Last evening was our final cooking class for this trip. It was, as best as I can express, purely heartwarming. We dined with friends and family and family of friends that share only the common language of good food. People we have not seen for two years welcomed us back like long lost family; we saw little bambinos that have added two years since we last saw them and now the kids are a help in the kitchen; we shook hands and hugged like we were welcomed home. The night was full of laughs; rolling cavatelli; drying out after a cross-town sprint in a down pour; crowding around a packed kitchen; sips of local wine and great, big, belly laughs. We are all painfully aware that our journey is soon coming to an end. We stayed off the tears, for now, by wrapping ourselves in a collective blanket of smiles and spoon-fed love.
Pounding chicken cutlets, later to be breaded and pan-fried.
Peeling local figs for fig and cream tart. Yes, it really is that good!
A quiet moment to soak up the kitchen activity
Cutting 'creme' - little strips of custard that are then breaded and fried, served hot and consumed by the handful.
A traditional, regional speciality: green olives (grown in the next over from here) stuffed with sausage then breaded and fried.
Hand rolling cavatelli... very much a multi-person operation
Sauce for the cavatelli: Fresh tomatoes, basil, olive oil, smoked scamorza and love
The finished crema and olives after frying
The crew with some of our old friends and new
No comments:
Post a Comment