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 I
can't begin to tell you how excited I was to
attend a day of cooking class in Villa Pandolfini,
the home of the Good Tastes of Tuscany Cooking
School. Elizabeth, Good Tastes of Tuscany's
coordinator, gave us directions and told us
where in Florence to meet our driver for the
10 minute ride to Villa Pandolfini in Lastra
a Signa. Elizabeth told us to meet our car and
driver near the American Embassy on the west
side of the city of Firenze. The car was waiting,
along with our friendly driver; soon we were
met by more students who had signed up for the
same class, and we were on our way.
The ride to Lastra a Signa sped by as all of us in the car got acquainted and plied our driver with questions about the day that was ahead. In just minutes we were deep in the little town, which was crowded and full of weekday life, even though the morning was damp and cold. In fact, giant snow flakes began to fall as we neared our destination! The snow added to the magic of the scene as we turned up a drive bearing a historical marker for the breathtaking and majestic Villa Pandolfini. I don't think any of us was prepared to behold such a beautiful and ancient building and grounds, so lovingly restored, so luxurious and so evocative of the aristocratic life in the Tuscan countryside. We were simply floored by the sight of the Villa.
But it was snowing those fat wet flakes, and as much as we longed to stay outside to admire and photograph the scene, we were also anxious for the warmth and comfort of shelter. We were led through a gigantic, ancient doorway, past huge and looming old wine casks that reached to the vaulted ceiling of the outer entrance, into a beautifully decorated reception area, and then into the loveliest, largest, most delightful kitchen I've ever seen.
Elizabeth was waiting for us there, and introduced us to the chefs that would guide us through our learning day. Lisa and Maurizio, of whom I will tell you more later, warmly shook hands all around, and offered us fresh espresso. Elizabeth had brought the most delicious pastries, warm and tender balls of fried dough, their yeasty insides dotted with grains of tender rice, and their golden outsides rolled in sugar, for us to enjoy with our coffee. There was a fire in the huge hearth at one end of the long, vaulted room lined with blue and white tiles, and a multi-burner gas hob and oven at the other, creating a cozy cocoon in what might otherwise have been an overwhelming space; there were demonstration spaces and a long dining table down the middle of the room.
As we finished our coffee, Lisa began to tell us of the day's menu and what dishes we would be preparing. In the meanwhile, Maurizio was busy chopping and organizing, occasionally interjecting to explain an ingredient or process to us. The day, which I had originally feared might be long, sped by. Before we knew it, we had helped to prepare an array of Tuscan crostini with eggplant, Tuscan Pecorino and more. These were simply delicious, by the way.
The Menu
As I said, Lisa gave us a rundown of the dishes we would be making that day. They included:
Spinach and Ricotta
Ravioli: We were given a great lesson
in preparing an egg pasta dough for the ravioli,
and each class member got to participate in
forming the ravioli. I had made ravioli before,
but was surprised by some of Lisa's tips. She
used white wine instead of water to thin the
dough; goat's milk instead of cow's milk ricotta;
double 00 flour; and she sautéed the spinach
for the filling in just a drop of olive oil
and a squashed garlic clove. The sauce was made
of butter and sage, and more of Lisa's expertise
was shared on properly boiling the ravioli and
how to keep a butter sauce from separating.
Mezzaluna di Zucchini
al Pesto: This was a wonderful strudel,
and it was one of the three doughs we learned
to make that day. Maurizio prepared the zucchini
filling while Lisa prepared the dough, and showed
us how to work with a yeast dough.
Pollo Alla Cacciatora
Con Funghi: Guinea Fowl with a flavorful
sauce of tomato, wine and mushrooms. One of
the best tips I learned while this dish was
being prepared was to soak the guinea fowl (or
chicken, rabbit or other similar meat) in a
solution of cold water and white wine vinegar,
massaging the meat a little during the soaking,
to help promote tenderness. Again, delicious.
Crostata Autunnale:
or Autumn Tart. This was our dessert and the
third of the doughs we learned to prepare was
this sweet tart dough. Lisa pre-baked the tart
crust for a few minutes, then placed crushed
almond cookies (amaretti type biscuits) over
the crust before pouring in the filling of autumn
fruits.
Throughout the day, we were
offered bottled water and wine to drink from
the Villa Pandolfini estate, and the wine was
also served with our meal, which we enjoyed
as late lunch. We were also given wonderful
cookbooks compiled by the Good Tastes of Tuscany
team, filled with great tips, all the recipes
we made that day, and guides to measurements,
types of pastas, sauces and more. We also each
had a beautifully embroidered Good Tastes of
Tuscany apron to wear as we cooked, and to take
home as a souvenir. When we sat down to eat
the fruit of our labors, I was shocked that
the day had sped by so quickly, and felt as
though we had just arrived when our driver came
to Villa Pandolfini to take us back to Florence.
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Benvenuto!
As
I said earlier, part of what made our Cooking
School experience so wonderful was the beauty
of the setting. Here, I would like to take a
moment to briefly review the history of the
villa and its grounds, in the hope of conveying
the magnificence of the place.
This
recipe is entirely that of Lisa and Maurizio,
and comes from the little cookbook we were given
at class. I have tried to only add a note or
two that corresponds with some of the things
I learned from these excellent teachers.