I know talking about Christmas presents is a little late but I definitely wanted to talk about this present!
For Christmas Tom gave me (us) a 3 day cooking class here in Rome!
It was with a wonderful British lady who has lived and cooked here in Rome for over 40 years.
Her name is Diane Seed and the school is the
Italian Gourmet (click the link to see her website).
Diane is kind-of hard to describe in words...
She is sort-of a British Julia Child with a great sense of humor and a million intriguing stories to tell. She has had an amaingly interesting and exciting life... Diane has written numerious books on Italian and International cooking. She also teaches a number of cooking classes throughout the year in different places around the world. She is presently in India doing a cooking class with her Grandson (as her assistant).
The whole experience was amazing!
The classes in Rome are held in her apartment in the Doria Pamphili palace at Piazza Venezia. The view from the apartment is spectactular - you look directly out on the Vittorio Emanuele (the Wedding Cake as it's phrased) and you get a beautiful view of the Colosseo! Take a look...
We started our Adventure on Friday night -
We headed over Diane's apartment in the evening. We cooked, we had a lovely glass on wine, we eat some delicious noshy food and we discussed what we were going to do for the remainder of the weekend. She informed us that on Saturday we were going to joined by a lovely lady, Carla, who wished to do the class for 1 day while she was in Rome. After discussing the amazing food that we would be preparing over the weekend...we went home to get rest and be ready for the next day.
On Saturday we met at
Campo de' Fiori - daily this piazza host many local merchants selling everything from fresh vegetables and local spices to sweaters and housewares. The market opens early in the morning and closes by 2pm daily.
 |
| Local Farm stand... |
 |
| Carla, Tom and Diane - after our shopping spree... |
We met up at 9:30 in the morning to see and shop for the wonders of food that awaited us.
Diane explained that the shops around the markets usually carry the best and freshest bread, cheese, meat and fish... We stop in at, purchased from and sampled many wonderful local goods.
- The bakery was our first stop...it was packed - the main shop is pretty small and the 'forno' (oven) area was exposed through big glass doors - so we watched the 'panettieri' (bakers) making wonderful pizza bianco (simple pizza dough flat bread - amazingly popular here in Rome).
- Because we just started our day and we already shopped at one store - it was time to take a break and have caffe (coffee or cappucino). It was just the pick-me-up needed to continue our shopping extravaganza!
- Next we walked the market for fresh produce and spices. Diane entertainingly explained what to look for and how to shop with the local vendors. I must say it was a 'very Italian' experience. We picked up fresh tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants, lemons, and lovely herbs.
- Lastly, we stopped into the cheese store, the cured meat store, and at the fish-monger. Samples were plentiful but the bags were starting to get heavy - so back to the apartment for some cooking!
When we got back to the apartment - an Asian man was waiting for us. His English was not great but he wanted to join our group for the day. Diane explained to him that we only had purchased enough food for us for that day - she asked if he would like to come back to join us on Sunday. He agreed and on Sunday we were joined by Achi ('Ah-chee'). Again we had a great time - but I must say they were long days and when Tom and I returned home we were beat!
Here is a little sample of our days...
Once back at the apartment it was time for aprons, prep, and cooking!
 |
| Tom all Aproned out... |
 |
| Ron too... |
We all had our stations and were all given jobs to do...leading to an amazing lunch!
We were joined by Diane's Grandson Alex - but he too had to work for his meal!
 |
| Carla & Tom prepping... |
 |
| Ron, Carla, Alex & Diane... |
Now, let's get to the menu (for both Saturday and Sunday):
- Lemon-flavoured Meatballs (Polpettine)
- A Fresh Tomato Sauce
- Linguine with tuna, lemon & rocket (Linguine al tonno, limone e rughetta)
- Osso Buco
- Yeast Fritters with pizza flavouring (Pettole alla pizzaiola)
- Zucchini Risotto (Risotto di courgette)
- Tagliatelle with Bolognese Sauce (Tagliatelle alla Bolognese)
- Seabass in "mad water" (Spigola in Acqua Pazza)
- Chicken with Black Olives (Pollo con le Olive)
- Tagliolini with Smoked Salmon (Tagliolini al Salmone)
- Eggplant Timbales with Tomato & Basil Sauce (Sformatino di Melanzane)
- Spaghetti with artichokes (Spagetti al carciofo)
- Ricotta fritter (Frittelle di ricotta)
- And some wonderful Local Wines!
I know it sounds like a lot but it's pretty standard for Italian meals! It is the menu for 2 days!
Everything was delicious and the little insights passed along by Diane were invaluable!
As a follow-up to our cooking class we had such a wonderful time with Diane. We invited her over for Cosmos (one of her favorite drinks - but hard to find in Italy). She came over on a Friday evening and we eat, drank, and swapped stories even more! After the evening she was kind enough to invite over her place next time. Not the apartment in Rome but a little place she has outside Rome - it is the guest quarters on the property of a Barons Palace... Wow - what fun that will be!
We will definitely keep in touch with Diane and wish her a safe and happy trip to India!
On the Homefront -
- The snow is melting but we are expecting more snow this weekend.
- Our first Guests for 2012 arrive at the end of this month - let the fun begin!
- Italian lessons are going well - I understand when people talk to me but still have an issue responding properly in Italian (very self-conscious).
- The Expats group is still a lot of fun - and the people we meet are all very kind.
 |
| Ron, Fabio, Sandra & Robert! |
For this posting I am going to sign off!
I would like to wish my brother Gene a Buon Compleanno (Happy Birthday) on the 11th!
As always - we want to send our love and best thoughts to all!
Abbracci a tutti!
Ron & Tom
