out thin enough, you take one end and very gently fold it over and over itself.  Very gently was stressed.  Then you cut the dough into finger width pieces.

And unroll each piece.  We set the dough out to dry awhile.

The chili pepper was removed, and the zucchini mixture was ready.

Nonna made a mix of saffron and water to add to the tagliatelle

While the tagliatelle was drying, we made bruschetta.

Nonna cut the bread (doesn't that bread look good?!)

It was then rubbed with garlic

 And toasted on the stove

 Tomatoes, basil, salt and olive oil were mixed together

 We all sat and ate the bruschetta together. Oh my, it was so good. I think the home grown tomatoes and fresh basil make such a difference. Those tomatoes were so red and so sweet.

 Then we started on the homemade gnocchi!

Nonna uses many different sauces for her gnocchi, but she chose to make a cinnamon and butter sauce for our class. Caterina was so excited when she heard that Nonna had chosen this particular sauce. It’s her favorite.

First we cooked the potatoes.  Nonna said that older potatoes are better because they contain less water.  Interesting.

 We peeled the HOT potatoes.

 The squeezed them through a potato ricer.

 Added eggs

 and flour

 and mixed it all together.

Nonna had us push a finger into the dough so we could feel the consistency.  It was very moist inside.

 The dough was cut into little pillows, about 1 1/2 inches long.

I don't have a picture of the technique, but you push a little hole into the center of the pillow, then swiftly roll it up a fork to make the shape and design of the gnocchi.

The gnocchi and tagliatelle ready for cooking.

Nonna then started on chicken!

 She used chicken breasts and dredged them in flour.

Then sauted them in oil.

While the chicken was cooking, the parmesan cheese is grated.  Check out the cute grater, if you can see it in this picture.  It's a girl and the grater part is her dress.  Oh, and the other cute grater is Chris!

Nonna got the chicken halfway cooked and then left it to finish later. Meanwhile, we cooked the gnocchi.

 This is the cinnamon and butter sauce we made for the gnocchi.

When you pick up the gnocchi you must do it gently so as not to pinch them, and quickly get them all in the boiling water.  When they rise to the top (in only a few minutes), they are done.  You take them out as they rise.

We all sat down and had gnocchi sprinkled with the fresh parmesan.  Well, all but Nonna.  She is on a diet!  We don't know why because she looks great!  The gnocchi was wonderful.  We’d never had it prepared with cinnamon, and having it freshly made from scratch, well, of course it was awesome.

After the gnocchi, we cooked the tagliatelle and mixed it with the zucchini mixture. 

 The zucchini mixture is heated up and the water for the tagliatelle boiling.

 The tagliatelle is added to the zucchini mixture.

Then the saffron is added.

I wish I could adequately describe how good this dish was. It had just a little spice from the dried pepper and the flavors of the zucchini and the flowers and the mild garlic with the saffron. This was my favorite. It was exquisite.



Back to the chicken.

 We used white wine, flour and water to make a sauce that was added to the pan as the chicken pan was put back on the flame to finish cooking.

Nonna explained that this is a simple way to prepare not only chicken, but also turkey cutlets, pork or veal.  It was delicious.

After all those dishes were consumed, we sat around and talked for a bit until there was a knock at the door.  A chef walks in (a real chef complete with chef’s hat) with a beautiful-looking dessert in his hands.  They let him in with much fanfare and then everyone was looking at me.  I was so confused.  It was then explained that Chris had arranged ahead of time to have the chef from the restaurant downstairs (there’s a restaurant downstairs?) make us a nice dessert since this was our actual 25^th anniversary date!  I couldn’t believe it.  Everyone knew about it but me.  And of course the two women were so impressed that Chris had done this.  It seemed they couldn’t wait to rejoice with me, with us, in this happy celebration and surprise.  Nicola, the owner of the castle, who is Nonna’s son-in-law, came by too and we all had a happy, joyous time together.  The dessert was so yummy.  We were so full, I don’t know how we managed the dessert, but it was that good.

Our teachers and hosts:

 Nonna Ciana

Caterina and Nonna

Caterina

 Watching Nonna work her magic

 Getting ready to eat that tagliatelle.  I look a little anxious...

Having fun

 Nonna, the chef, and Caterina (standing on the back of the chair - lol)

Nonna and Nicola

I’m so happy that Caterina is going to email us all the recipes.  While I tried to give a detailed account of the lesson, I left out some details like salt, etc.  If any of you would like any of the recipes, let me know.  I can’t wait to try these recipes at home.  My challenge will be rolling out the dough for the tagliatelle because it has to be rolled out so very thin.  I’ll have to make sure Chris and the girls are around to help me out with that part!

Caterina then drove us back to the castle. We were tired and full, and happy that we burned a few calories climbing all those stairs to get to our room!

 Twenty five years of marital bliss...

I mean, twenty five years of marital bliss!