Food was the focus of our last full day in Tuscany. As Chef Ryan says with a smile, “Would you like to cook some delicious food, have fun and learn new recipes while drinking some great wines?” YES! Kelly had made arrangements for a Tuscan culinary class with Chef Ryan. Chef Ryan is an American, graduated from the California Culinary Institute in San Francisco about 12 years ago. During his internship in Tuscany he met his now wife, Debra, and returned after graduation. The class is conducted in his home kitchen, and is limited to small groups of friends or families.
We had great expectations of eating some of the best pasta dishes in the world in Italy. In reality our experience so far has been mixed. While we had some wonderful and unusual dishes, we’ve also had some not so great. One stinker of a dish was prepared by Mama herself, in the kitchen of a highly rated restaurant, which gave us pause to trust Mamas for great food (Roselie did manage to get a photo of her at work – she’s real). So needless to say, we were revved up for some great food with Chef Ryan– and we were not disappointed.
Arriving at Chef Ryan’s home.
Our workplace for the afternoon.
After meeting him at the local bar, we followed him to his home where we met the rest of his family including two dogs. First up was a talk about the dishes we were going to prepare:
Chef Ryan explaining the dishes we are about to prepare.
Appetizers:
Chicken Liver Pate – Tuscan Style
Homemade Ricotta
Stuffed Tomatoes with Rice
Panzanella
Zucchini Flan
Main Dishes:
Pici Pasta
Tuscan Ragu
Tagliata with Arugula, Grana, Tomato, Fresh Red and Green Peppercorns
Dessert:
Chocolate Lava Cake
Balsamic Glaze Gelato
Ah, this looks like a lot of work, doesn’t it?
Lets keep in mind that I’m the Sous Chef in this kitchen!
He had assembled most of the ingredients for each dish, with the exception of fresh vegetables and herbs which we picked from his garden. It gave us the chance to not only pick, but also eat some harvest right from the garden. We also ‘met’ some other members of his extended ‘family’ : his chickens – four egg layers, and three ready to become a meal, two goats which he hoped would mate so he would have fresh goat milk, and a couple of ducks whose days were numbered.
Alex and Erin made the Pici pasta.
Bill was recruited to make the most complex dish – Tuscan Ragu
Kelly is making the Lava Cake and Zucchini Flan, while Roselie made the Ricotta, Gelato, and Stuffed Tomatoes
Ryan delivers the Pancetta for me to use in the Liver Pate.
Each of us were given an apron and assigned one or two dishes, depending on complexity. Throughout the preparation time he would show us how to perform some of the steps, best techniques, or how to use the various tools. He also introduced us to a few unusual Italian ingredients such Vin Santo, Magic Sage & Rosemary salt, and Limoncello. As a side note, Biscotti should never be dipped in coffee, only Vin Santo or ‘Holy Wine’. I’ve been doing it wrong all these years because Starbucks doesn’t serve Vin Santo with their biscotti.
Bill’s Tuscan Ragu is coming together nicely.
Making pasta is like playing with PlayDough.
I’m still surprised how Ryan and Debra could flitter among all of us to make sure we stayed on course and out of trouble, such that everything would come together at the right time. The second we were through using a pan or tool, Debra was cleaning and getting it ready for the next person. The preparation time was about four hours. This gave us plenty of opportunity to taste some of his local Tuscan wine.
Chianina steak.
During one of the times we were ‘resting’ some dishes, we mentioned that we had not seen any livestock in traveling through Tuscany countryside – cows, goats, sheep, etc. We saw many fields growing corn for feed or fuel, but no animals. Ryan explained that the beef used in the Tagliata dish is from the unique, Tuscan Chianina cattle, which are generally restricted to barns or small fenced-in areas, so we would not find herds grazing in the fields. This breed of cattle are monsters in size – as tall as 6 foot 7 inches, weighing up to 3,500 pounds, and white in color. While they were historically used as draught animals, today they are raised primarily for meat. One of the top, signature dishes in Florence, the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, uses this steak. The meat is very light in color, like pork, rather than the beef color we are used to. The steaks are cut very thick (1 to 3 inches), and no chef will ever agree to cook it beyond medium-rare. We never did get to see a live Chianina cow.
Appetizers: Clockwise starting at 12 o’clock – Panzanella, Chicken Liver Pate, Zucchini Flan, Stuffed Tomatoes, and Ricotta.
Tuscan Ragu tossed with Pici pasta.
The Chianina steak prepared Tagliata with Arugula, Grana, Tomato, Fresh peppercorns.
Chocolate Lava cake and Gelato for dessert.
Once, we finished preparing all the dishes, we plated the appetizers and then sat down in their quaint, rustic dining room. A beautiful setting. Ryan and Debra served up the rest of the courses, which were absolutely delicious. A wonderful and memorable afternoon and evening!
Our dining room is set up,
Should I take photos or eat? Lets eat!
These appetizers are amazing! We’re such good cooks.
Finishing up with a glass of Lemoncello.
We’ve been talking about the various dishes everyday, and can’t wait to get home to make them again. This was fun!
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