Cooking lessons again. Today we learned to make Aquacotta soup – literally “cooked water”, once an equivalent of “stone soup”. This version has a tomato base, is cooked for a long time, and is served over stale bread, topped with parmesan. The second dish, beef stew, is similarly an old recipe, originally made by the wives of brick-makers. Traditionally, all the cold ingredients were put into a large casserole which the husband took to work to cook in the brick fire. Then at dinner (mid-day in Italy), he brought the dish back home – inexpensive and easy. And delicious. Several people from our class ordered the special casserole-dish because it is a beautiful, large round bowl with large, integrated handles, and a heavy lid, made from Siena clay glazed chestnut brown except on the bottom. You
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