On Monday, my friend Simone asked me to assist him with a cooking class at his place because he’s not comfortable speaking English. He used to teach at a cooking school in Florence, but since he opened up his new restaurant Artemide in Molino del Piano, he hasn’t been teaching as much. Simone’s brother has joined him because he is busy working at the restaurant and tending his orto (vegetable garden).
We walked to Piazza Santa Maria Novella Monday morning to pick up the four participants, a family from the US. We took them through town to Mercato Sant’Ambrogio to pick up some things for the dishes he was preparing for the class. Even though I go to the mercato (market) often, I sometimes just go to pick up what I need, chat with my vendors, and leave. By showing the American family around it on Monday, I remembered just how special it is.
After we bought the ingredients for the lesson, we went to his apartment to begin cooking. We started with the ragù di carne (meat sauce) because it needed to cook for at least an hour and a half. Simone instructed them how to chop up the vegetables by hand for the ragù. Sometimes, I get lazy and use my Cuisinart, but he reminded me that it’s better to chop vegetables by hand.
He showed us how to make two different doughs: one for the quiche shell and one for the tortelli di patate (potato tortelli). I normally don’t make my own pasta, but after the class, I was wondering if I shouldn’t try it out at home. It’s not difficult to do, but it is time consuming.
I am certainly not an interpreter, but I helped Simone out as best as I could when he couldn’t find the correct word in English. His cooking vocabulary is quite good for someone who has never been exposed to much English. He instructed the participants how to make each dish and even shared a few of his secrets too.
After everything was ready and the secondo (second course) was cooking, we started by eating the crostata di farina di castagne con spinaci e limone (spinach and lemon quiche with a chestnut crust). It was probably the best quiche I’ve ever eaten. I would’ve loved a second piece, but I knew what was coming next: the tortelli di patate con ragù. These tortelli, which are very common here in Tuscany, were excellent. I loved them so much that I had seconds.
For the secondo, we had saltimbocca alla romana. This veal dish with prosciutto and a piece of salvia (sage) was simple, but very delicious. I loved it so much that I made it last night for my marito (husband).
For dessert, we had tiramisù. Simone’s recipe is a little different from the other ones that I’ve tried: it was creamy and light. I have a great recipe for tiramisù, but I must admit that Simone’s is heavenly.
I am grateful to Simone for rekindling my desire to cook. Lately, I’ve been busy and have been making quicker dishes for lunch and dinner. After buying all the ingredients last night, I made the ragù for us today. It took me longer to make, but it was worth it.
Simone transmits his passion for food in his cooking lessons. Even though he’s been a chef for 20 years, he never tires of teaching others and sharing his own recipes. I hope he will do more cooking lessons now that his restaurant is doing well. I’m sure others would enjoy them: not only to learn new dishes, but also to remember what a joy it is.
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