This week has been another full and productive week as I’ve been learning all that I can and enjoying myself whenever possible.
Starting out slow, I only had an Italian lesson Monday as our cooking lesson was moved to Thursday because the kitchen was having some electrical issues.
Quickly ramping up on Tuesday, I had both an Italian lesson and field trip. We went to an agriturismo (which is basically a villa turned eatery experience) called Fattoria di Galica e Vetrice where the class had lunch then toured their winery and olive oil factory. It was a cool experience and both the wine and olive oil were very high quality and authentic, and also all organic, an added bonus.
Wednesday we had an Italian lesson and cooking lesson with chef Julio, again making Mediterranean style food. We made monkfish wrapped in zucchini flowers and covered in cream sauce, cod and potato stuffed pasta covered in scampi sauce and also some grape jam and pepper mustard (but the chef is saving those for our buffet cooking lesson next week).
Thursday we had another Italian lesson and a cooking lesson in express cooking, which was different from most of our previous classes. We made spaghetti carbonara and some penne pasta with a simple tomato sauce, but it was different because we each prepared ingredients to make it on our own, then after chef Francesco showed us, we did it on our own, as opposed to each of us doing a little part of one dish. We also made pork tenderloin with potatoes and red wine cookies for dessert.
Friday we had training in a local restaurant, Trattoria Mario, where we were shown the daily prep and life inside a typical restaurant in Florence. They then served us a delicious meal which consisted of a little bit of everything they had to offer, including papa pomodoro, Tuscan beans, pasta with bolognese, potato fries fried in olive oil (no ketchup allowed), lampredotto (stomach), beef stew in red wine sauce, Florentine steak and biscotti for dessert.
Saturday, I went to Milan for my day trip of the week. There I saw the Milan Cathedral, the Sforza palace and all the rest of the lavish shops and architecture that adorned the city.
Finally on Sunday, I went to one of chef Francesco’s restaurants in Florence called Rooster Cafe which was a trendy burger bar that served “American” food (like chicken and waffles type stuff). I got the signature burger of the restaurant and it was honestly one of the best burgers I’ve ever had.
All in all, I’ve had a good week, and eaten a lot of good food. Lastly, all you fathers and grandfathers have a wonderful Father’s Day, and until next time
Abbott Springston
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