I had a wonderful time at the cooking class tonight. Seven people in the class. Mike and Ellen from Toronto, Canada; Pam and Denise, from Michigan, Patricia from Texas, Paritosh, (call me PK), a 14 year old boy from India, and myself.
The menu:
Bruschetta con Pomodoro
Pappa con pomodoro
Pici al sugo di carne
Arista di cinta senese con patatine arrosto
Ricciarelli con Vino Santo
Here are some of the photos.
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| On the left, Lella Cesari Ciampoli, the owner and instructor of the cooking school, and to the right, Jackie, English translator and sometimes sous-chef. |
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| Preparing the Pappa con Pomodoro, a tomoato soup with garlic, olive oil, two or three day old bread, and tomatoes. |
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| Lella poking a hole through a pork loin which she will then stuff with herbs - rosemary, sage, parsley, and garlic. |
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| Preparing the dough for fresh Pici, a traditional Sienese pasta, a thick speghetti, but made with only a combination of Yellow semolina, white flour, water and salt. Making the "well" on the counter to form a ball of dough. Knead it for 15 minutes. |
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| Kneading the dough ball. |
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| Hand rolling the dough. |
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| First course: Bruschetta con pomodoro e basilico. Tomatos and basil on grilled bread. |
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| Hand rolled pasta laid out before boiling. |
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| Pici al sugo de carne. (Pici pasta with meat sauce) |
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| Pam and Denise peeling potatos: the start of most good meals. |
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| Mike and Ellen rom Toronto rolling pasta dough. |
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| Ricciarelli: almond cookies eaten with vin santo. |
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| Our group dining of the feast we prepared. Husbands who dropped of their wives joined us for dinner. |
I had the morning and afternoon to myself to go into Siena to explore again. Here are a few pictures from around town.
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| A view of the duomo. There will be pictures of the interior soon. |
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| Piazza di Campo. This is the square where the famous horse races are held every year. |
Tomorrow is a total day to myself. I hope to visit a few museums and poke through some the many art shops. One my favorite souvenirs to purchase are watercolors by local artists from the places I visit.
For now its good night.
Buona notte at tutti.
