Around Italy In 80 Days……
Well, since writing my last blog entry back in february things have been a bit hectic to say the least! It may be a slight exaggeration but I do feel as if I has travelled around the world in 80 days! To be exact, over the past few months I have been travelling back and forth to Italy all in the name of research for my new recipe book. It has been a rollercoaster ride of travelling, cooking, madly writing down recipes, researching new areas and doing photography and, even thought it has been hard work, I have loved every minute of it. I have been so lucky to visit some incredible places such as Rome, Tuscany, Naples, Bari, Parma and Ravenna and I have met the most fascinating people. To top off the ‘travelling theme’ the lovely organisers of the South African Gourmet wine and food festival invited Giancarlo and I out to Cape Town to take part in their cookery demonstrations. So it has been a busy few months and apologies that this blog has been a long time coming.
I also have some really good news in that we have decided to go ahead with our cookery school in Tuscany in October for 2 weeks, so those mad dashes to the market won’t be missed! We are renting the beautiful Castello Gabbiano, makers of the lovely Tuscan wine, just south of Florence. There are still some rooms left on the second week but week one is sold out. More details on the main site www.caldesi.com.
This was one of my first trips of the year - to see the castle and cook for some journalists. The kitchen is medieval and no longer used as working place (until we descend upon it in October). This means there is no whisk, no cooking pans to speak of and only a beautiful marble table to work on. However Giancarlo and I are used to thinking on our feet and soon used a lonely frying pan to bake bread, his fingers to whip up egg white (apparently his grandmother always did it that way, pw1959 (pre-whisk)) and Parmesan shavings replaced Parmesan gratings (lack of grater) on the homemade pasta. It was a baptism of fire in front of such discerning guests but we ate in the fabulous dining area overlooking the lawns of the castle gardens. Each course matched a Gabbiano wine starting with Gorgonzola Dolce and Endives with the Rose, Tuscan Ragu made with the local Chianina beef and their Belleza, Sea bass with fennel and Pinot Grigio, Duck with Cherries and finally Poached Pears in Chianti.
It gave us a good opportunity of working there and now I have a list as long as my arm of things to take with us in October. We are becoming a mobile cookery school, have box of tricks, will travel - or in this case have castle, will cook!