Lezioni di cucina (cooking lessons)

Buongiorno!

Today I thought I'd recap the dishes we learned to make during our first orientation cooking class.  I didn't take pictures of the actual food since I was busy cooking, so these are pictures I found online so you could see what the dishes look like.  I've given some explanation of the dishes but not specific recipes.  Also, you should know that food in Italy varies from region to region, and each region has their own special dishes.  Since Florence is in Tuscany, the majority of these things are typical to Tuscany, although there are some which are universally enjoyed throughout Italy.  Ok, let's get started!

Week One: Traditional Rustic Tuscan

Panzanella

Pappa al pomodoro

Pollo in fricassea

Tiramisù

Panzanella from www.fiorentininelmondo.it

Panzanella is a bread salad made with chunks of stale bread, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers, and basil.  It sounds a little strange but it is actually quite good and very easy to make.  Think of it as the Italian version of tabbouleh.  To make this gluten free, we simply used toasted gluten free bread.  Basically, you soak the crusty bread in a small amount of water and red wine vinegar until it is soft, then squeeze out the excess water and tear it into small cubes, add the chopped vegetables and a few basil leaves.  Then drizzle extra virgin olive oil over it, toss and serve.

Pappa al pomodoro from toscaneat.it

Like Panzanella, Pappa al pomodoro is made from crusty bread.  The slices are cut into small bits and cooked in a homemade tomato sauce made with garlic and basil.  It is similar to gnocchi (if you aren't familiar with that, don't worry, I will show you how to make it soon) but with a consistency more like soup.  Again, it sounds really strange but it is actually quite tasty.  And you can definitely see how both of these dishes would have been easy for farmers to make because the ingredients are simple and inexpensive.

Pollo in fricassea from www.incucinaconlilly.com

 We also made pollo in fricassea (chicken fricassee).  I'm vegetarian, so I can't share my opinion on how it tasted but my classmates certainly seemed to like it.  This is a medieval dish, and like the others, it is pretty simple to make.  First, we coated the small pieces of chicken in flour while we heated butter in a pan.  Then we add in the chicken and let it cook for a bit.  Next we added some broth to the chicken to create the creamy sauce.  Finally, we took it off the direct heat, added a beaten egg and some lemon juice.  We let it finish cooking in the heat that the pan retained and served it.

Tiramisù from wikipedia.it

For dessert we made Tiramisù (because of our time constraints we weren't able to make this one gluten free and diary free but I am sure there is a way).  Tiramisù is a dessert that is seen as very complicated and sophisticated in the United States, but really it is quite simple.  Our version included raw eggs but in the US it is better to avoid raw eggs and make an eggless Tiramisù.  

First, we made a mixture of hot water and instant coffee.  Into this, we dipped ladyfinger cookies and then laid them flat to line our pan.  Next we beat the egg yokes and sugar together, then added this to mascarpone cream.  Then we beat the egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks formed, as if we were making merengue.  We did all this by hand because due to miscommunication we didn't have an electric beater in the kitchen!  It's a great arm workout!  Then we added the egg whites to the mascarpone.  Next, cover the layer of cookies with the cream and dust with cocoa powder.  Place a new layer of cookies and then cover them with the cream and dust with cocoa powder.  Repeat until you have reached the top of the pan and make sure you end with a layer of cream, dusted with a liberal amount of cocoa.  Chill it in the fridge for a couple hours and enjoy!  We actually made this first so it would be ready when we finished dinner.

So those are the dishes we made our first week.  It's quite a rich meal! Of course, this is Italy so there was also bread, salad, and walnuts to eat as well.  I hope you enjoyed learning about these Tuscan dishes!  Remember, these are just explanations of the dishes, not actual recipes.  If you want to make some of them you should always have a recipe (just ask me) with measurements and cooking times to avoid a kitchen disaster. :)

Buon appetito!