(Part 9 in a series. Previous installments can be found earlier in this blog, or in the Archives section)
Sorry about the long gap since the last chapter, but things have been busy. Anyway, day 5 of the Italy by Vespa tour dawned bright and warm, and after our customary coffee and pastries at the corner cafe in Radda, we saddled up our matching red Vespas and headed out to the little town of Villa a Sesta, where we were going to enjoy one of the highlights of the Tour, a cooking class at La Bottega del 30.
La Bottega del 30 (literally translated, The Shop of 30; the name comes from the address of a fabled old Italian bordello) is considered one of the finest restaurants in Tuscany. After a long ride though the lovely Tuscan countryside, we arrived at La Bottega del 30 and were greeted by Sonia, a lovely woman who is the assistant to the Chef. She took us on a tour of the restaurant, which included the cellar. When Chef Helena Stoquelet and her husband Franco Camelia bought the property, the cellar was full of debris and had to be excavated. At the end of the subterranean room was a bricked over doorway. Sonia told us that it probably led to another cellar, but they hadn't had the time or inclination to break through the masonry to see what lay beyond. Given the colorful history of the region, and the age (150+ years), one could only imagine what mysteries lay in that hidden chamber, to be revealed at a future time!
Returning to the kitchen, we were each given beautiful matching aprons (which would be ours to keep as souvenirs) that were embroidered with the Italy by Vespa logo and the black rooster crest of Chianti. Having suited up, we met Chef Helena. Chef Helaine , a frenchwoman, first came to Italy to teach english, where she met her husband, Franco. They opened La Bottega del 30, and between the restaurant and the cooking school, have been very successful ever since.
Under Chef Helena's direction, we promptly got to work. This was not one of those cooking classes where you sit and watch a chef prepare a dish. Chef Helena was going to show us how to cook an authentic multi-course Italian meal, and we'd be doing all the work! While a couple of us set to chopping tomatoes for a bruschetta topping, others prepared a cauliflower mold, and another team got busy on the tiramisu. Chef Helena circulated among the stations, demonstrating a technique here, offering advice there.
After a fashion, we took a break, and adjourned to an outdoor dining area and enjoyed a wonderful selection of Tuscan meats, breads, cheeses, and plenty of wine. After our break, we returned to the kitchen to finish setting up our dishes, and to learn how to make fresh pasta by hand. The hardest part is learning how to knead the pasta dough to the right consistency (I'm sure glad I have a Kitchenaid stand mixer to do this work at home!). Tess demonstrated a rather dynamic method of kneading pasta where she put her whole body into it, prompting Dr. Maurizio to ask "are you making pasta or doing gym?"
Finally, it was time to plate our courses, and we returned to the dining 'room' to enjoy our dinner, which consisted of:
Antipasti - Wild boar proscuitto with two kinds of salami, cheeses topped with onion jam or honey, and bruschetta topped with tomatoes.
Primi-Cauliflower mold served with fresh fettucine and pomodoro sauce.
Dolce-Our homemade tiramisu.
And of course, lots more excellent Italian wine!
During our day at La Bottega del 30, I let it slip that I do caricatures, and Chef Helena promptly fetched drawing paper and a pen and asked if I could do a cartoon of her. Here's the sketch I made of Chef Helena and our group:
Chef Helena was so pleased, she presented me with an autographed chef's toque! All too soon, our visit was over, and we mounted our Vespas and left the village of Villa a Sesta for home. That evening, we enjoyed a late dinner at Pizzeria Michele. We were astonished at how flavorful these pizzas were. The crusts were impossibly thin, and sparingly topped. This was a dramatic counterpoint to the 'everything-but-the-kitchen-sink' approach most American pizzerias take (think Northlake Pizza). Particularly enjoyable was a dessert pizza topped with a little bit of Nutella (hazelnut spread) and whipped cream.
We are very excited because tomorrow is our long range riding day; we will be going to Siena!
Today's gift: An 'Italy by Vespa' - logo wheelie tote bag (very handy for carrying all the gifts we have received on this trip!)
Coming next:Target for today: Siena, and watch out for the vipers!
Photos: Tess Brown
