Italy Fall Trip 2011

Bountiful Bologna

November 8, 2011 by admin

October 22-25

My 1^st time in the lovely city of Bologna and the Emilia Romagna region. The old town has beautiful architecture and pedestrian streets lined with the porticos, squares and marbled pavements. You can wander endlessly with great spots to stop for a café or glass of wine and dine on local cuisine. Lots of young people from the universities so very lively. It is only 30 minutes by train from Florence, has an international airport and a great base for visiting many towns within an hour such as Parma, Modena, Ravenna and more.

Our hosts Raffaella & Marcello create 4 & 5 day programs to learn about and experience the region of Emilia Romagna. Focusing on specialties of the area such as tortellini, bolonaise, wonderful prosciutto & mortadello, Parmesan cheeses, paired with…you guessed it, wines of the region. They are from the area so are a wealth of information on the culture and cuisine. We enjoyed a dinner at our host’s home where Raffaella and daughter Francesca shared family recipes and their love of cooking.

Another highlight was a morning hunt for tartufo bianco (white truffles) with Pietro and his dog Bobby. We were told they were very scarce this year due to the dry weather. To our delight, Bobby found a sizable truffle! An experience realized on my “bucket list”! Spent evenings dining on specialties of the region, walking through the quaint town of Dozze and visiting Nicola, a fantastic chef who shared his talents of cooking and serving us a wonderful meal. Many thanks to all of our hosts for a true taste of Emilia Romagna. I’d love to get a group together to enjoy this amazing region!

Bologna porticos 2 — Amazing Architecture in Bologna

Ginger with tartufo bianco — Tartufo Bianco from the woods

Pietro & Bobby — Pietro and Bobby, the truffle hunters!

Hosts Marcello & Raffaella — Wonderful Hosts, Marcello and Raffaella

Cooking Tuscan Style

November 5, 2011 by admin

October 20

The joy of cooking in each region is both memorable and educational. Meeting new people joined by a common interest of learning about local and fresh ingredients guided by an expert chef is a wonderful way to dig deeper into the culture and traditions. We joined 6 other people for a half day of cooking with chef Maurizio at a villa just 15 minutes from Florence. The class was very “hand’s on” and soon after arriving with a welcome cappucino, we pushed up our sleeves and had the experiences of making pasta, gnocci (complete with pealing and ricing the potatoes, making sauces, involtini and more. You can attend single day, multiple days or week long classes and even stay at the villa. Let me know if you want to learn more!

Florence Menu — Menu for the half day cooking class

Dough for Ravioli — Making pasta using "00" flour and eggs

ravioli — Rolling out the dough for Ravioli - It takes two!

Involtini - rolls or "little bundles" with veal, proscuitto & cheese

Cooking class group — New culinary friends

Fabulous Florence

November 2, 2011 by admin

October 18 – 22

Four beautiful days to explore Firenze. Lovely hotel near the Accademia that is very central. So nice to meet personally with hotel staff, friends and colleagues.

Florence 2 — Florence's Ponte Vecchio Bridge

Motorbike Parking — Parking at a premium for motorbikes in Florence

Trattoria Mario Florence — Trattoria Mario - Only open for Lunch - True Experience!

Guide in Florence — Great private guide in Florence I book for clients

Paolo & Ginger — Paolo, great driver,friend and colleague

Rome Testaccio Market Visit & Cooking Lesson with Daniela

October 27, 2011 by admin

October 17

Wonderful day with Daniela visiting the Testaccio market in Rome and then walked to her home in the beautiful Aventine Hill area to cook our lunch. Joined another student, Monica from Houston. We made some amazing dishes using local and fresh ingredients. Pictures speak a thousand words…….

Testaccio Rome Market Daniela, Monica & Ginger

Fiori di Zucchini — Making stuffed zucchini flowers with mozarella & a pinch of anchovy

Finished product..Fiori di Zucchini & Fried Artichokes

Fried dough with tomato sauce — Another starter....lightly fried with tomato sauce, grated cheese & topped with basil

Prunes wrapped with pancetta quickly sauteed with balsamic vinegar

Now for the Secondi and Dolce….

Veal with Sage — Thin cut veal with fresh sage, lightly floured & sauteed with wine...Yummmm!

Contact me for recipes or to book a class with Daniela!

Ciao from Roma!

Rome – Apartment Living

October 23, 2011 by admin

October 18

Arrived via train on Saturday during the “World Peace” demonstrations. Demonstrators filled the streets along one side of the Termini (train station). We could hear and see the crowds and thankfully made it to our rental apartment just fine. Only a couple of incidents where cars were burned by a small group of militants. Otherwise fairly peaceful and contained to a specific area of the city.

Rented an apartment near Trevi Fountain for 3 nights. Found a great family restaurant with my sister-in-law, Mary and had one of my favorite dishes, Spaghetti Carbonara. Weather continues to be beautiful.

Apartment Living Room — Living room of Apartment near Trevi Fountain

Ginger & Mary — Salute! Mary Pozzini (lives in Rome) & Ginger

Inside Courtyard Rome Apartment — Inside Courtyard of Rome Apartment

Renting an apartment vs hotel stays

Pros

Live like an Italian – neighborhood experience.

Additional Space

Kitchen facilities – can prepare some meals if you choose

Usually less expensive

Washing machine

Cons

Limited onsite support – need to be resourceful

Learning curve for electronics, lighting, heating, cooling etc…

Mamma Agata Cooking School – Amalfi Coast

October 17, 2011 by admin

October 12th – Beautiful morning drive from Positano up the coast. Recommend having a driver to enjoy the views and towns of Priano, Amalfi and Ravello dotting the coastline.

Cooking class with Mamma Agata & Chiara from 10:30 – 5:00 with a fun group of 12. Started with lemon cake & cappuccino, demonstration and tasting of eggplant fried, rolled and parmigiana, pastas with Farmer sauce and sausage & peppers. Secondi of chicken with lemon, fish and insalata mista. Ending with what else, Limoncello. Words cannot due justice to the amazing views, our incredible hosts and to die for food. Pictures will give you a snapshot of a day with memories of a lifetime. Let me know when you are ready to go!!! Special thanks to my brother Dan for great photography and our kind and generous hosts.

Cooking Class 1st Course — 1st course with fried zucchini, marinated pumpkin, sun dried red pepper & cheese

MA Cooking Class — Chiara, Ginger, Mamma Agata & Dan

MA Farmer's Spagetti Sauce — Farmer's Spaghetti Sauce - Tomatoes, olives & Capers

MA Zucchini Fritters — Zucchini Fritters - Unbelieveable!

Amalfi Drive — Zucchini rolls filled with roasted red peppers & cheese

MA Zuccini Rolls — Zucchini rolls filled with roasted red peppers & cheese

MA Lemon Cake — Lemon cake - for breakfast and dessert with Limoncello

Took time to adjust to jet lag and walked the town of Positano. The bright sun, beautiful blue sky and sea have a serene effect and makes you want to stay forever. Walking is the only way to see the town and be advised not to have too much luggage! There is a good range of properties from B&B’s to 5 star properties, some with lift and others without but no matter what you walk everywhere. Plenty of places to stop and enjoy the views. Our hotel was on the top of the hillside and had beautiful views. Always get a place with views. It is well worth the splurge.

Wonderful seafood and had my favorite Zuppa di Cozze pictured below.

First day in Positano — Jet lag day in Positano.

Hotel in Positano — Lovely hotel in Positano with views!

Streets of Positano - either up or down!