Cooking With Judy

Words of the Day: "Secret Ingredients"

 

We started our day by picking up Judy and driving to the village where her cooking studio is located, Colle del Velsa.  Then we started shopping for our ingredients for what we were going to make for lunch.  One of the stops was at a butcher shop for our meat.  We found out that the pigs raised for this shop are right up the hill from our villa apartment - so we decided on pork.  In the picture, they are just cutting into a piece of prosciutto - meat that is salted/herbed and hung to dry for at least 18 months.

Once we got back to Judy's studio kitchen, we collected our main ingredients. The vegetables in the picture are from Judy's assistant, Erika's farm.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                             Erika and I got some "bonding time" when we left Judy, Aunt Wende and Uncle Patrick in the butcher shop and we ran around the village to get some other items we needed for lunch. She speaks pretty good English, and being about the same age, we managed to figure out EXACTLY what each other meant. I'm hoping she comes with Judy to America one year, I would love to see her on the other side of the Atlantic too. In the picture, we are holding zucchini flowers that Erika picked that morning for our class - as they are in season right now.

                                                                                                                                                           















Judy was teaching us the difference between the tomatoes Italians eat in salads and the ones they use to make sauce.  She showed us how few seeds, water and air pockets there are in one of the types of tomatoes they use in sauce - it's almost all meat.  We are going to try and find seeds for this type of tomato while we are here and see if I can grow any at home.  I know the climate and soil is different - but these things are amazing- so I'm going to give it a try.

 

 Ingredients are prepped - it's time to cook. Judy put me to work right away.

 

 

Here is our stuffed zucchini flowers in progress - stuffed with fresh ricotta cheese - and cooking on top of our homemade sauce.

 

And here is a picture of our pork dish in progress -which I can't wait to make for my family!  I have sworn Aunt Wende to secrecy about the two secret ingredients.  (Dad - you HAVE to try this - I know you'll love it.)

 

For desert - homemade olive oil ice cream!

I knew the food was going to be different over here, but I had no idea how amazing everything would taste - what DO they do to it? 

Panzano in Chianti Day

Words of the Day: "Meat" Dario

My first full day in Italy started with meeting Aunt Wende and Uncle Patrick's friend, Judy. When they told me I would learn a lot more when she is with us - they weren't kidding.  Judy is an Italian life coach, teaches cooking classes, blogs, is an Italian food author and is publishing a Chianti region app in a few weeks - and is just fun to be around!  Breakfast was at one of her favorite pastry shops.

Oh - Judy takes great photos, too!  That IS a picture of our breakfast pastries.  And yes, they were even better tasting than they look in the picture.  The whipped cream is different than whipped cream at home- I can't describe it - so I'll just say it taste amazing.  Next stop - a pretty village called Panzano in Chianti. 

It was market day - the day the "stores" come to the village on carts/trucks which happens once a week. You can buy anything from hair clips to hand-made wooden utensils made from the wood from olive trees.

 

 

 

 

 After a little shopping at the market- it was off to Dario's for lunch- the main reason for our drive to Panzano.  Dario is a famous butcher who (as typical in Tuscany) uses the entire animal - the ENTIRE animal.  Judy told me that hundred of years ago the steaks and main parts of a cow were for the wealthier classes, so the pheasants made do with the left-over parts of the animal.  Those traditional recipes, Dario still uses today.

We ate in his Solociccia (only meat) restaurant.   

 But first, since Judy is good friends with Dario we got a "back door" tour.

Check out these steaks, Dad!

Mom, how long do you think it would Dad to cook these?  LOL

 

We had a 10-course lunch that was served family-style where we sat with others at a table with about 18 people.  This picture is of ground meat served almost "sushi" style (raw) with rosemary and olive oil. Now, I normally wouldn't eat my meat this way...but I thought Dario knew what he was doing since he family has been in this business for hundreds of years.  I also tried cow face  -yes - cow face - I TOLD you they eat every part of the cow - they don't waste one thing.  Everyone agreed with me when I decided that the cow face tasted like the white part of a hard-boiled egg - cooked protein. 

The meal took about 2 1/2 hours - a typical Italian sit down meal.  They are not in a hurry and really enjoy taking their time and talking with their friends and family. 

After lunch, it was back to the butcher shop to say good-bye to Dario.  Dario is a BIG hugger.  Aunt Wende and Judy warned me that he would hug me - but it was really a surprise to both of them when he picked me up behind his butcher's counter!  Uncle Patrick said that in this case, I was picked up by an Italian-man and there was nothing he could do about it - haha!  It was an a great afternoon - and definitely a party-atmosphere in his shop where he gives everyone free wine and food (I had lard with herbs on bread), he has his favorite music playing, and the party just spills out into the small street in front of his shop.

 

 

Good-bye, Dario's and Panzanon Chianti :-(

 

(You see these signs each time you leave a village or town.)

 

Next stop...Chianti Cashmere Goat Farm.

A beautiful farm in the village of Radda in Chianti - where I did pick up some cashmere yarn to make something when I return home.

 

Last stop of the day - the village of Volpaia. where we sat in the small piazza and had a drink to cool off on a very hot 100 degree day.  It was a VERY full first day in Italy - I'm ready for more.

 

The Longest Day

Word of the Day:  Tower...as in, I'm staying in one!

 

We arrived in Rome 30 minutes early - thank goodness - as this has been the longest day of my life!  I tried to sleep on the plane -but nope - not one minute.  So, after our 3 hour drive from the Rome airport to our first stop - we are all exhausted.

 

Aunt Wende and Uncle Patrick are staying in a villa apartment that only has one bedroom, so their friend Paola - who owns the villa and apartments - is letting me stay at her house on the same property.  Not only am I staying with her, but I'm staying in a TOWER, of my very own.

 

The view from my private tower - amazing.

 

 

The view, the experiences I have had in just one day, and the people I have met so far makes the longest day of my life getting here worth it.

Beautiful, beautiful, Italy.

 

 

Indiana to Rhode Island

Word of the Day:  Finally!

The first leg of my trip has begun - with luggage that is FULL and with an easy to see design. LOL

First stop....Indianapolis airport with Mom (and Grandma).

Second Stop...a flight to Providence, Rhode Island, where Uncle Patrick was waiting for me.

 

FINALLY we are in Washington, DC waiting for our final flight to Rome.  We are all happy and READY!

Getting Ready

Word of the Day...Plethora - as in my "overabundance" and plethora of other items waiting to be packed in my suitcase!

 
 There are certain things a girl just NEEDS to have with her...like choices of what to wear.

Besides packing, I have been studying the Vatican and its art from this book my Aunt and Uncle sent me, as we are going on a 5-hour tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica while we are in Rome.  My one and only request was to see the Sistine Chapel; hard to believe I will be standing under it very soon.

 

My Aunt Wende travels a lot by plane for work, and pleasure - I just have one more question for her.

 

Bo wants to know if they allow dogs inside suitcases?  He says if I remove some of the "plethora" of items from this suitcase, it will close. 

 Sorry, Bo - it's a no.

 

Before...

I'm Abby's Aunt Wende.  This will be only one of two blog posts from me...the rest will be from Abby.  Like Abby, I grew up in rural Indiana. During my 16th summer, I had an amazing opportunity to visit eight countries in Europe with 11 other high school students in an exchange show choir program.  We stayed with families at night, welcomed into homes so very different than ones in America (one was even a working windmill-home in Holland).  That first trip to Europe, so far away from Indiana, made such an impact on my life; some ways only becoming apparent decades later, some apparent immediately upon arriving back home. It's Abby's turn.

Art is Abby's passion - art education her current career choice, and there isn't a better country than Italy as a living art classroom.  Abby is a gentle spiritual soul, but is sensible and mind-strong beyond her twenty years.  I'm confident she will learn things about herself that will surprise her, please her and possibly confuse her...but all of it will be good. 

I think once everyone reaches a certain age they wish they could go back and talk to a younger version of themself...to give warnings, advice or a reality check.  I'm so excited to take Abby to Italy, to explore things from her viewpoint and have an opportunity to just possibly catch a glimpse of that 16 year old girl so long ago in Italy through the eyes of a twenty year old.