Abruzzo 2.0 – 2nd Yr Italian Cooking School(+ Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence)
Oct 4th, 2013, 12:29 PM
#21
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OLGA and PASQUAL – AND THE RAW HEAD IN THE SINK!
Last year we met an old woman named Olga. She had dropped a stocking off her first floor railing, saw us walking by and gesticulated wildly for us to pick it up and do something, which, after debate, we interpreted to mean ‘open my door and bring it upstairs’. While we’ll never know if that’s what she really meant, we did go upstairs and had a pleasant, if quiet, visit with her. She didn’t speak any English. We didn’t speak any Italian. She insisted on offering us wine and cookies and did use the word for tomorrow, which we did know, over and over. I think she was lonely and wanted us to return, but we had a full day excursion and could not do so. However, for the past year, I could not get Olga off my mind. I knew I would try to find her again.
This year I studied Rosetta Stone Italian for 7 months and DH used Michel Thomas to Italianize himself, so we thought we’d like to try it out on Olga. I had tried to use Google to find her street and felt reasonably sure I knew where to go. I also printed a picture of her with me that DH had taken last year that I could, as last resort, use to show people in the town. Surely, they would know her – Olga couldn’t be that common a name in Italy, let alone a tiny hill town!
We took a walk during our 2 hour break and went to where I thought she might live. Luckily, there was a man across the street so I asked him if Olga lived there. He confirmed that yes, she did. There was, however, no doorbell so what could we do except stand on the sidewalk and yell up to the open balcony door, “Buongiorno Olga, buongiorno Olga!” After a few minutes of this we finally heard some shuffling noises and there she was, looking suspicious on her balcony. Imagine trying to explain who we were in Italian and why we were looking for her. Finally she smiled and indicated we should come up. We did. She disappeared once we got there, but a man came in. We determined that he was her husband Pasqual. Now, 7 months of Italian isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, but it was enough to keep things moving. Pasqual got us some wine and wanted to link arms with DH to drink it. Awkward! Neither knew quite how to do it – certainly things didn’t flow as smoothly as at a wedding. The problem was that they should have each been using the left or right arm. Instead one used the left and the other the right. They were all tied up in knots until one of them finally achieved a sip. Whew! My husband was quite relieved! Next Olga showed up with a huge platter of hams, prosciutto and cheese. Quite the feast, but we were already so full! Of course we ate though, and “talked” and finally we needed to leave as it was time for our first cooking lesson. We had brought some chocolate from the US and gave that to them and excused ourselves. They were so happy.
Being at the very bottom of the hill town, we figured we’d need ½ hour to get back up to the top and be in reasonably good shape to cook so we really needed to leave. But, NO! They would have none of that! It was time for a tour of the house. It was time to see family pictures. It was time to see all their religious paraphernalia, icons and pictures.
It was time to see a pile of raw animal legs and ribs on the counter in the kitchen and the head of some animal in the sink(!). Well, it wasn’t really the entire head exactly. It was a fatty white, stripped of skin and/or meat. But it WAS complete with the eyes and draining blood. By that point, we were wondering what the heck we had just been eating!
Time to go? Oh no – we still had to have the tour of the 3rd floor – an unfinished attic! What??!! Pasqual was actually just showing us another balcony and view. He was rightly quite proud of it – it was a beautiful view, but we now had only 15 minutes to get to the top of the hill…and that’s what it took to get down from the palazzo. They tried to show us more, they were being so sweet and obviously didn't want us to leave, but we did manage to get out of the house, and left to many waves from the balcony as we sped away. Very fun visit, but we didn’t want to be late for class as we knew they’d be wondering what happened to us. DH informed me that he was gong to take his time and I should feel free to go on up on my own if I was so inclined. Buon idea! I zipped up the 500+ steps (well, I didn’t really count but it WAS 20 minutes of steps and steep inclines) as fast as I could and in 20 minutes, there I was in the kitchen gasping for breath and gulping water, looking quite the sight. I couldn’t even talk. If you go to Carunchio, do yourself a favor and allow at least ½ hour to walk from the bottom to the top of the village! DH arrived 15 minutes later, looking much better than I must have looked.
But time to cook!
Last year we met an old woman named Olga. She had dropped a stocking off her first floor railing, saw us walking by and gesticulated wildly for us to pick it up and do something, which, after debate, we interpreted to mean ‘open my door and bring it upstairs’. While we’ll never know if that’s what she really meant, we did go upstairs and had a pleasant, if quiet, visit with her. She didn’t speak any English. We didn’t speak any Italian. She insisted on offering us wine and cookies and did use the word for tomorrow, which we did know, over and over. I think she was lonely and wanted us to return, but we had a full day excursion and could not do so. However, for the past year, I could not get Olga off my mind. I knew I would try to find her again.
This year I studied Rosetta Stone Italian for 7 months and DH used Michel Thomas to Italianize himself, so we thought we’d like to try it out on Olga. I had tried to use Google to find her street and felt reasonably sure I knew where to go. I also printed a picture of her with me that DH had taken last year that I could, as last resort, use to show people in the town. Surely, they would know her – Olga couldn’t be that common a name in Italy, let alone a tiny hill town!
We took a walk during our 2 hour break and went to where I thought she might live. Luckily, there was a man across the street so I asked him if Olga lived there. He confirmed that yes, she did. There was, however, no doorbell so what could we do except stand on the sidewalk and yell up to the open balcony door, “Buongiorno Olga, buongiorno Olga!” After a few minutes of this we finally heard some shuffling noises and there she was, looking suspicious on her balcony. Imagine trying to explain who we were in Italian and why we were looking for her. Finally she smiled and indicated we should come up. We did. She disappeared once we got there, but a man came in. We determined that he was her husband Pasqual. Now, 7 months of Italian isn’t that much in the grand scheme of things, but it was enough to keep things moving. Pasqual got us some wine and wanted to link arms with DH to drink it. Awkward! Neither knew quite how to do it – certainly things didn’t flow as smoothly as at a wedding. The problem was that they should have each been using the left or right arm. Instead one used the left and the other the right. They were all tied up in knots until one of them finally achieved a sip. Whew! My husband was quite relieved! Next Olga showed up with a huge platter of hams, prosciutto and cheese. Quite the feast, but we were already so full! Of course we ate though, and “talked” and finally we needed to leave as it was time for our first cooking lesson. We had brought some chocolate from the US and gave that to them and excused ourselves. They were so happy.
Being at the very bottom of the hill town, we figured we’d need ½ hour to get back up to the top and be in reasonably good shape to cook so we really needed to leave. But, NO! They would have none of that! It was time for a tour of the house. It was time to see family pictures. It was time to see all their religious paraphernalia, icons and pictures.
It was time to see a pile of raw animal legs and ribs on the counter in the kitchen and the head of some animal in the sink(!). Well, it wasn’t really the entire head exactly. It was a fatty white, stripped of skin and/or meat. But it WAS complete with the eyes and draining blood. By that point, we were wondering what the heck we had just been eating!
Time to go? Oh no – we still had to have the tour of the 3rd floor – an unfinished attic! What??!! Pasqual was actually just showing us another balcony and view. He was rightly quite proud of it – it was a beautiful view, but we now had only 15 minutes to get to the top of the hill…and that’s what it took to get down from the palazzo. They tried to show us more, they were being so sweet and obviously didn't want us to leave, but we did manage to get out of the house, and left to many waves from the balcony as we sped away. Very fun visit, but we didn’t want to be late for class as we knew they’d be wondering what happened to us. DH informed me that he was gong to take his time and I should feel free to go on up on my own if I was so inclined. Buon idea! I zipped up the 500+ steps (well, I didn’t really count but it WAS 20 minutes of steps and steep inclines) as fast as I could and in 20 minutes, there I was in the kitchen gasping for breath and gulping water, looking quite the sight. I couldn’t even talk. If you go to Carunchio, do yourself a favor and allow at least ½ hour to walk from the bottom to the top of the village! DH arrived 15 minutes later, looking much better than I must have looked.
But time to cook!
Oct 4th, 2013, 02:40 PM
#22
kwren - they will probably be discussing your visit for years to come. how do you find that the Rosetta Stone [which i have never used] and the Michel Thomas methods compare? good for you for taking the opportunity to try out your new language skills, BTW.
Oct 5th, 2013, 04:43 AM
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Hi annhig
Rosetta Stone really worked for me. There are 5 levels and I got to the end of #4. In the first 5 months or so, my pace was very relaxed and I found I could answer very well at the expected levels in the online lessons. I was comfortable and having fun and could converse at a basic level Every single morning when I woke up, the very first thing that popped into my mind was a new Italian word or phrase. It was amazing!
The last two months, I realized the vacation was looming ahead and I hadn't moved as fast as maybe I should have. I started cramming more in each week as you can set your own pace. My chosen pace those two months was a bit too fast because I noticed that I was having a harder time in the lessons and I no longer had my Italian word in my mind each morning. My thinking though was that I wanted to be exposed to more. Other people might have stuck with the original pace.
My husband did Michel Thomas. That method concentrated more on verbs, but not so much on vocab and speaking. (I listened to the CD's with him on long car rides so I have a basis of comparison) In fact, in Italy, he often couldn't follow my Italian at all and was pretty impressed. He wants to start Rosetta Stone now that he has seen how I did with it.
Anyway, there is no explanation with Rosetta Stone so I supplemented with looking things up online and that really helped. You are not supposed to need to do that, but that is just me. It also helped that I have learned French and already understood a bit about verb tenses (well, what I could remember from school that is) I did find that different verb tenses would just pop out of my mouth in Italy and that surprised me.
The best part of Rosetta Stone is the lessons. Our set came with 3 months of online small group lessons. You should definitely do those. I got hooked, as was the intent I'm sure, and bought more. I also bought private lessons at the end and used all 12 before the trip. It was amazing that most of them just turned into 25 minutes of pure conversation. What a confidence booster.
It sounds like you might have tried Michel Thomas? It certainly would be a good supplement to Rosetta Stone.
Rosetta Stone really worked for me. There are 5 levels and I got to the end of #4. In the first 5 months or so, my pace was very relaxed and I found I could answer very well at the expected levels in the online lessons. I was comfortable and having fun and could converse at a basic level Every single morning when I woke up, the very first thing that popped into my mind was a new Italian word or phrase. It was amazing!
The last two months, I realized the vacation was looming ahead and I hadn't moved as fast as maybe I should have. I started cramming more in each week as you can set your own pace. My chosen pace those two months was a bit too fast because I noticed that I was having a harder time in the lessons and I no longer had my Italian word in my mind each morning. My thinking though was that I wanted to be exposed to more. Other people might have stuck with the original pace.
My husband did Michel Thomas. That method concentrated more on verbs, but not so much on vocab and speaking. (I listened to the CD's with him on long car rides so I have a basis of comparison) In fact, in Italy, he often couldn't follow my Italian at all and was pretty impressed. He wants to start Rosetta Stone now that he has seen how I did with it.
Anyway, there is no explanation with Rosetta Stone so I supplemented with looking things up online and that really helped. You are not supposed to need to do that, but that is just me. It also helped that I have learned French and already understood a bit about verb tenses (well, what I could remember from school that is) I did find that different verb tenses would just pop out of my mouth in Italy and that surprised me.
The best part of Rosetta Stone is the lessons. Our set came with 3 months of online small group lessons. You should definitely do those. I got hooked, as was the intent I'm sure, and bought more. I also bought private lessons at the end and used all 12 before the trip. It was amazing that most of them just turned into 25 minutes of pure conversation. What a confidence booster.
It sounds like you might have tried Michel Thomas? It certainly would be a good supplement to Rosetta Stone.
Oct 5th, 2013, 05:10 AM
#26
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RAVIOLI and MOZZARELLA BURGERS
Oh my gosh this was fun! We each made our own ball of pasta dough and then the newbies rolled it out through the pasta machine (they had to pay their dues you know
). The ravioli was stuffed with ricotta and spinach, pressed into shape and then hand cut into squares. We made a fresh tomato sauce to go with it – yum! The chefs did this course just for us. It took hours and was so delicious, but would be impossible with only 2 teachers and the normal group size of 24. Just the pasta alone is time-consuming! It was interesting when Dino showed his family’s 300 year old ravioli tools.
We had made almond biscotti last year, but this year we made a new kind – biscotti rolled around a thickened wine reduction-jam filling.
No meal in Italy is worth anything without an appetizer so we made Mozzarella burgers. Amazing to think of now, but each serving we made was comprised of an entire large ball of frech mozzarelle! It was cut in half and layered with a slice of tomato with fresh basil leaves, seasoned and put together just like a burger. We served it with pepperoncini and garlic pastes on the side.
I’m going to try this appetizer at home but with the tiny fresh mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes – sliders!
Oh my gosh this was fun! We each made our own ball of pasta dough and then the newbies rolled it out through the pasta machine (they had to pay their dues you know
). The ravioli was stuffed with ricotta and spinach, pressed into shape and then hand cut into squares. We made a fresh tomato sauce to go with it – yum! The chefs did this course just for us. It took hours and was so delicious, but would be impossible with only 2 teachers and the normal group size of 24. Just the pasta alone is time-consuming! It was interesting when Dino showed his family’s 300 year old ravioli tools.We had made almond biscotti last year, but this year we made a new kind – biscotti rolled around a thickened wine reduction-jam filling.
No meal in Italy is worth anything without an appetizer so we made Mozzarella burgers. Amazing to think of now, but each serving we made was comprised of an entire large ball of frech mozzarelle! It was cut in half and layered with a slice of tomato with fresh basil leaves, seasoned and put together just like a burger. We served it with pepperoncini and garlic pastes on the side.
I’m going to try this appetizer at home but with the tiny fresh mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes – sliders!
Oct 5th, 2013, 05:31 AM
#27
kwren - I am a big fan of M Thomas and was just interested in how they compared. I'm impressed by what you say about R/Stone and wonder to what level it goes; I've been studying Italian for about 5 years now and have outgrown M. Thomas, sadly.
The cooking lessons sound such fun! when i went to Tuscany about 3 years ago to do a language course there was a cookery element to that too, but we only really got to watch [and eat!] not to do. There's nothing like doing it yourself to make the lessons stick.
The cooking lessons sound such fun! when i went to Tuscany about 3 years ago to do a language course there was a cookery element to that too, but we only really got to watch [and eat!] not to do. There's nothing like doing it yourself to make the lessons stick.
Oct 5th, 2013, 06:50 AM
#28
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annhig - I asked customer service a while ago what level Rosetta Stone could take you to and they said you could easily have conversations in Italy, but you would not be considered absolutely fluent, if that makes sense. If you started RS, you could do the review sessions at the end of each section until you got to the point of learning new material. Does your library have a RS set possibly?
I'm trying to think if there was anything that we only watched without any hands-on aspect and can't come up with any. I've done some of the recipes at home and the hand-on really helped remember how to do them I agree.
I'm trying to think if there was anything that we only watched without any hands-on aspect and can't come up with any. I've done some of the recipes at home and the hand-on really helped remember how to do them I agree.
Oct 5th, 2013, 09:55 AM
#31
Wow! Octopus salad! did you like it?>>
sort of - it was sliced very thin so to be honest, you didn't get much taste of octopus. what was very funny was that the chef who was demonstrating to us assumed that we knew all about how to prepare an octopus from scratch, which of course none of us had a clue about. All i can remember now is that it seemed quite long-winded and complicated and not something I'd be likely to do at home, even should i have an octopus to hand.
OTOH, later in the week we had dinner at a private house where one of the students was lodging, and our hostess there seemed to think that brits knew nothing at all about cooking, and was amazed that we knew how to make a stew!
sort of - it was sliced very thin so to be honest, you didn't get much taste of octopus. what was very funny was that the chef who was demonstrating to us assumed that we knew all about how to prepare an octopus from scratch, which of course none of us had a clue about. All i can remember now is that it seemed quite long-winded and complicated and not something I'd be likely to do at home, even should i have an octopus to hand.
OTOH, later in the week we had dinner at a private house where one of the students was lodging, and our hostess there seemed to think that brits knew nothing at all about cooking, and was amazed that we knew how to make a stew!
Oct 5th, 2013, 12:15 PM
#33
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ROCCA CALASCIO
Today’s full day excursion took us north past the vineyards and olive groves of the Adriatic seacoast, and then high into the National Park of Gran Sasso in the Apennine mountains. We arrived via a series of hairpin curves to a tiny medieval village from which we trekked along a rugged, rocky path high above the plains of lentil fields, past the 17th century octagonal church, Oratorio di Santa Maria dell Pieta (this pretty church was built by shepherds in thanks to their victory over some nasty invaders years before), and finally up to the castle at the top, Rocca Calascio, the highest castle in Italy. The central fort was built in the 10th century and the corner towers and walls were added in the 13th. In ancient times it was used to protect the surrounding communities and to communicate with the castles of the coast through mirrors or torches. It was severely damaged in a 15th century earthquake, but parts have been restored. But, what a view! Part of the castle was in ruins and the cloudy day seemed the perfect setting.
Trivia: This castle was the setting for parts of the movie ‘LadyHawke’ in the 1980’s with Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick, and was also visible in some scenes of ‘The American’ with George Clooney.
RIFUGIO DELLA ROCCA
After the castle, it was time to eat. (When was it ever NOT time to eat!) We went back down to the village to the Rifugio della Rocca for lunch, a quaint little restaurant with stone walls and archways, twisting steps, beamed ceiling, and a very old fresco of ancient drawings they have preserved and highlighted on one wall.
Massimo had arranged for us to thave the following delicious menu:
Lentil soup – the specialty of this lentil-growing area
Pappardelle pasta and wild-boar ragout
Roast lamb
Chocolate tart
Wine (did I need to mention that at this point?)
SAN STEFANO DI SESSANIO
After lunch we toured the nearby 15th century medieval hill town of San Stefano de Sessanio. This village was mostly abandoned for years until a growth spurt resulted in it becoming a tourist hot spot with boutiques, galleries, cafes and foreigners buying, restoring and renovating properties for vacation retreats. At night there is a pretty pink glow around the village due to its continuing use of gas lamps. Unfortunately, in 2009, disaster struck. A terrible earthquake occurred with the epicenter nearby and many of the homes were destroyed or rendered unlivable due to structural damage. The tower of the town was completely destroyed, and is currently replaced with scaffolding outlining its shape. Work stopped when the money ran out but the outline remains. Very eerie. When we were there, there were many buildings and archways still shored up with supports or scaffolding, some areas were still unsafe and closed off, and only a few shops were operating. Such a sad recent history, but still so beautiful. We wandered the empty streets and visited the gelato shop, a cheese shop, a local ceramics shop, hoping to support the few residents, but it was a bittersweet trip.
We returned to the palazzo some 3 hours later and were given a 'snack' of asparagus risotto; a plate of cheese, artichokes, and olives; and ice cream.
Today’s full day excursion took us north past the vineyards and olive groves of the Adriatic seacoast, and then high into the National Park of Gran Sasso in the Apennine mountains. We arrived via a series of hairpin curves to a tiny medieval village from which we trekked along a rugged, rocky path high above the plains of lentil fields, past the 17th century octagonal church, Oratorio di Santa Maria dell Pieta (this pretty church was built by shepherds in thanks to their victory over some nasty invaders years before), and finally up to the castle at the top, Rocca Calascio, the highest castle in Italy. The central fort was built in the 10th century and the corner towers and walls were added in the 13th. In ancient times it was used to protect the surrounding communities and to communicate with the castles of the coast through mirrors or torches. It was severely damaged in a 15th century earthquake, but parts have been restored. But, what a view! Part of the castle was in ruins and the cloudy day seemed the perfect setting.
Trivia: This castle was the setting for parts of the movie ‘LadyHawke’ in the 1980’s with Michelle Pfeiffer and Matthew Broderick, and was also visible in some scenes of ‘The American’ with George Clooney.
RIFUGIO DELLA ROCCA
After the castle, it was time to eat. (When was it ever NOT time to eat!) We went back down to the village to the Rifugio della Rocca for lunch, a quaint little restaurant with stone walls and archways, twisting steps, beamed ceiling, and a very old fresco of ancient drawings they have preserved and highlighted on one wall.
Massimo had arranged for us to thave the following delicious menu:
Lentil soup – the specialty of this lentil-growing area
Pappardelle pasta and wild-boar ragout
Roast lamb
Chocolate tart
Wine (did I need to mention that at this point?)
SAN STEFANO DI SESSANIO
After lunch we toured the nearby 15th century medieval hill town of San Stefano de Sessanio. This village was mostly abandoned for years until a growth spurt resulted in it becoming a tourist hot spot with boutiques, galleries, cafes and foreigners buying, restoring and renovating properties for vacation retreats. At night there is a pretty pink glow around the village due to its continuing use of gas lamps. Unfortunately, in 2009, disaster struck. A terrible earthquake occurred with the epicenter nearby and many of the homes were destroyed or rendered unlivable due to structural damage. The tower of the town was completely destroyed, and is currently replaced with scaffolding outlining its shape. Work stopped when the money ran out but the outline remains. Very eerie. When we were there, there were many buildings and archways still shored up with supports or scaffolding, some areas were still unsafe and closed off, and only a few shops were operating. Such a sad recent history, but still so beautiful. We wandered the empty streets and visited the gelato shop, a cheese shop, a local ceramics shop, hoping to support the few residents, but it was a bittersweet trip.
We returned to the palazzo some 3 hours later and were given a 'snack' of asparagus risotto; a plate of cheese, artichokes, and olives; and ice cream.
Oct 5th, 2013, 07:10 PM
#34
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I woke up early the next morning to a pink sky, so went to the common room to watch the sunrise. It was gorgeous, tinting the palazzo and mountains pink. It was going to be a beautiful day - harvest day!
GRAPE HARVEST AND STOMP!
We drove to the palazzo’s vineyard, beautiful rows of vines in a perfect setting with a mountainous backdrop. The vines were heavy with hundreds of big juicy bunches of deep purple grapes. We were given clippers, a short lesson on harvesting and got to work. The 11 of us filled 5 crates, enough to make 70 liters of wine, had a grape fight, and went back to the palazzo to stomp them.
We all took turns getting in the huge waist-high barrel to stomp those grapes. Massimo had bought boots of all sizes for those who desired, but many of the women went barefoot. Was it to see if our toenail polish coordinated with the juice? Could be! Some of the juice was drained out in order to boil it into grape must.
GRAPE HARVEST AND STOMP!
We drove to the palazzo’s vineyard, beautiful rows of vines in a perfect setting with a mountainous backdrop. The vines were heavy with hundreds of big juicy bunches of deep purple grapes. We were given clippers, a short lesson on harvesting and got to work. The 11 of us filled 5 crates, enough to make 70 liters of wine, had a grape fight, and went back to the palazzo to stomp them.
We all took turns getting in the huge waist-high barrel to stomp those grapes. Massimo had bought boots of all sizes for those who desired, but many of the women went barefoot. Was it to see if our toenail polish coordinated with the juice? Could be! Some of the juice was drained out in order to boil it into grape must.
Oct 6th, 2013, 12:15 AM
#35
don't most people know how to prepare octopus, but haven't a clue about making stew??!! >>
perhaps that's just how life is on the southern Tuscan coast, kwren.
how long did it take to get the stain of the grape juice off your feet? did they provide a foot bath for before you got in with the grapes? what about the boots, were they washed first?
perhaps that's just how life is on the southern Tuscan coast, kwren.
how long did it take to get the stain of the grape juice off your feet? did they provide a foot bath for before you got in with the grapes? what about the boots, were they washed first?
Oct 6th, 2013, 04:17 AM
#36
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Both boots and feet were washed off each time before we got in. You should have heard all of us asking about that before starting!
I expected purple feet too, but there was no staining of the skin despite the deep purple color of the juices. I did have a few grape skins stuck to my feet though!
I hope you knew I was just joking with the octopus and stew comment. It sounds like they can do both in southern Tuscany, but thought Brits can only clean octopus!!!
I expected purple feet too, but there was no staining of the skin despite the deep purple color of the juices. I did have a few grape skins stuck to my feet though!
I hope you knew I was just joking with the octopus and stew comment. It sounds like they can do both in southern Tuscany, but thought Brits can only clean octopus!!!
Oct 7th, 2013, 03:59 AM
#39
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EATING AND DRINKING LIKE PEASANTS
While we had been stomping, the chefs were busy setting a long outdoor table for lunch and preparing what they called a ‘rustic lunch’ for us. We sat down with that gorgeous view of the mountains and the food just kept on coming:
Frittata, veggie tart, prosciutto, breads, tomato salad with basil, fennel and cucumbers, bread, bruschetta, and of course, the ever-present carafes of wine.
Someone had written on Facebook that we ate like peasants that afternoon. Massimo’s response? “You drank like peasants too!” OK – we liked the wine!
VASTO and NOT BAKED ALSAKA
The afternoon included a trip to Vasto to procure some olive oil from the place we had visited last year. We all happily stocked up and then continued on into the town for some free time to admire the beaches, take a stroll or shop. We headed back in time for a late dinner:
Pomodoro ripieni con panzanella Abruzzo style – tomato stuffed with bread and cheese filling and baked
Involtini de verza con salsiccia rosa – cabbage leaves stuffed with red sausage
An individual “Baked Alaska” but with cake and a couple of different creams inside.
All very yummy!
While we had been stomping, the chefs were busy setting a long outdoor table for lunch and preparing what they called a ‘rustic lunch’ for us. We sat down with that gorgeous view of the mountains and the food just kept on coming:
Frittata, veggie tart, prosciutto, breads, tomato salad with basil, fennel and cucumbers, bread, bruschetta, and of course, the ever-present carafes of wine.
Someone had written on Facebook that we ate like peasants that afternoon. Massimo’s response? “You drank like peasants too!” OK – we liked the wine!
VASTO and NOT BAKED ALSAKA
The afternoon included a trip to Vasto to procure some olive oil from the place we had visited last year. We all happily stocked up and then continued on into the town for some free time to admire the beaches, take a stroll or shop. We headed back in time for a late dinner:
Pomodoro ripieni con panzanella Abruzzo style – tomato stuffed with bread and cheese filling and baked
Involtini de verza con salsiccia rosa – cabbage leaves stuffed with red sausage
An individual “Baked Alaska” but with cake and a couple of different creams inside.
All very yummy!
Oct 7th, 2013, 04:30 AM
#40
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VERY MUSSCULAR
Today’s cooking class was a treat!
The tables were covered with all sorts of ingredients and then Dino brought out a huge bowl of fresh mussels. Today, everyone volunteered for a specific job to get the mussel dish going – chopping herbs and garlic, cubing fish, shredding bread into fresh crumbs, and cooking fresh chopped tomatoes. It all combined into stuffing for the mussels. Everyone pitched in to stuff those babies, closed them up and packed them in onto a bed of cooked tomatoes, tomato water and fresh herbs in 3 large baking pans. That was a lot of mussels!
In the meantime, the left over pasta sheets from our ravioli was being cut into uneven shapes to make maletagliata ("badly cut") pasta. This would be our second course along with a broth, mussels and tomatoes.
Melanzane Parmigiana: Next came the individual eggplant parmigiana molds. I had never seen a parm dish like this before! Lay “petals” of eggplant into the mold, hanging out the edges and add layers of tomato sauce with fish, grated Parmisan cheese, sliced mozzarella, fresh basil, and a slice of eggplant. Repeat the layers, top with the eggplant slice and fold the “petals” over it all. It would all be baked and unmolded to serve.
Chocolate Boconotti: Lastly, we made a homemade pastry crust which we rolled out and pressed into small fluted tart pans. Interesting that we added powdered vanilla. I had never seen that before. A chocolate mixture was boiled and chopped nuts were added. This was spooned into the shells and baked. Once cooled, we made a chocolate glaze to top each one.
My mouth is watering just writing this!
Can you believe all this was just for lunch?!
9 mussels artfully arranged like a flower topped with tomato sauce
Maletagliata soup garnished with a mussel in the shell
Eggplant parmigiana
Boconotti tartlets
Is it any wonder I gained weight this week?
Today’s cooking class was a treat!
The tables were covered with all sorts of ingredients and then Dino brought out a huge bowl of fresh mussels. Today, everyone volunteered for a specific job to get the mussel dish going – chopping herbs and garlic, cubing fish, shredding bread into fresh crumbs, and cooking fresh chopped tomatoes. It all combined into stuffing for the mussels. Everyone pitched in to stuff those babies, closed them up and packed them in onto a bed of cooked tomatoes, tomato water and fresh herbs in 3 large baking pans. That was a lot of mussels!
In the meantime, the left over pasta sheets from our ravioli was being cut into uneven shapes to make maletagliata ("badly cut") pasta. This would be our second course along with a broth, mussels and tomatoes.
Melanzane Parmigiana: Next came the individual eggplant parmigiana molds. I had never seen a parm dish like this before! Lay “petals” of eggplant into the mold, hanging out the edges and add layers of tomato sauce with fish, grated Parmisan cheese, sliced mozzarella, fresh basil, and a slice of eggplant. Repeat the layers, top with the eggplant slice and fold the “petals” over it all. It would all be baked and unmolded to serve.
Chocolate Boconotti: Lastly, we made a homemade pastry crust which we rolled out and pressed into small fluted tart pans. Interesting that we added powdered vanilla. I had never seen that before. A chocolate mixture was boiled and chopped nuts were added. This was spooned into the shells and baked. Once cooled, we made a chocolate glaze to top each one.
My mouth is watering just writing this!
Can you believe all this was just for lunch?!
9 mussels artfully arranged like a flower topped with tomato sauce
Maletagliata soup garnished with a mussel in the shell
Eggplant parmigiana
Boconotti tartlets
Is it any wonder I gained weight this week?
