Cooking at the Villa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com Cooking classes and wine tours in Verona Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:47:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7.1 en hourly 1 Marian Chaillet http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/marian-chaillet/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/marian-chaillet/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:47:53 +0000 adminluisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=427 Ciao Luisa,

Thank you very much for the additional recipes. Whilst in Verona, I had an apron made reading Pasta di Mamma :) All we need to do now is get an pasta machine and we’re off!
We had a blast cooking with you at your beautiful home, thanks again!
Brgds,

Marian

]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/marian-chaillet/feed/ Susan + Susan and Enno http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/susan-susan-and-enno/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/susan-susan-and-enno/#comments Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:38:27 +0000 adminluisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=420 Hi Luisa

We are home safe and sound now after a spectacular vacation. As promised here are some pictures.

Take care,

Susan

enno-susan-susan

salute-susan-susan-enno

]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/susan-susan-and-enno/feed/ Brady Johnson http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/brady-johnson/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/brady-johnson/#comments Thu, 14 Jul 2011 17:05:52 +0000 luisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=391 Hi there Luisa. cooking_johnson

This is Brady Johnson, my grandfather and I were at your place in Verona taking a cooking class with you a few weeks ago. I am sorry that I have not emailed you sooner, I have been quite busy. I really wanted to thank you for such a great experience! I never in my lifetime thought I would actually hand make ravioli!
Funny story: If you remember, I took the leftover ravioli that we had made, and I brought it back to the apartment that my parents and boyfriend and I were staying in. This was on a Saturday. The next day, Sunday, My step dad had planned to go out early in the morning to the closest bakery to pick up breakfast before we all went to Lake Garda. Little did we know that Sundays are basically holidays over there! Everything was closed, not even a little grosser store was open! We all did not know what to do and didn’t even know if the buses would be running! Everyone was getting quite hungry, so I saved the morning by whipping up those leftover raviolis! :)
Now that I know how to make the ravioli, I was wondering if it would be too much trouble for you to Email me the Pumpkin Ravioli recipe? I would love and appreciate that a lot.
We had a wonderful time and I will never forget it. It was such a nice intimate place to be too, that was nice because My grandfather and I don’t always have that special quiet time with each other. So thank you very much! I hope if you are ever on the east coast of the states you will come to stay at our bnb.
Thank you, Brady
]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/brady-johnson/feed/ Mike Ethridge http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/mike-ethridge/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/mike-ethridge/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:03:44 +0000 luisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=361 Hi Luisa
We are still talking about our trip to Italy and how much fun we had. We all agree that cooking with you was the most fun! I have a question for you regarding pizza. What is the trick to get thin crust? We’ve made the dough ourselves and we’ve bought it but it comes out thick everytime. Any idea what we’re doing wrong?

Thanks Luisa

]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/mike-ethridge/feed/ Janet Matthews http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/janet-matthews/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/janet-matthews/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 15:00:04 +0000 luisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=357 Dear Luisa,

Hayley and I would like to thank you for a wonderful weekend, the wine tasting, the trip to the villiage and the cooking lesson was amazing.

We talked about it and Verona all the way home on the flight.

Hayley  -  not stopped talking about it.

Will email photo’s soon.

Please send information on the apartment at Lake Garda.

Lots of Love

Janet Matthews

]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/janet-matthews/feed/ Elena Willets and friends http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/351/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/351/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:38:00 +0000 luisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/351/ Elena Willets and friends

Hi Luisa!  We’re back in the states but our hearts are still with you in your kitchen.

I wanted to explain about not seeing you at Masi, per our last phone conversation.
Thanks so much for arranging our tasting at Serego Aligheri - it was very nice
although the girl who conducted it was a bit curt.
I tried calling to book the tasting at Masi, but had no luck getting through, for some reason.
As it turned out, we were not able to get there in the morning anyway, but sorry we didn’t
get to see you.
I’d like to post something on your guestbook, along with some pictures, but I’m not
sure exactly how to go about it.  Shall I just send another email, with the photos attached?
Mike & Tracey have sent us pictures of their asparagus-filled ravioli, which they made in Florida
after they got back.  We just got a pasta machine for here in Arizona, with which we made
squash-filled ravioli, and fettucini.  I’ll make the stuffed zucchini blossoms for a party here on
Sunday, and then we will go to Colorado for the summer.  So you see we are using your lessons
and recipes well!
Hope all is going well for you there — Thanks again for everything!  I’m going to search for you
on Facebook — please “Friend” me — we have a lot of fun on there, and a lot of my pictures are
there now.
Ciao and Mille Grazie — Elena Willets
]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/351/feed/ Verona links on opera and events http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/verona-news-and-more-info/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/verona-news-and-more-info/#comments Sat, 09 Jul 2011 13:15:51 +0000 luisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=342 Verona offers information on events directly from its office located in the Arena square and through this useful link http://www.tourism.verona.it/_vti_g2_evHi.aspx?rpstry=31_

Follow this link http://www.arena.it/en-US/HOMEen.html for a full calendar on the summer opera season.ponte-castelvecchio1

]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/verona-news-and-more-info/feed/ Carnival’s arriving http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/carnivals-arriving/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/carnivals-arriving/#comments Sun, 27 Feb 2011 18:31:20 +0000 luisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=328 Carnival’s arriving…
This year March 8 marks both Women’s day and Mardi Gras.
Women’s day was decreed in 1910 in memory of 129 women workers who died in 1908 in a fire inside the factory after days of strike in which they had asked for better working conditions.
The carnival in Verona as we experience it nowadays roots back in medieval times: in 1531 after a big famine Tommaso Da Vico ordered to feed the people from the neighborhood of San Zeno, the poorest and most populated in Verona, bread, wine, flour and cheese on the Friday before Mardi Gras of every year. He also ordered the same to be done after his death. From then on that Friday is a day of celebration and feast; cooking special dishes like gnocchi and fritters is a special tradition on that day .

On the same day and on Mardi Gras Verona celebrates its carnival with long parades throughout the city; allegorical wagons are accurately prepared the months proceeding the event; the typical masks of all the neighborhoods of Verona will stroll in their lively costumes throwing candies and making jokes. In any Veronese table on that Friday gnocchi with tomato sauce will be served. Carnival fritters, called “galani” are sold in any bakers and café during the same period.
Here is my way to make these crispy and light carnival delicacies.
“GALANI” – CARNIVAL FRITTERS
Ingredients for making about 40 pieces
2 whole eggs
1 cup white unbleached flour
1,1/2 cup whole wheat plus extra for dustinggalani2
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of grappa
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
Oil for frying
Confectioner sugar
In a large bowl scramble the eggs with sugar, salt, grappa, cream and melted butter.
Incorporate the two flours as if you were making pasta.
Make a soft dough, yet not sticking to your hands. Add more flour if so.
Transfer dough to a floured board and knead until nice and smooth, about 8 minutes.
Wrap and let sit ½ hour or more.
Lay your surface with a table cloth, secure the pasta machine to one edge.
Take a small chunk of dough, sprinkle with flour and process through the gears, from thick all the way to the thinnest. Lay the strip on the table and cut diagonally with a serrated pasta cutter, into pieces about 2-3 inches long.
Meantime heat a large pot filled with peanut oil or extra virgin olive oil or a mixture of both (they are quite stable and have a high smoke point .
When the oil has reached 150° C, about 300° F. deep the pasta pieces and fry briefly, about a minute per side. Drain well. Proceed with the remaining pasta (you may need someone to help at this point). Sprinkle with abundant confectioner sugar and stack up on a tray.
“Galani” can keep fresh and edible up to 4 days but I assure that they will be gone immediately!
Enjoy!

]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/carnivals-arriving/feed/ Rice fair in Isola della Scala-Verona http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/rice-fair-in-isola-della-scala-verona/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/rice-fair-in-isola-della-scala-verona/#comments Thu, 09 Sep 2010 14:33:43 +0000 luisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=299 The Rice Fair - September 15 - October 10, 2010
The Rice Fair of Isola della Scala is at its 44th edition and once again it proves to be the greatest event in this field, as testified by these figures: 500,000 visitors and 350,000 portions of risotto supplied.
The several meetings arranged in Europe during last years showed the relevance that Rice Fair has gained and is still gaining abroad: Ente Fiera was hosted by the European Parliament in Brussels and by the Iberic Conference on Rice, in Spain………..
http://www.fieradelriso.it/default.aspx?l=EN
]]> http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/rice-fair-in-isola-della-scala-verona/feed/ Regional cooking http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/regional-cooking/ http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/regional-cooking/#comments Mon, 19 Jul 2010 12:46:30 +0000 luisa http://www.cooking-at-the-villa.com/?p=292 REGIONAL COOKING NOW AVAILABE

Cooking Sicilian

The food from the island of Sicily is in my view is one of the best. It varies  a lot like in any other region in Italy, depending on the vicinity to the sea, inland, mountain and so on. What’s better than pasta alla norma to start with or friselle, a specil bread soaked in water and vinegar and seasoned with anchiovies, fresh tomatoes and freh basil.
Not to mention Cassata siciliana made with fresh ricotta and candied fruit ( my favourite dessert for Easer), a Siclian Christmas delicacy.

Cuisine from Apulia

Apulia, Puglia located south east of Italy streteching down to Calabria all on the Adriatic sea, Ionio.
Preparations from Apulia have an impressive mark which is the wonderful olive oil of which the region is a great produce.
Pasta made only with semolina flour and water, like orecchiette is the most representative. It ingredients and fresh vegetble sauces make it a hit in any table.

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