Learning to cook like a true Italian!

Second day of classes went very well!  Learning many of the basic conversation words in Italian. For homework today I had to write a paragraph describing my apartment and friends from home. With my limited vocabulary it was a particularly long paragraph, but I got the job done. I had to use words such as “il parimento” meaning floor,  “il tavolo” meaning table, and “il suffitto” meaning ceiling. I found Italian to be more interesting and helpful while living in Tuscania for few, if any, locals speaks English. I have been enjoying my History class as well, but I am having a very hard to understanding her English. I feel as if I’m hearing end sentences of a paragraph, rather than an entire book. I hope as the weeks go I become more accustomed to the Italian accents when speaking English. Interpreting Italian-English could be a whole course in itself!

Today (and every Tuesday nights to come) I take a cooking class! Tonight’s cooking class is by far my favorite! Who wouldn’t like learning how to cook as the Italians do? I learned how to cook a dish called “Spaghetti alla chitarra all Amatriciana” which is a spaghetti, tomatoes sauce, artichokes, and lamb. I learned how to make handmade spaghetti and let me tell you that is an art from in of itself.  You must first mix two different types of flower together, one is a more yellow colored while the other is a white. You must then make a hole in the center of the flower to crack the eggs into. I then proceeded to knead  the dough for 10-15 minutes. Once completed you must let it rest for 20 minutes before making it into spaghetti form. I also learned how to make a bacon, onion, garlic, and tomato sauce, which was to die for! The bacon here is much thicker, it also reminds me of thin pork chops. The bacon added a lot of flavor and saltiness to the sauce. I also learned how to deep fry artichokes in sunflower oil. I had never eaten an entire artichoke before but it is something I plan to do from now on! Lastly, I learned how to grill lamb chops. You must take the lamb out of the fridge at least 15 minutes before cooking. Before cooking the lamb add a small dash of olive oil to the pan. Once lamb begins to cook you may also add freshly squeezed lemon juice for extra flavor.

A fun fact I learned was you must always cook all foods with regular olive oil versus extra virgin olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil has a lower acidity, where as, regular olive oil has a much higher acidity, making it easier to cook with.  Our teacher Giordano Franci has his own bakery down the street from the school. He offered to have my class over for free baked goods and a tour of this place. I hope it make it over there before next week! He grew up in Tuscania but has lived in London and Southern Italy as well. I look forward to next Tuesday, purely for the cooking class if nothing else!