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COME DINE AND COOK WITH ME

Italian Cooking at its best……. If your holiday is all about great food and wine then here are some great packages for you to consider…..a party for the senses and why not also take part as it is all possible here.

 

UMBRIAN SIMPLICITY

 

If food be the music of love then this place in Umbria is for you.   You do not need a massive budget to experience some atmospheric Italian splendour.  You will be staying in this perfect location…. And enjoying the food that encapsulates the real meaning of good food and good wine. To start our temptation your taster for the first night is a tasting menu which starts off with mixed salad with fresh fruit and salad “Insaleggiata”, followed by spelt and vegetable soup, l’imbrecciata, followed by chicken with wild fennel, almonds and spices, pollastro infinocchiato, then with sweet cake and ricotta cheese and fine local saffron and small pastries.  Wine extra.   The next day you will enjoy a great cookery lesson with the chef Antonio Falcone and his team.  Discover those small and invaluable secrets and the new trends in modern cuisine , themes like bread. Olive oil, pulses, meat and vegetarian dishes and add to this the well-equipped, modern and functionally designed kitchen in a 2000 year old building, and you have the makings of an enjoyable and unique experience.

 

If you plan your cookery trip in Autumn consider the following festivities and foods - Grape harvest and All Saints’ Day and Olive pressing and the ingredients you will be working with are Onions, 'black' celery, mushrooms, olives, beetroot, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, fennel, leeks, turnips, pumpkins, chestnuts, persimmons, lemons, apples, pomegranates, pears, grapes.  For the winter think of Christmas, New Year, St Valentines Day and Carnival and the main ingredients are Chestnuts, black winter truffles, turnip tops, broccoli, artichokes, catalogna chicory, cauliflower, cabbage, fennel, escarole endives, garlic, radicchio, spinach, beet, Brussels sprouts, oranges, persimmons, tangerines, mandarins, grapefruits, kiwi fruits and then comes the Spring and the Summer.

 

la nostra cucina

 

DID YOU KNOW? The restaurant has rescued and recovered 800 recipes of its own tradition some of which related to the preparation of pizza. In fact for the uninitiated, even Umbria has an ancient tradition in making this famous dish. So with this idea in mind, the "Forno” was created, a pizzeria whose main objective is to introduce and above all to enjoy Umbrian pizza prepared with seasonal local ingredients as stated in the oldest recipes of the area.

 

 

TUSCAN COOKING & OLIVE OIL

You will be spending time in this splendid Renaissance Villa built around an ancient 13th century fort. Surrounded by ancient olive groves which produce olive oil of exceptional quality. The cookery course is organized in 3 lessons held on 3 different days and you will learn the secrets of pasta, a renaissance menu followed by dessert.  After a day of sightseeing or just taking it easy by the pool, you will now enjoy an olive oil menu. The oils, which have been carefully selected and whose quality is certified by the TREE mark, transform the simple genuine dishes of Tuscan tradition into a true work of art.

You will begin with “Symphony of potatoes and extra-virgin olive oil”, continue with “Special spaghetti with bread sauce and parmesan”. For a main course the suggestion is the “Filet steak carpaccio which is marinated in salt with a leek fondue” or “Leek and ricotta cheese terrine served with beans, toasted bread and extra-virgin olive oil” - vegeterian dish. To delight the soul and the palate, you will finish with a refreshing “Hot plain chocolate fondant with extra-virgin olive oil and silky chocolate with olive oil ice cream”.

STAYING IN A PRIVATE VILLA IN TUSCANY

Choose from our vast array of villas and we have some great villas to choose from throughout Italy, well why not offer your friends a special experience, a cooking lesson with dinner or a gourmet menu. Meet Arturo. Born in 1962 in Florence. His passion for cooking grew over the years and in 1994 he opened his own restaurant the Cavolo Nero in his native city. After 15 years in the restaurant business in March 2009 Arturo decided to embark on a new experience, that of offering his chef services directly in people’s homes. Arturo helps run the Florence Slow Food and Slow Food Italia. He has recently been involved in unusual initiatives such as preparing dinners in the jail in Volterra and in the Boccaccesca wine and food event in Certaldo.
Arturo’s strength lies in his skill at proposing different menus for different occasions, tailoring them to specific needs: in fact you can choose from traditional or innovative dishes as well as ethnic and vegetarian foods. You can assist Arturo in his preparation with a cookery lesson or choose one of his menus for your supper. Quote reference: 4081

 

Cookery lesson –
Arturo will arrive at your door at 5.00 pm with all the ingredients and the most appropriate wines. While serving a glass of white wine as an aperitif, he will explain the characteristics of the menu, distribute the recipes and assign you your tasks. You’ll work with him for two and a half hours before sitting down to enjoy the fruits of your labours, accompanied by wines chosen by us. A typical Arturo menu:

  • Small vegetable soufflés :
    of carrots with pesto and salted ricotta cheese
    of herbs with bean sauce and lardo di Colonnata
    of cauliflower with parmigiano reggiano fondue
  • Cream of potato and leek soup
  • Giant maccheroni stuffed with broccoli, burrata sauce and crispy red cabbage
  • Pear Tarte Tatin with cream

A special supper –
Arturo will arrive at your door at 5.00 pm and start making supper. If you want to watch him as he works you’re more than welcome. At about 8.00 pm with your help or that of a waiter dinner will be served, accompanied by the wines chosen by us.

Some of the menus on offer:
Traditional 1

  • Chicken liver pâté with soft bread and Vin Santo jelly
  • Meat ravioli and vegetables with reduced sauce
  • Braised cheek with milk polenta
  • Apple and pear tart with caramelised pine nuts

Traditional 2

  • Salt cod softened on cream of chick peas and red cabbage
  • Ravioli stuffed with tomato soaked bread and rockfish sauce
  • Filet of turbot with artichokes cooked two ways
  • Dark chocolate delight

Creative

  • Scampi three ways: raw in tomato and burrata jelly, steamed with radish mayonnaise and raw vegetables, roasted with mushrooms and reduced sauce
  • Saffron risotto with fried ox marrow and powdered liquorice.
  • Roast pigeon served with vegetables au gratin and its own gravy.
  • Apple and pear tart, Vin Santo crème and goat’s cheese mousse.

LUNCHING WITH ART

Discovering Florence and guided by an art historian, who will accompany you along surprising artistic itineraries. 10-12:30 a.m. Walks and visits to some of the symbolic sites of the city, to discover that at times Renaissance Florentine artistic culture was closely connected with a gastronomic culture, the taste for conviviality and good food.  12:30a.m.– 3.00 p.m. The itineraries end in a typical Florentine building in the city centre. Here guests may relax while trying some typical dishes of the great Italian culinary tradition, prepared by the host, a real wine and cooking connoisseur.

The itinerary


1st Itinerary: Pontormo and Palazzo Pitti. The dietetic parsimony and luxury of the Palatine lunches. The antithesis of the relationship between art and food in sixteenth century Florence.
2nd Itinerary: The Cenacoli: art, food and religion in the great Renaissance frescoes. Discovering symbols and daily life in the tables laid for the Last Supper
3rd Itinerary: Brunellleschi and the Duomo. An artist, an engineer and perhaps, a chef?

Lunch
A welcome aperitif with white wine or sparkling white wine with something to whet the appetite: pecorino and broad beans or pecorino and fruit pickles, or Tuscan cold sliced meats, or Tuscan toasts with liver sauce topping. A first course: generally with seasonal vegetables. A main course of meat or roast fish. Pies and omelettes for vegetarians. One or two side dishes (salad, baked vegetables, cannellini beans). Red table wine: Chianti classico in a labelled bottle, 0,25 litre per person is provided and included in the price. A soft dessert: A cream tart or panna cotta or mousse with a sauce of some kind. Sweet wine: passito (raisin wine) or muscatel. Coffee.

CHOCOLATE HEAVEN

A gourmet and sweets lover’s tour which takes place in Florence. Tuscany, and Florence in particular had a very important role in the introduction and diffusion of chocolate in Italy and it was probably a Florentine, F. D’Antonio Carletti, who, in 1606, introduced it to the country. Chocolate used to be drunk in the form of a hot liquid cream and the Medici family loved this nectar as soon as they tasted it. Cosimo III got his personal scientist to create a special new blend, the recipe of which was guarded as a Medici “state secret”. This is the special jasmine chocolate recipe, known as the “Granduke recipe”, which has been recreated by the Vestri family which you can taste in the Vestri laboratory in Florence. In the morning, you will visit the laboratory Coccole e Cioccolato with a demonstration and tasting. Then you will have a light lunch in Gastone well known in Florence for its fantastic desserts.  After lunch you will move on to the Vestri laboratory for a chocolate tasting and to the Ice cream laboratory Procopio, for a demonstration and tasting. This tour can be combined with a range of other tours.

 

 

EATING IN MONTEPULCIANO

Enjoy staying at this 16th century farmhouse surrounded by woods and olive groves and enjoy cooking.  The cooking classes cover a broad spectrum of traditional Tuscan and Italian cooking while incorporating elements of French cuisine. Classes are offered to beginners and experienced cooks alike, and combine a theoretical with a practical approach. Under the supervision of the Chef, participants will prepare traditional Tuscan dishes and learn how to pair them with the right wines. Cooking classes take place in the well-equipped, modern kitchen of the farmhouse. The classes can be designed for individuals or groups, and can be conducted in Italian, English or French as required.

 

 

GOURMET ON THE ITALIAN LAKES

 

For your next venture we now take you towards the beautiful lake district.  Unique in location and architecture and easy to find with its minaret.  With a total of 14 rooms all individually arranged and furnished and a 2 star Michelin restaurant provided by the fine workings of Antonio Cannavacciuolo and his creative Mediterranean cuisine with attention to detail and minute care to all things perfect.  Try the mussels with red beans, or the Turbot, dried cod tripe, fennel croquettes and orange sauce or what about the Suckling pig cheek, celeriac puree flavoured with coffee, orange compote scented with star anise….  For your weekend extraordinaire we would suggest a min of 3 nights and you will be staying in a deluxe double room, you will take part in a cookery lesson with the masters from 0930-1130, a massage and you can choose between a head massage or a body oiling… and last but not least you will enjoy 2 tasting menus…. The first is the Carpe Diem which includes, a welcome entrée from our the chef, creamy batavian endive salad, buffalo stracciatella, scampi, trucioli of bread and anchovies and  homemade salt cod dumplings, seaweed and venus clams, turbot, dried cod tripe, fennel croquettes and orange sauce or shoulder of veal braised in goat’s milk, artichokes, sweetbreads and black truffle, pre dessert and home made desserts and small pastries.   Your taster also includes wine which will be paired for you by the sommelier.   For the next taster, you will enjoy The Italian Journey…. Which includes a welcome entrée, scallops and scampi, spring onion in lemon, green apple and celeriac centrifuge, linguine from Gragnano with squids and Fobello bread sauce, amberjack, cream of cod, burrata cheese and sea asparagus, pigeon in “Cásoeûla”, escalope of foie gras, buckwheat meatballs, cheese selection from the trolley, pre dessert and dessert and small pastries.  Also included for the meal is wine selected for you to compliment the foods. 

 

 

 

 

OUR LAKE THEME CONTINUES..

This bed and breakfast in Lecco offers its guests a "Gourmet Package" that allows you to choose between 4 or 7 days entirely devoted to cooking classes and wine tastings. This modern villa dates back to the '70s. Recently it has been restored and is surrounded by a garden with a wonderful view over Lake Como. Bellano is a typical lake village.

 

 

 

POSITANO BECKONS

Combine your stay here with a visit to a vineyard followed by wine tasting while enjoying your meal and a cookery course.  This is sheer simplicity and the primary objective is to learn recipes, rich in local tradition, that remain in the hearts of those who taste them! The cooking classes aim to guide participants to appreciate and savour classic Neapolitan and Positanese recipes.

 

 

PIEDMONTESE CHARM

The owners of this house, a family whose origins date back to before the eleventh century, live in Rocchetta Tanaro, tending to their vineyards and making some of the greatest wines of the Monferrato area near Asti. At this cascina the beautiful nineteenth century estate housing the historical family cellars, four charming bedrooms have been elegantly restored to lodge guests. In the house they organize the food and wine programme that includes cooking lessons and wine tastings.

 

Courses available which are suitable for food lovers of all levels, for groups of 4 or more. To get an in-depth understanding of Piedmont's cuisine, there is an intensive Food & Wine programme available, a week-long adventure for wine and food lovers.

 

LEARNING HOW TO COOK IN LAZIO

The cuisine in Lazio is perhaps the popular cuisine par excellence and as a matter of fact very few of the recipes which were prepared for the banquets served at the papal court and in the aristocratic homes have crossed the regional borders. The house is located in the heart of Lazio, a typical regional area in central Italy. It has been restored and furnished in harmony with the original unit of the ancient house and it is a peaceful corner overlooking the historical centre of the village and the surroundings. Breakfast is served in the living room which is at guest's disposal during the evenings as a space which they can use, and during summer guests can enjoy the terrace/solarium as well. The B&B provides guests with 4 or 7 day cooking courses and themed evenings and dinners and wine and food excursions.

 

 

 

Or what about this house….Located in the heart of "ciociaria" a typical regional area of central Italy. Restored and furnished in harmony with the original unit of the ancient house and it is a peaceful corner overlooking the historical centre of the village and  the surroundings. Breakfast is served in the living room which is at the guest's disposal during the evenings as a space where it is possible to talk and relax in front of the fireplace. During the summer guests can enjoy the terrace/solarium as well.

 

 

 

 

THE LOVE OF THE VENETO

Discover the tastes of this region by staying in this glorious house which has been perfectly restored. 

 

 

 

Also available in this region…..

 

Local Bar Wine Tasting in Venice:

A private and customized Wine Tasting with an expert Sommelier in a relaxing and cozy Wine Bar of Venice, a simple and friendly way to discover the tastes of the Region. The Sommelier will introduce you to the unique and delicious local wines of the Veneto that exemplify the high quality of wines produced in north-east Italy. You will be guided by using your senses: sight, smell and taste, and with insights into the unique methods of making wine in the Veneto, you will understand why the wines produced in this territory are so diverse in character and taste. Along with wines, local traditional appetizers will help enhance your wine-tasting experience. The tour lasts approximately 1 hour (1 hour and 30 min), the Wine Bar will be selected each time depending on the needs and it is a casual and very relaxing experience.

 

Cooking Class in a Venetian House:

A half day experience through which you will enter a real Venetian house, discovering its inhabitants and its great cuisine. Our visit starts at Rialto Market, for a tour that will guide you with all your senses through the various stands of coloured vegetables, picturesque fish, fragrant breads,…this is the heart of the city, still immersed in its tradition and culture. We will then have a short walk to reach the house where you will be welcomed to enter in the kitchen and start

working together with the Chef. While working together, he/she will tell you about Venetian Cuisine: local recipes, ingredients and methods. It’s great fun for everybody, couples, children, and “aged children”… and at the end you will have lunch together, tasting what you will have prepared, accompanied with great local wine.

 

Dining with Goldoni:

Goldoni understood the art of cooking. He lived through the 18th century being a witness to the splendor and culinary arts which took place at that time – fine Venetian pastry, shrimp and sardines Soari and polenta dishes, boiled castro, “vedel”, lamb, the mysterious stew, veal with bacon lardons…not forgetting the delicious chocolate. You will be introduced to the culinary knowledge of Goldoni accompanied by songs and dancing to live the fullness of the beau monde of eighteenth-century Venice, with musical accompaniment. Food and drinks included.

 

Wine Tasting in the Venetian Lagoon

This is an incredible experience, to discover a vineyard right in the heart of the Venetian lagoon, an unusual location! A private water taxi will take us to see the beauty of the Venetian lagoon and while we will be traveling to the different island, stories and legends of the sea and Venice will be discussed.  Passing small and large islands, Venice the “Serenissima”, Murano and the glass blowing factories we will reach the birth place of The Italian Latin Lover Giacomo Casanova, and right in front of the house we will find the island of Mazorbo, where the traditions are still alive and where they still harvest the “dorona” a native grape. We will be able to visit the vineyard to walk in the small field and to taste some of the local wines. After the visit of this winery we will go back to Venice with our private water taxi.

 

Tour of Grappa

A private car or minivan with professional driver from your hotel in Venice or Treviso, to learn how “fire water” grappa liquor is made. Our first stop will be in Bassano del Grappa, a little town well renowned for different reasons, our visit will start from the” ponte degli alpini” a beautiful bridge designed by Andrea Palladio.  Bassano is a great town at the bottom of the Grappa mountain, where several battles were fought during the 1st world war (houses in the heart of the city still have a lot of bullets holes). We will have a lovely stroll around the city centre to see the medieval pawnshop and admire frescoes by jacopo di Bassano. We will be able to see all the shops with the local products like cheeses, asparagus, salamis, cakes, mushrooms pottery and ceramics. We will continue our trip visiting one of the most famous grappa factories of the area. From here we will return to our hotel.

 

COOKING IN SICILY

Sicily is a land of mystery and heady scents and you will find that in the cooking there is a strong Arabic influence, almonds, orange blossom, honey, spices, use of the bittersweet. Cooking classes with fresh local products, vegetarian cuisine and wine tasting.  For Sicily we recommend:

 

This charming farmhouse is only 4 km away from the famous Valley of Temples in Agrigento and about 3 kms from the seaside. The estate covers forty-five hectares producing oranges, almonds, pistachio nuts, fruit and vegetables, as well as olive oil. Everything is organically grown. The farmhouse is made up of a complex of old buildings grouped around three large courtyards. The main house overlooks one of these, while the other two are like a stage set with the little cottages made out of the old stables all opening onto the courtyards as in the scenario of an Italian opera. The main house dates back to the first half of the XIX century, with a tower and a large archway which are certainly of a much earlier date. With a private pool and the possibility to get to grips with Sicilian cooking with the owners. Sheer simplicity.

 

 

 

This Agriturismo, apart from being completely environmentally friendly also provides small groups of guests with short vegetarian cooking courses, yoga courses, tai-chi courses and you can enjoy fascinating trips to the nearby Madonie park with botanical and zoological experts.

 

 

 

A range of other great destinations & ideas available for a Come Dine with Me Escape

Just ask for details