Cooking post from Renee 1-26-11

I attended a cooking class today at La Quercia Cooking Studio in Impruneta about 15 minutes outside Florence in the country side.  Veronica, the owner and teacher, has a rustic Tuscan kitchen (below) where she teaches cooking classes.  The surrounding property is gorgeous with acres of olive trees and grapevines and Veronica makes her own olive oil "Olio Extravergine di Oliva Toscana Villa La Impruneta" (if that isn't a mouthful!).  She has 27 chickens so has her own fresh eggs for baking souffles. It was an absolute treat just to walk into the kitchen with the fireplace going, the table set already and a large basket on the counter with artichokes, oranges, lemons, and chives...seriously the whole experience almost brought tears to my eyes, it was so other-wordly. 


We spent the day learning how to make the following dishes: a shrimp and white bean antipasto, gnocchi alla Romana, stuffed artichokes, a type of rolled meatloaf called "girello en gallantina", and an orange cream souffle.  My grandmother used to make the most wonderful gnocchis (dumplings) from a potato and wheat flour but the gnocchi all Romana are made solely from wheat (they even have the wheat flour numbered, with the fine 00 type used for gnocchis) and milk with ground nutmeg, then baked covered with some Parmesan and sage butter. I have seen large glass flasks in the windows of cooking stores (of which there are many in Florence!) and had no idea what they were for.  I learned today they are for cooking beans--as Veronica says you must use these flasks with the narrow necks as opposed to a large pan because the beans will "cook like a dance!"  She gave a dissertation on the difference between the four types of artichokes--I had no idea!

I can honestly say that cooking is approached as an art form here, and I understand how the "slow food" movement started in Italy.  You go outside into the herb garden and gather the herbs: everything is gathered fresh.  Often times, before a cooking class, the teacher will take the students to one of the outdoor markets to show them how to buy the ingredients.  We started about 11 a.m. and sat down for this incredible meal a few hours later just as I found out the bus drivers in Florence were on strike and the boys were again walking home from school.  No problem, a little Moscana after this sumptuous lunch...I calculate that I walked about 8 miles total today so I wasn't too worried about what I'd eaten!

La Quercia Cooking Studio

Antipasto di gamberi e fagioli
(antipasto with shrimp and beans)--the shrimp are marinated in fresh orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper after boiling three minutes



olive trees on the hillside in Impruneta



her olive trees (even in winter you have these wonderful shades of green on the hillsides)









Left: Carcioffi Ritti Scazzottatti (stuffed artichokes)
Right: Girello gallantina ("rolled" type of meatloaf with pistachios and eggs





Veronica in La Quercia Studio teaching