CINQUE TERRE COOKING

The school is set in a stunning location in Monterosso, Italy high on the mountainside. We can offer courses which can span from 2-7 days, covering different types of dishes and techniques which can include making fresh pasta and sauces, bread and cake making, fish and meat preparation and much more. For groups of 10 or more people, who are doing a course of lessons, we can also offer add-ons which can include a tour of their vineyard, a tour of their lemon orchard or a special talk about different ingredients used in Ligurian cooking and how the dishes are influenced by the regional culture and cultivation on such an unusual big fertile terrain.

The day begins at 10.00 am when you will meet our representative. You will then be transported to the cooking school, where you will be greeted on arrival with a warm Ligurian hospitality and be treated like one of the family. Preparation begins and for the next 3 hours, you will enjoy a hands-on experience of preparing a four-course meal with a view of enjoying it for lunch 1300. You will be able to eat the four-course meal prepared during the lesson in this stunning location in a relaxed atmosphere and stay as long as you wish to enjoy the rest of the day. The menu is typical Ligurian cuisine and of course, will include Pesto sauce for the pasta and fish is often chosen as one of the dishes given the many types of variations and recipes which are famous in the region. If there is a particular dish which a group would prefer we can take this into consideration and try to work a menu to suit all. Typical dishes prepared during a lesson include fresh pesto using fragrant Basil Leaves grown by the cooking school, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil and parmesan, fresh pizza, pasta, swordfish rolls, seafood antipasti, vegetable tart, various meat dishes in Ligurian sauces, ravioli in ragu, rice dishes, rice torte, tiramisu, pannacotta. and much more... Most of the ingredients used are grown by the school organically or sourced locally, they even make their own organic wines using age-old traditional methods.

The Cooking Lessons on offer, have much more than most schools and the passion for food starts right from the planting and the cultivating, taking care that the very best ingredients for the school are created.

For the wine tasting, authenticity is the key to making your wine tasting event special, intertwined with a unique cultural experience, by one of the oldest families in Monterosso, spanning back for generations. Silvia's family have an extensive knowledge of the regional wines, the family opened the very first restaurant in Monterosso many years ago. Having acquired extensive knowledge which has been handed down over generations, including a comprehensive understanding of which foods compliment different wines and which grapes are used and how they are cultivated, right from the planting to the bottle. During this wine tasting session, you will be served a selection of Ligurian speciality bites to eat, which have been carefully selected to compliment the palate and work well with each wine selected. Being a family of great chefs also adds to this amazing experience and a typical menu would be: Pesce swordfish stuffed with pecorino cheese Ligurian style, bruschetta with salted anchovies, fried cod bites, panissa (polenta cubed chips) with prawns, basil and fresh vegetables, fresh octopus salad, panfritto (Ligurian fried dough balls) served with soft cheese Ligurian Varese style, genovese cake or the famous Monterossina cake. (some dishes will vary due to seasonal availability, as only fresh ingredients are used. The wines served will all be typical of the region in order to offer the best understanding of Ligurian foods and wines. These will typically be, 2 types of Cinque Terre white, Vetua, Buranco or Cappellini, One red, Cinque Terre Vetua, Buranco or Cappellini, One red dell'entroterra from Liguria, one sweet wine Sciacchetrà delle 5 terre. At the end of the session, you will also be offered coffee or a grappa.

For the wine tasting session, this is held daily starting at 12.30 and will typically last until approximately 1500, although guests are welcome to stay longer should they wish to do so. Quote reference 4452.

Here is a sample itinerary and menu

Day 1

Antipasto: Marinated anchovies in lemon.

First: Fresh Pasta with Pesto sauce.

Second: Baked Ligurian style seabass.

Dessert: Pan Dolce.

Activity: Talk about Ligurian Cooking and ingredients.

Day 2

Antipasto: Fried Whitebait.

First: Fresh gnocchi with varying sauces.

Second: Beef filet with green pepper sauce.

Dessert: Panna cotta.

Activity: Orchard Experience - Lemon picking at our lemon orchard and talk with the chef.

Day 3

Antipasto: Frittata with Ricotta

First: Fresh Pizza.

Second: Mussels Mariner Ligurian Style.

Dessert: Tiramisu. Wine Cafe.

Activity: Vineyard Experience- a tour of our small vineyard with talk about the wine.

Please note that all menus include wine, water and coffee, and each person will receive a free Cinque Terre Cooking apron at the start of the first lesson.

Day 4

Wine Tasting Experience:

During this wine tasting session, you will be served a selection of Ligurian speciality bites to eat, which have been carefully selected to compliment the palate and work well with each wine selected. The menu for this is:

• Sword Fish stuffed with pecorino cheese Ligurian style

• Bruschetta with salted Anchovies

• Fried Cod Bites

• Panissa with Prawns Basil - Panissa (Polenta cubed chips) with Prawns Basil and fresh vegetables

• Fresh Octopus salad

• Genovese Cake or The famous Monterossina Cake

The wines served will all be typical to the region in order to offer the best understanding of Ligurian foods and wines. These will typically be:

2 types of Cinque Terre white Vetua, Buranco or Cappellini.
One red Cinque Terre Vetua, Buranco or Cappellini, One red dell'entroterra from Liguria.
One sweet wine Sciacchetrà delle 5 terre.

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