Cooking With Wild Herbs In The Countryside of Rome

À quoi s’attendre

In the quiet countryside near Rome there is my house, surrounded by an olive grove and a small vineyard. Here you will immediately find the perfect space to relax and enjoy a welcome snack, tea or coffee, some biscuits or a drink, and then we will prepare a whole vegetarian meal together using possibly the vegetables harvested on our field but also the aromatic herbs of which I have a vast collection! 

The tradition of Italian cuisine is based on dishes cooked with seasonal products and many, given the shape of our peninsula, are different from north to south. I will not always offer the same menu to my guests, but we will choose together the dishes to be made using the products available to us, but there will always be two types of pasta that we will prepare without using machines by rolling out the dough only with our hands.
As my grandmother used to say: "those who begin well are in the middle of the work", so we'll immediately start well preparing a classic pasta, ravioli, with flour and fresh eggs (from a nearby farm) with a filling of vegetables and soft local cheese (the ricotta), and then one of Roman custom made only with water and flour (the strozzapreti) and seasoned with fresh tomato and herbs, or with rocket or basil pesto.

To enhance the flavor of my oil you will taste it on an authentic bruschetta, and our wine will be paired with a vegetable fry with flowers and leaves stuffed with mozzarella. In the Roman countryside there are many vegetables that are used to make flans and that are usually baked together with cheeses or the famous bechamel sauce, or even crispy breading. You will not miss a dessert that we could prepare together with custard or fruit or ricotta and chocolate.
We will taste together everything we have prepared with a good glass of wine in hand under the grape pergola or at the long table in the living room and it will be our magic moment!

I assure you it will not be difficult for you to try to redo all these dishes in your home as I will be glad to let you have the written recipes!

• Please note that on Sundays the first train is at 10:15 so the class will be from 11 till 4pm and then we'll take you to the metro station (C Line)

Menu

We will prepare a complete meal together, the menus will be different every day because they vary according to what we will harvest in my field or that I will have bought from my peasant neighbors! But they will be the best you can find!

• Pasta (made from scratch and only with the hands) like ravioli or tortellini 
• A second vegetable dish and fresh cheese (parmigiana flan or aubergine) or meat rolls with aromatic herbs (I have many varieties of aromatic herbs and wild, basil, parsley, marjoram of tarragon, pimpinella, etc.) 
• A dessert or an ice cream, also made by us!

(A vegetarian and vegan version is available on request)

You will have time to taste what we have prepared together or under the arbor of grapes outdoors or at home. I will also let you taste the oil and wine of our production.

Programme

Morning Session:

• 9:00 a.m. Go to Rome Termini Station
• 9.14 a.m. Take the train (I will specify the train number and the precise operation)
• 9:45 a.m. Arrival at Zagarolo Station where you will find my friend Giusy (green car) or my husband Bruno (gray car) waiting for you
• 10:00 a.m. Welcoming coffee, tea and sweets at my home.
• 10:15 a.m.: Beginning of the lesson.
• 1 p.m.: We sit at the table to taste what we prepared!
• 2:30 p.m. We will accompany you to the train and you will be in Rome for around 15.00.

Please note that on Sundays the first train is at 10:15 so the class will be from 11 till 4pm and we'll take you to the metro station (C Line)

Afternoon Session:

• 2:30 p.m. Go to Rome Termini Station
• 2.42 p.m. Take the train (I will specify the train number and the precise operation)
• 3:00 p.m. Arrival at Zagarolo Station where you will find my friend Giusy (green car) or my husband Bruno (gray car) waiting for you
• 3:15 p.m. Welcoming coffee, tea and sweets at my home.
• 3:30 p.m. Beginning of the lesson.
• 6:40 p.m. We sit at the table to taste what we prepared!
• 7:40 p.m. We will accompany you to the train and you will be in Rome for around 8.20.