Agriturismo-ristorante La Pietriccia: After we left the Etruscan museum, we bussed to a nearby agriturismo farm. This is an organic farm that grows olives, grapes, a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables, as well as raises pigs and chickens.
Stefano, one of the co-owners, spoke to us about the challenges of making money selling organic food. For example, did you know the most affordable extra-virgin olive oil sold in the US which is imported from Italy uses cheap olives actually imported from North Africa? Those olives are often picked by people working for slave wages (if not actual slaves), and then pressed in Italy to release the oil. Olive oil from olives both picked and cold pressed in Italy will start at $30 for a small bottle.
Then, we had a cooking class. Stefano taught us how to make tortelloni, arugula pesto (a delicious lower-fat version with half the normal oil by using ice cubes)—so easy! The recipe appears below. We also made lettuce rolled with zucchini, potato cake, turkey and thyme sausage, ricotta gnocchi, plus a lemon and ricotta tart. Sadly, there are no photos of us cooking or of the food (cell phones are unsanitary in a kitchen). The last photo is our group in our ill-fitting chef’s hats and dashing paper aprons. This was taken right before we sat down to eat the five courses we had prepared. So flavorful and so much fun to cook as a group!
Stefano's Rocket Pesto:
85 g/3 oz arugula (known as rocket salad in Tuscany)
85 g/3 oz peeled almonds (or pistachios or walnuts or pine nuts)
85 g/3 oz. grated pecorino cheese
85 g/3 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add 2-3 ice cubes and blend until pureed. The sauce will be very dense. To limit the amount of fat, you can dilute this pesto with vegetable stock, milk, or water or you can make it richer by diluting it with cream. Use as a condiment for toasted bread or meat or add it as a sauce for pasta or gnocchi.
Stefano, one of the co-owners, spoke to us about the challenges of making money selling organic food. For example, did you know the most affordable extra-virgin olive oil sold in the US which is imported from Italy uses cheap olives actually imported from North Africa? Those olives are often picked by people working for slave wages (if not actual slaves), and then pressed in Italy to release the oil. Olive oil from olives both picked and cold pressed in Italy will start at $30 for a small bottle.
Then, we had a cooking class. Stefano taught us how to make tortelloni, arugula pesto (a delicious lower-fat version with half the normal oil by using ice cubes)—so easy! The recipe appears below. We also made lettuce rolled with zucchini, potato cake, turkey and thyme sausage, ricotta gnocchi, plus a lemon and ricotta tart. Sadly, there are no photos of us cooking or of the food (cell phones are unsanitary in a kitchen). The last photo is our group in our ill-fitting chef’s hats and dashing paper aprons. This was taken right before we sat down to eat the five courses we had prepared. So flavorful and so much fun to cook as a group!
Stefano's Rocket Pesto:
85 g/3 oz arugula (known as rocket salad in Tuscany)
85 g/3 oz peeled almonds (or pistachios or walnuts or pine nuts)
85 g/3 oz. grated pecorino cheese
85 g/3 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic
Put all the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Add 2-3 ice cubes and blend until pureed. The sauce will be very dense. To limit the amount of fat, you can dilute this pesto with vegetable stock, milk, or water or you can make it richer by diluting it with cream. Use as a condiment for toasted bread or meat or add it as a sauce for pasta or gnocchi.
After our feast at the agriturismo, we traveled just a few minutes to reach our lodging in Tuscany for the next two nights--the beautiful Hotel Belvedere di San Leonino in Castellina in Chianti. They have their own vineyard and olive groves and produce several wines and olive oil. Before dinner at the hotel, Sarah led several of us on a hike in the area. We passed chickens, a small local cemetery, olive orchards, and rows and rows of grapevines. The sun was setting and the famous Tuscan light was gorgeous.