Tag Archive for: First Courses

Fresh Egg Pasta

Many people who come to our cooking school in Italy feel intimidated by the idea of making pasta from scratch. Once they see how easy and enjoyable it is, they become hooked! Put some music on in your kitchen, and take your time.

Minestrone alla Genovese ~ Silky vegetable soup with basil pesto

This soup is almost too solid to be called a soup. Its flavours are very rich, with the mushrooms and basil really adding a great depth of flavour.

Minestrone ~ Tuscan Vegetable Soup

The distinctive taste of this soup comes from the cavolo nero ("black cabbage"). This has recently been popularized by chefs such as Jamie Oliver and is now available in many farmers' markets.

Pasta with broccoli

This is a quick, healthy and tasty dish originally from southern Italy which has many possible variations (some add anchovies, some boil the broccoli in the pasta water etc).

Zucchini (courgette) and ricotta sauce

The pungency of the garlic and fresh flavor of the basil make this a delicious sauce. The zucchini that we use on our cooking courses in Tuscany are small and light green skinned.

Porcini Sauce for Pasta

Fresh porcini are wonderfully aromatic and just melt in your mouth.

Vegetable-based Tomato Sauce

This is a good alternative to a classic tomato and basil sauce. It has more texture and a more subtle, less tart flavour.Great with potato gnocchi, pasta, or any recipe that calls for a tomato-based sauce.
butter sage sauce

Butter, Cream & Sage Sauce

This sauce is perfect to enhance the subtle flavours of homemade pasta, ravioli and gnocchi.

The classic lasagna

A delicious, filling dish which can satisfy lots of people and be made in advance.

Sugo finto – A meatless ragu

This is a poor man’s meat sauce: the vegetables are cut finely to simulate a ground beef texture and the result is very tasty indeed.