Going to Class(sort of) and Making Pizzas with Locals

Ciao! It has been a busy week with classes starting so I haven't had too much time to blog. I have now had my first full week of classes and it's safe to say I won't be going hungry during class this semester:

Monday 9am-11:30 Food, Culture, and Society
My professor for this class is Cecilia Ricci. On the first day, we learned about the different regions of Italy and what foods come from each region and how a particular dish may change based on what region you are in. And my favorite part was the tasting. We tasted 3 different types of Tuscan bread and learned why most tuscan breads aren't salted: because the prosciutto that is literally on EVERY sandwich here is so salty, it gets balanced out with the bland bread. We also tasted 3 different types olives, 2 types of honey (miele), and gorgonzola cheese. Everything was so delicious.

Monday 12:00-2:30pm Everything Chocolate
My professor for this class is Santa Cine (yes, her name is Santa). She is this adorable little blond woman who has a strong Russian accent. In this class we got an introduction to the world of chocolate and how it began with the Aztec Empire and how it used to be only a male's drink. We learned the difference between the cacao powder, cacao liquor  and cacao butter.We then got to taste 6 different types of chocolate: 85% dark, milk, white, a venezualan dark, and a 70% and 72% dark. We learned how to taste chocolate to be able to taste all the different notes such as fruity, or nutty. We put a tiny piece on our tongue and pinch our nose to be able to taste whether it is grainy or not. Then unplug your nose and note the first flavor that comes to your tongue. It was so interesting and obviously who doesn't love chocolate? Next week we are making chocolate bonbons!

On Monday night we went to this restaurant called Osteria dell-Agnolo. Dinner was amazing as usual..and then towards the end of dinner we realized we were the only people still dining, and the hostess started talking to us about where we are from and then asked us what we thought of the Italian boys. Meanwhile the guy making pizza, Ibrahim, was listening in and then it was decided that he had a crush on Colleen...one of the very few natural blonds in Italy. He invited her behind the pizza counter where he proceeded to teach her how to make a pizza, and afterwards the hostess said that Colleen could now be his "wife." Then the owner, Fabio, opened up a bottle of Prosecco and poured glasses for all of us while we waited for Colleen's pizza to be done. It was literally my favorite night thus far on the trip, we were all hysterically laughing. And tonight we are going back to the restaurant because the hostess invited us to aperitivo which is like happy hour in Italy. Can't wait for Colleen to see her husband again...

Tuesday 10:30-11:45 Beginning Italian
My professor's name is Dario and we learned the alfabeto and learned how to say simple phrases and words like: Come si dice? and Di dove sei? Those mean: how do you say and where are you from? Our teacher is great and enthusiastic so hopefully by the time my mom and dad get here I will be a little more proficient.

Tuesday 12-2:30 Pastas
Colleen and I have this class together and our professor is named Desi. He is from the ivory coast and has a really thick accent. We learned about the different types of pasta sauces: marinara, pesto, carbonara, arrabiatta, puttanesca, and amatriciana. And then we talked about the 60 different shapes of pasta and which are only made with flour and water and which are made with flour, water, and eggs. We also did another tasting in this class of bread, olive oil, olives, sun-dried tomato, parmesan cheese, and other things you could have in a pasta.

Tuesday night we went to a family style restaurant Il Gatto e Volpe with some of our other Cornell friends and then went to a bar called Red Garter where they have beer pong tournaments on Tuesday nights. There were some creepy 50 year old men sitting way too close to us at the table right behind us though, it was slightly creepy.

Wednesday 9am-11:30 Contemporary Italian Cooking
I also have this class with Colleen. The teacher is nice and knows everything about cooking and has cooked in some amazing places in his life: he's done the catering for fashion week in Paris and has cooked for royalty in Egypt. We did another tasting in this class, surprise haha. We tasted pears with pecorino cheese and honey which was SO good. And we also got to taste bread with this ricotta spread he made quickly: ricotta, vanilla bean, honey, and lemon and orange zest. AMAZING and so simple!

Can't wait to come back to America and make all these recipes for my family! Well, tonight is aperitivo so I need to go get ready and then pack since tomorrow we leave for our first trip! We're going to Umbria for the weekend...I may not have wifi but I'll try to keep you updated!

Buonasera!
xoxo