A Food Lover's Adventure in Bologna
Bologna

About the location: Emilia Romagna; just the name conjures up visions of gastronomic wonders. It is often said to be the food capital of Italy, and the center of it all is Bologna. Best known, of course, for its Bolognese sauce, this famed university town is not only wealthy, but rich in its traditions and lifestyle. Don’t forget to walk with the locals under the city’s famed porticos (or arcades), which stretch for many miles throughout the center of town and to explore the medieval roads and red buildings of one of Italy’s most beautiful cities. Your base will be the four-star Hotel Al Cappello Rosso, located 50 meters from the main square of Piazza Maggiore.

Your hosts for the week are Marcello and Raffaella. From their base in Bologna, they spent years assembling a circle of friends, collaborators, and artisans that provide the absolute best from their storehouse of knowledge — traditions, flavors and recipes — the secrets that make the difference between good and great. These characters enliven each day with stories, prized sources and time proven practices woven into hands-on cooking sessions, epicurean tastings and cultural visits. They escort you to appointments, shop the markets together, walk herb fields with you and the local grower and see you to your hotel at the end of each marvelous day. Smaller, tasteful accommodations with an intimate atmosphere not sparing comfort or style are their preference, as is dining at trattorias and out-of-the-way restaurants with chefs they know. You are not likely to find these venues in guidebooks or on other programs.

About the cooking lessons: You class with Nicola is held in his kitchen’s restaurant. It is mostly demonstration, but you will learn many wonderful recipes that are easy to reproduce at home. A very good chef and outgoing person, Nicola is very passionate about his work, where he runs the family restaurant. He started cooking at the age of 16 and being from the South of Italy, he has adapted the cuisine of his native region to the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna region, specializing in the use of aromatic herbs, always freshly picked from the garden! Some dishes you make make include garganelli pasta with prosciutto and arugula, risotto with nettles, robespierre beef fillet with aromatic herbs, veal scaloppine with chives, baked tomatoes with oregano and roast potatoes with aromatic herbs.

The class in Bologna is held at a private home in the center of town. It is hands-on and lasts about three hours, followed by dinner with the family. Usually the menu is decided together prior to the class and your food market visit. The class is a complete menu with one or two pastas, one second course, one or two side dishes and a dessert. Pastas may be tortellini or passatelli in meat broth, gnocchi with sausage ragu, or strozzapreti (strangle-the-priest pasta) with vegetable sauce or others. Second courses may include meat or eggplant rolls, stuffed zucchini, or artichokes with peas. Parmigiana spinach, baked leeks with béchamel sauce, gratin fennel, or tomatos with rosemary salt are some of the side dishes. The meal will end with such delights as home-made gelato, semifreddo, tiramisu, pannacotta, or zuppa inglese, a traditional dessert of the region made with custard cream and cookies dipped in sweet liquor.

The class with Elena is held at her gracious agriturismo in the hills of Romagna. Elena runs her agriturismo together with her daughter, where they grow chickens, olive trees (and produce a very good extra virgin olive oil), vegetables and fruits. Of course, she makes her own tomato sauce, jams, wine and liquors. She is a great family chef and an expert on hand-made pasta; you will learn how to make pasta the traditional way and roll it with a rolling-pin. At Elena’s, you will make tortelli with ricotta and spinach filling, tagliatelle with ragu alla bolognese and other preparations such as pollo alla cacciatora and apple cake. These are amazing cooking experiences!