It is common knowledge that one of the most
important, and most famous, aspects of Italian culture is its cuisine. So, it
is only fitting that as students studying here in Italy, we not only learn
about this cuisine and what it means to Italy, but also to learn first-hand how
to make it for ourselves.
In the class Florence for Foodies, a series
of four cooking classes at the Giglio Cooking School in Florence, we have not
only learned how to make a wide variety of different Italian dishes, but we
have also (and thankfully!) been able to eat the fruits of our labors. Everyone
together in the kitchen chopping, boiling, stirring, cooking, baking, and
finally sitting down to eat all together, has made for some of the most fun and
memorable evenings of the quarter.
Our first lesson focused on flour and
gluten, where we learned that gluten is the integral protein of wheat that
keeps the pasta noodle bound together and strong after it is cooked. We also
learned that there are two types of flours: durum wheat semolina (used for
pasta) and tender wheat flours (generally used for cakes and breads.) We got
the chance to make our own fresh pasta, which was surprisingly easier than I
have always believed. All that is required is semolina flour, egg, and salt.
However, it does require a bit of muscle strength to roll out the dough
perfectly, until it is ready to be pressed and cut by the pasta machine. We
made lasagna from scratch with our homemade pasta, layered with béchamel sauce
(a sauce of butter, cream, flour, cheese, and nutmeg) Parmesan cheese, and a
homemade ragu meat sauce. We learned to chop the vegetables for the ragu
incredibly fine, so that they cook down to a puree when added with the tomato
paste and meat.
For dessert, we made an absolutely
incredible and flavorful cake; an olive oil cake flavored with lemon and orange
zest. We tested our skills by making a wine caramel for this delicious cake,
being extra careful as to not burn the sugar and keep the caramel at exactly
108 degrees Celsius. When we finally sat down at the end of the first class to
eat our meal, we were all pretty surprised that we had been able to make
something so delicious absolutely from scratch!
Our second lesson focused on the principles
of The Mediterranean Diet. This diet is known throughout the world as one of
the healthiest diets, rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated
fats. It is full of fish (high in Omega 3s and 6s,) oils, whole grains, and
vegetables, and low in the saturated fats found in animal products. We cooked
spaghetti with clams and zucchini for our first dish, sautéing the zucchini and
cooking the clams in olive oil until they opened. We added the pasta straight
to the sauce so that it would fully absorb “the taste of the sea.”
Our
second course was a dish of “pesce crudo,” or raw fish. Raw fish is commonly
thought of as being a strictly Japanese dish, but this is not the case;
Sicilians have been eating raw fish throughout their history. We prepared and
skinned tuna and sea bass, dressing it with vinaigrette of lemon and orange
juice (from which the acid keeps the fish fresh) and ginger. Served on a bed of
arugula, this fresh and light dish was extremely delicious. Everyone that had
not tried raw fish prior to this class was adventurous, and tasted some for
themselves, and most found they actually liked it! Finally, for dessert, we
made crepes of chestnut flour, filled with fresh cream and ricotta and drizzled
with honey. These crepes had a delicious and unique flavor from the chestnut
flour, and they were not too sweet, as no sugar was added to the filling, which
brought out the natural sweetness from the honey.
Our third lesson was centered on diversity
in Italian cuisine. We prepared pasta with meatballs for our first dish, after
stopping to think whether meatballs are technically an American or Italian
dish. These balls are called “polpettine,” meaning that the balls are the size
of a bite, and not nearly as large as the average Italian-American meatball to
which we are accustomed. In fact, many of typical “Italian” dishes in America
are not found in Italian at all, such as Fettuccine Alfredo, Pepperoni Pizza,
or Chicken Parmesan!
We made our meatballs by rolling pork,
beef, Parmesan cheese, and parsley into small balls and sautéing them in a pan.
To the sauce we added minced carrot, onion, and celery, tomatoes, and a hefty
dose of red wine. In addition to the spaghetti with meatballs, we ate chicken
breasts stuffed with cooked spinach, pine nuts, and Grana Padano cheese, and
cooked in garlic, lemon, and white wine. Cutting the chicken breasts open,
stuffing them, and tying them up with string proved to be quite the process,
but one that lead to a delicious result. Dessert was perhaps the most classic of
all Italian desserts: tiramisu! This was made by soaking lady-finger biscuits
in strong Italian coffee, layering the biscuits with mascarpone cheese and egg
cream, and then adding a final dusting of cocoa powder on top. While
technically a tiramisu needs at least 6 hours to set in the refrigerator, we
made due with 2 hours in the freezer, and it turned out just as sweet, creamy,
and absolutely fabulous.
Our last class focused on vegetarian
cuisine and cooking as a form of education. Food is meant to be nourishing,
nutritious, and fueling for our bodies, and hopefully using ingredients from
local and sustainable sources. These themes were highlighted in the fresh
ingredients we used during this class. We cooked a traditional Sicilian dish
for our first course, Caponata, which was created by Sicilian women to feed
their fisherman husbands as they were out at sea. Because of the vinegar and
sugar added to the Caponata, it can be kept fresh out of the refrigerator for a
few days, so it would not spoil while the men were on their boats. To prepare
the Caponata, we had use all of our arm strength to wring every last drop of
water from the eggplant so that it would not fill with oil when fried. We
sautéed a combination of blanched and cut tomatoes, red onions, olives, pine
nuts, and raisins (a combination of savory and sweet,) later adding fried
eggplant and celery, vinegar, and a bit of sugar. The Caponata was full of
flavor and perfectly cooked.
Our second dish was risotto with
artichokes. We made this risotto without cream or butter, toasting the rice
first in olive oil before letting it absorb vegetable broth so that it would become
creamy. To this we added artichokes, which we had to peel, cut, core, and soak
before cooking them with parsley. We finished our meal with what, in my
opinion, was the best thing we cooked throughout the entire course: poached
pears, cooked in wine, with zabaione. We first poached the pears in a mixture
of red wine, cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey. Then, we made the zabaione, a
challenging sauce of whipped egg yolks, sugar, and white wine. The egg yolks
had to be whipped with the sugar while on heat, but not to the point where they
would get cooked and turn into scrambled eggs! Finally, we dressed the poached
pears with the zabaione and a reduction sauce of the wine mixture, which was
cooked down until it was thick and sweet.
To be able to learn how to make incredible
and authentic Italian dishes, all the way from scratch, and to work together to
make them all come out (if I daresay) perfectly, made it all the more rewarding
when we sat down to eat everything we had cooked. This class was incredibly fun
and quite the bonding experience for all of us students as we spent 2 hours
scurrying around the kitchen, everyone pitching in to make sure every job got
done, all the while progressively getting hungrier as we awaited eating our
feast. However, most importantly, this course gave me an entirely new
appreciation for Italian cuisine. While I have always adored Italian cuisine
and its emphasis on fresh, locally sourced, healthy, unprocessed ingredients as
well as its ability to bring out such amazing flavor from the simple
ingredients, I now have a sense of pride that I too have partaken in the
beloved, upheld traditions known to Italian cooking. Now, I have learned
first-hand that cooking Italian cuisine is so much more than just making a
delicious dinner; it is truly a form of cultural art.
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