For a year, I have anticipated and looked forward to attending another cooking class with Pamela Sheldon Johns, during one of her infrequent trips from her home Poggio Etrusco in Tuscany to California.
January 10 arrived and I was ready to make the drive from Long Beach to San Diego, California. I left home at 7.30 am. Traffic is always an unknown factor here and I did not want to be late for the 11.00 start time. The drive was pleasant with only a little light rain in Orange County. I arrived in San Diego at 9.30. I had plenty of time to take a walk around the block and then read an Italian novel in my car. It was warm and sunny. I waited for others to arrive and walked in with them.
Today's class is entitled Tuscan Peasant Cooking
Pinzimonio, crudite with olive oil dip;
Crostini dello Cortile , Crostini topped with organic chicken livers;
Pici Aglione con le Briciole, Hand-rolled pasta with spicy tomato garlic sauce and toasted bread crumbs;
Involtini di Maiale, Pork Rolls Stuffed with Ricotta and Spinach;
Polenta di Mais, Corn Polenta; Baked Pumpkin;
Mele al Forno, Amaretti stuffed Baked Apples
We participants so enjoyed seeing Pamela standing right there in front of us. As is the custom with my Italian family, I brought her flowers. The class location was a beautiful home, with an overlook of Mission Bay.
Holli, our class hostess was still busy at work, even as we arrived. Her fantastic kitchen was perfectly organized, with each recipe's ingredients already set aside. Above, the pasta for Pici waits for its turn to be presented.
A few of Pamela's many books grace the table! The lovely ambiance of this gorgeous home reminds me so much of Italy. The placement of the books and the recipe ingredients all resemble works of art.
The class begins with brief introduction about "Italian" cooking. Really, there is no such thing as Italian cooking. Between 1861 and 1871 the Italian states underwent unification to create the Italy we now know. Even today, each region is loyal to its own recipe versions. The word campanilismo is the Italian word signifying the pride and allegiance to one's own town or bell tower.
Regional cooking is also influenced by its past invaders and its climatic conditions. Today, healthy eating is very important in Italy. Books have been written on olive oil production and how to properly bring the olive to the bottle as oil. In the spring of 2014, Pamela attended a prestigious International EVOO Course at Garda Lake. She is a now an Olive Oil taste expert. She and her husband produce Certified Organic Olive Oil at their Montepulciano estate.
This year, the Italian olive harvest was devastated by both weather and a fly, which lays its eggs inside the olive. Many Italian farmers up and down the peninsula lost their entire crops due to the "worm." Expect the price of olive oil to increase soon.
In Italy as well as in Europe, genetically modified foods (GMOs) are not allowed to be sold. GMOs did help to save lives, but the process has changed the flavor of many foods. Now, instead of eating healthy, we in the USA need to add sauces to make food taste better. It is now legal to purchase Italian non-GMO seeds from the Internet. Organic foods are worth the added expense to stay healthy, in her opinion.
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Crostini dello Cortile
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Pinzimonio with Herbed Salt and Olive Oil
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Pici with Aglione Sauce and Briciole
The commercial version of Pici!
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Briciole
For some dishes, toasted bread crumbs with a bit of herbed salt, takes the place of grated cheese.
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Involtini di Maile
(Pork rolls stuffed with ricotta & spinach)
Start with a pork loin, which is transformed into something beautiful and delicious.
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Polenta and Cicoria in Padella
(Polenta served with Black Kale)
The presentation on this was fabulous! Note the Briciole.
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Fried Sage Leaves
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Zucca al forno
Baked Winter Squash
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Mele al Forno
Baked Apples
~~.~ And then we enjoyed the bounty ~.~~
With a book signing and group picture, we said goodbye.
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