Mi Amici!
One of the hallmarks of our educational trip here to Spoleto is the all-day cooking class with chef Andrea Leonelli at his restaurant, Locanada Rovicciano, in nearby Castel Ritaldi. Each year Andrea teaches them how to make different dishes, though there’s always the making of their own pasta.
Lauren, Corrinne, Andrea and John making pasta
This year, because porcini mushrooms were perfectly in season, they made — of course — porcini ravioli, plated here by Artur, Andrea’s second chef.
Porcini ravioli
In addition they cooked a stew of guinea fowl and vegetables, along with eggplant napoleons; finally, because Corrinne happened to mention she liked pears, and because Andrea happened to have a bowl full of them, he whipped up on the spot a tarte of pears sautéed in pear cognac, served with homemade chocolate squares and homemade cinnamon ice cream. Rest assured, we all got to sit down and enjoy the feast — inside this year, because, sadly, it was raining outside.
Yes, this is a part of the educational mission of the trip: getting students out into a larger world to learn what they can do for themselves. In this case, creating a fabulous repast.
Ciao —
Bret