Cooking in Cortona

Today was the day for our cooking lessons in Cortona. Alessandra is another Slow Travel 'friend'... I have never met her up until today. She is also the owner of a great shop, il Girasole where you can find beautiful linens, Etruscan jewelery, and gifts. We have been looking forward to real cooking lessons, y'all know I love to cook! The day started with a trip around town to pick out our supplies~ the vegetable market, the meat market for fresh cuts- and a little banter with the butcher, the bakery, and the wine store. Everyone in town had to approve our cooking plans. The menu was very Italian .

We made our own tagliatelle with ragu di funghi, risotto alla milanese, arrosto di champagna al latte, and carciofi saltati. Which is pasta with mushroom sauce, risotto with marrow, roast beef with a creamy gravy, and artichokes. Tiramisu for dessert!

We all had a turn at the pasta machine. This is not a sit back and watch-someone-else-cook kind of a class. No fancy machines; flour and eggs on a wooden board and lots of kneading. Now I have no excuses not to use that pasta machine at home.We cooked all day in Alessandra's own cucina, much more efficient than mine! We wandered across the street to pick some veggies from the neighbors' garden, and he even brought us some of his wine. At the end of the day we enjoyed the fruits of our labors... and the company of good friends.

There was no extra room for gelato today. I may not eat again until tomorrow. We did find some time to shop at Il Girasole... a few momentos of our day. This cooking class has been a highlight of my week!


Ciao y'all,
Sandi