To a large extent, peasant Tuscan cuisine is "naturally" vegetarian - a wide variety of cereals, pulses and dairy products means that it's easy to strike a good carbohydrate/protein balance without using textured vegetable protein and the like, while the local fresh fruit and vegetables are bursting with vitamins and minerals.

The dairy products we use on the course are almost all from a local biodynamic farm, which uses a bacterial process to set its cheese (i.e. no animal rennet). The eggs we use are from organic farms in the area, and are as free-range as it gets!

On a typical vegetarian course, you would cook some of the following dishes. These would of course depend on the season: warming vegetable soups with cavolo nero and beans in the autumn, chilled pappa al pomodoro in the summer...

Cooking class 1

• Fresh egg tagliatelle with two sauces:
  zucchini flowers and ricotta,
  basil pesto
• Refreshing Sicilian fennel and orange salad
• Tiramisù

Cooking class 2

• Crostini (canapés):
  melanzane (aubergine/eggplant with wild mint)
  peperoni e caprino (roasted peppers, herbs & goat's cheese)
• Classic bruschetta (garlic, tomato, basil, olive oil)
• Fagioli all’uccelletto (white beans in a tomato and herb sauce)
• Farro (a cereal similar to spelt) salad with tomatoes, mozzarella and basil
• Panna cotta with fruit coulis

Cooking class 3

• Sformati (light vegetable flans, with fennel and artichokes)
• Pappa al pomodoro (summery tomato and bread soup)
• Light aubergine/eggplant croquettes
• Crostata di fragole (custard and strawberry tart)

Cooking class 4

• Crema di peperoni (bell pepper soup)
  
• Risotti (asparagus, radicchio)
  
• 2 seasonal salads
• Ricotta Cheesecake