COOKING IN TUSCANY

---

There was only one thing on the agenda, other than our return to Rome, and that was our final cooking class. We did have to get up early, so we could get to the train station to store our luggage. We should have stored more, as we did a fair amount of walking before we ever go to the cooking part.

I am going to start right off with brutal honesty, this was the least favorite cooking class I have ever taken. When I booked it, I did have my doubts because it was arranged through a tour company and not a cooking school, what I didn’t know was that the company was a subsidiary of Viator, and after our disaster of a Viator tour in England over Christmas, we vowed never to book through them again. The biggest problem with the class is it was just too big, 25 – 30 people does not give you any real hands on cooking, I don’t want a demonstration class, I want to get in there and do it and hopefully learn something new. I did not learn anything new at all, except certain Italians seem to think that garlic doesn’t go with beef, excuse me?? What doesn’t garlic go with.

The chef/guide tour was nice enough and entertaining, but the market tour was boring and uninformative, you were so far away from the counter you could not see what he was talking about or buying. The description of the glass on the website was just completely misleading. So, if you want to just watch someone cook and at most get to make some pasta and cut a tomato up, and of course drink, then by all minds sign up for this demonstration class offered by walkabout tours. If you want to learn something about cooking and actually get to cook, find something different and smaller.

The high points, the setting was beautiful, up in the hiss of Florence, what it was not was a Tuscan farm house, which the website clearly stated it was. This was a spot specifically designed for large group cooking demonstrations and that is it.

All of that out of the way, we did have a good time, only because the food was very good, and ok I learned one thing and that is the best way to make pesto (which is from Genoa not Tuscany). It was also fun to chat with the others in the class to see where they were from and what they had been doing while in Europe. There were a few backpackers, which game me some hope for the youth of the day, until they opened their mouth and said they have no memory, because they can find out anything they need form google. Really, google is going to give you accurate history and culture tips or teach you how to speak another language. The world is doomed. At least they were traveling and experiencing the4 real world instead of getting that from google to.

The menu consisted with bruschetta topped with traditional tomatoes, basil and salt with the bread toasted and a garlic rubbed on 3each slice. There were two sauces for two types of pasta. A pesto sauce and a ragu. The ragu started out like a bolognaise but then tomatoes sauce was added and it was 100% ground beef and no garlic. The pesto was made in a large mortar, you add the garlic crush it with the pestle, then add basil leaves (fresh) and crush some more then pine nuts and lost of olive oil, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Making in this fashion gives you a much nicer pesto then in a food processor when all you get is a thick paste. There that was my one thing I learned,

The main dish was a roast pork with a sage, rosemary and salt rub. This was a full bone on (actually removed then tied back on) rack of pork, garlic was shoved, unpeeled, in between the bone and the meat. Then it was massaged with the herb mixture, put bone side down in the pan, then olive oil added to the pan, not on the meat but the side of the pan. This was roasted for 30 minutes 1t 450, then water was added to get up the caramelized oil and garlic, heat turned down to 400 and roasted another 30 minutes, then let to rest. It was thinly sliced to serve, with the sauce in the pan as is over the top

The side was roasted potatoes done in the same herb rub as the pork.

We made pasta, repeat of what we learned in Bologna, however the pasta in Bologna turned out much better, I think because of better eggs.

After the demonstration we all sat down to eat what was cooked, while it was all good especially the pasta with pesto, I can’t say it was because we made it ourselves, because literally all I did was slice two tomatoes, stir the ragu once, and tear up some basil and make a bit of pasta. Not a truly rewarding cooking experience, but a nice relaxing day.

The meal was served with Chianti Classico, a pretty decent wine. Before this trip we were not big fans of the Chianti, but with the right food it works well and I will certainly cook with it.

With our meal done, we all headed back to the bus to be taken back to town. The website said that the course started and ended at the train station, which is the only reason we took our luggage to the train station to store. They did not drop us off any where near the train station, in fact they dropped us on the opposite side of twon in the Santa Croce area, which was in fact closer to our hotel than the train station. So, we took one final walk through the streets of Florence back to the train station.

This entry was started the day of our last day in Florence and is being completed while I sit at our dining room table back home. With a few days to reflect on the trip (more to come on my reflections) I cannot begin to express just how disappointed I was in the cooking class in Florence. Everything represented on the website about the class was simply either an over exaggeration or simply a lie. It was truly the worst cooking class I have ever taken, learned nothing really new, it wasn’t hands on and the class was just to big. Once again, never do anything that is operated by Viator.

All Trains Lead to Rome

With our cooking class over it was time to leave Florence and return to Rome. We had a few hours to kill before the train left so we relaxed in the Trenitalia lounge until it was time to leave. The train was very crowded and for the first time my plan to book the three of us in a 4-seater with table in the middle, did not work, Christina had to sit next to a very arrogant Italian business man, who thought we was far too cool for us.

It took about 90 minutes to return to Rome, we then took a taxi to the last hotel, and by the nicest, of the trip. We splurged on a 5-star hotel for the final nights, one for Christina two for us. The hotel was a Curio which is operated by Hilton, so points and miles were earned. The Aleph Rome Hotel just off Piazza Barberini. It was a very nice hotel and check in was top notch. They even escorted us to our room.

The best part of the room was the full-size shower, what a treat after the phone booths of the last two weeks. We all checked in and freshened up for dinner. Our final dinner with Christina for this trip was at Trattoria al Moro, on a small vicolo near the Trevi Fountain. It was about a 10-minute walk and we found it easy enough. While this wasn’t the best food of the trip, it was certainly the most entertaining evening of the trip.

Before I get in to the meal I want to spend a bit of time discussion the evening in general. First, the table was tiny, especially for three. Typically, on this trip we get a larger table because ther3e are three of us, this time we basically were sat at a two-top set for three, but the seats were comfortable. The trattoria had three different dinning rooms we were sat in the one to the left of the entrance. It was packed, the crowd was a mix of local Romans, always a good sign, and a few tables of American tourists, the most interesting being the table that was directly behind Jerr. I was facing them so got to witness the behavior of the entire table.

This table consisted of 3 couples, to of them in their late 50’s earlyh 60’s the other in their 30’s and engaged as the bride to be was showing pictures of her wedding dress, as the table proclaimed what a beautiful bride she would be, I saw the dress, it wasn’t anything to write home about. The more interesting part of the table were the older couples, the two women had the worst wigs I have ever seen, no self-respecting drag queen would ware a wig that bad. To top it off, it was pretty clear the two women’s husbands were sleeping with each other. It made for a very entertaining evening.

Our waiter for the evening was older than god and has probably been doing this since birth. He spoke English but didn’t let you know he did unless he had to. We were handed Italian menus, which was fine with me as I could figure 80%!o(MISSING)f it out, but we got an English menu just to be safe, the last thing I want to eat is a lamb brain tart. We had our final prosecco toast with Christina and ordered our meal.

The Final Group Meal

We started with two shared appetizers: Bresaola with Arugula and a Misticanza. The bresaola was some of the best of the trip and the arugula nice and peppery. The misticanza is a traditional roman salad and this was the first place we found it on the menu. The salad is chicory and various herbs, each salad could in fact be entirely different from the next. It is dressed with an anchovy and olive oil. The concept sounds wonderful, but I took one bite and all I tasted was lots and lots of salt.

We moved on to the primis. A Bucatini Amatriciana and Spaghetti all Moro (this is basically a carbonara with red peppers). They were both very good and of course everyone loved the Amatriciana best.

Next up was the entrées;

Christina fell back our her most ordered dish of the trip, braised ox tail. Again, the sauce was very good, but the dish overall was not as good as the one she had our first night in rom at Armando al Pantheon.

Jerry had veal scaloppini with porcini mushrooms. Porcinis are one of Jerry’s favorite mushrooms and the destroyed them, the sauce was so over salted they were simply not edible. Even the queen of Salt, Christina, said it was too salty.

I had a veal scaloppini with artichokes, of the entrées it was the best dish. The artichokes were very favorable, in fact it was one of the first dished, other than straight up artichokes, that I could actually testate the artichokes. The problem with the dish was the veal was overcooked and tough, as was Jerry’s. They don’t seem to know how to cook veal in Italy, I guess it’s a French thing.

With dinner we had our first bottle of Valpolicella of the trip. It was a pretty good wine, and Christina had more than one class.

Dessert: Christina had wild strawberries in a light cream sauce, Jerry had baba rhum, he was hoping for Baba’s but you really only can get that in Naples. I had profiteroles stuffed with cream and covered in chocolate.

So, ended our final group menu. Stuffed as always, we walked out for the last big sight for Christina, Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain

All the guide books, and travel sites, say that Trevi Fountain is over rated, crowded and not really worth the trip. They are in fact, all wrong. Yes, it is crowded, but what isn’t in Rome or anywhere worth going to. I would say night, is the time to go, as it is all lit up and very beautiful. It was in fact much more spectacular than I imagined. Christina got the traditional throwing the coin over your shoulder shot and Jerry took several of the fountain and crowds.

Then we walked back to the hotel said our good byes and off to our rooms. Jerry and I have one final day in Rome. The plan is to see lesser known sites.

Dish of the day: Pesto from the cooking class

Site of the day: Trevi Fountain

Step Count: I lost count somewhere in Florence.

---

Photos

Nuts
At the Market

The Butcher
Preparing the Pork Roast

Pasta Pesto
Dish of the Day

Veal with porcini
Say Salt