Our “RESIDENZA” in Firenze is to “TURISMO” just as “COCINANDO” is to “MANGIARE“. Or… if our interpreter Giovanni were to translate, “residence is to tourism just as cooking it to eating.” For we two, living in a country where a family’s recipes are guarded more closely than are their fortunes and regional dishes can cause border conflicts rivaling Russia and The Ukraine… we just had to immerse ourselves in the culture of Italian cooking instead of merely pointing to items on a menu and finishing with a Limoncello.
More specifically, we wanted Italian HOMECooking… because, Amici we’re not opening a Trattoria, we gather around the table with family and friends.
So, we signed up for a two-week turn at the renowned and geographically desirable Florence Culinary Arts School. As of tonight, we just wrapped up our third session with our instructor, Anna. Anna is an expert Napoletano Chef and the great-great-great-great granddaughter to a long line of passionate cooks, farmers, merchants and wine makers from the great city of Napoli.
She and Giovanni are so nice … but they’re also good at keeping us on task. Each session is only four hours long and wraps up each night with a complete 5-course meal put together just as neat, tidy and tasty as one of Anna’s Involtini (stuffed cabbage rolls). It’s just like our REAL family Sunday dinners, except in Florence they send us home with full heart and belly – instead of vice-versey.
🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹 Ciao!
This is our ‘classroom’ & prep area! It’s a bit smaller than home but it’s perfectly cozy and provides us plenty of space to work together. It also forces us to keep or areas clean and organized. “Be sure you bring that practice back to Libertyville, my friend.” Anne says emphatically. Pictured above: Giovanni and Anna explainin to me the importance of putting my scraps into the bin.Anne mixes the sausage and soaked bread to be used for the MEAT Polpete (meatballs). We later made a Melanzane (eggplant) based version for the vegans. Sadly: Ciliacs and Gluten-sensitive diners need not bother with eating either dish. Fried and simmered in pomodoro sauce? Sorry, not sorry. 😉.After decapitating, disemboweling, eye-gouging and castrating these little squid-fellows, we clean and slice them. This isn’t Anna’s favorite bit, she briefly excused herself from the briny smell. It’s not the squid’s fault they smell like fish.Cucina Molto Felice (Happy Cooking!) … and Anna even lets us drink wine while we’re in class. That’s what we call Family-style Dinner.DAY 1: Branzino in Crazy Water. Radicchio/Gorgonzola/ pasta and 2 types of Polpete. You see above pics of both the pasta and antipasti in-process because we forgot pictures of dessert Ricotta Pera and veggie Cauliflower au Gratin. HEALTHY ASIDE: Learning how to prepare these creamy dishes was great… they’re so different than our usual.DAY 2: Bresaola stuffed with a) tuna/cream cheese or b) arugula/cow cheese. Spaghetti con Broccoletti. Potates Siciliano. Chicken Cacciatora and Caprese-style Almond Ciacoletto cake. All good.DAY 3: Homemade pesto on crostini, Pasta Fajoli, Squid w/peas and soffrito, Involtini (stuffed cabbage w/potatoes and 3-cheeses), Crema Pasticcera (ricotta custard)Family-style. Mange e Beve!!
The Brandt Blog 
February 3, 2022 at 14:19
You will cook that squid for us, right?
February 3, 2022 at 15:29
Of course we will! I just hope you’re not disappointed that those nasty offals aren’t part of the finished dish. 😉
February 4, 2022 at 01:22
Thank you very much.
It was a pleasure to meet you.
I wait for you to cook other dishes.
See you soon.