Bring Tuscan flavour to your home today
Everybody to the Table with the Tuscan Mammas! - Club "Gli Amici di Tutti a Tavola"
Tricia Brown
Zucchini flowers in the market, Tuscany, Italy [©Apple Bass]
It all began when dining around a Tuscan table on a lofty terrace overlooking Radda in Chianti in Italy; four Italian women with an Australian friend discussing life in a small Tuscan community and Italian cuisine.
Somehow the conversation evolved to cover the pleasure of introducing the delights of Italian food to the many visitors to Tuscany and one of them said: "Why don't we do something? It would be fine, cooking for friends with friends."
And so began Tutti a Tavola - everybody to the table - and the journey that has enticed visitors from all over the world to visit Tuscany, some of them returning many times, to cook with the Tuscan Mammas as they have become known. A ten years' long quest of good food, excellent wine, perfect extra virgin olive oil, lots of fun and friendship!
These wonderful Italian women offer their guests a truly unique experience. From the beginning, their aim has been to not only share their "family cooking" but to open their homes to friends from distant places. "It is incredible how spending a few hours together in the kitchen creates a sort of understanding so that at dinner it is like being old friends."
After initially cooking in only one kitchen, they decided it would be far more interesting for their guests to move around and cook in different kitchens and dine at different tables. The generosity and hospitality, not to mention the sheer fun of it all, is an unforgettable experience for those of us lucky enough to have shared this culinary adventure.
In cooking as the Tuscans do, second helpings and wine generously served make a Tuscan-Italian meal a long and informal affair. They cook not only Tuscan food but what they call "cucina povera", certainly not poor cooking but the sum of years old traditional family recipes.
A typical meal may start with a rich antipasto of crostini, slices of local bread, toasted, and served with liver pate; fettunta, unsalted Tuscan bread, toasted, rubbed with garlic then doused with virgin olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper, or bruschetta with fresh tomatoes. Stuffed zucchini, leek pie or chicken cacciatora or primi piatti dishes of risotto, bean and pasta soup, tagliatelle with ham and peas follow. Desserts such as zuccotto, a Florentine classic, tiramisu, or the famous cantuccini (almond biscuits) that are dipped in Vin Santo, the Tuscan dessert wine, may end the meal. Menus change according to the season and what is available locally.
The magic of the Chianti region is irresistible - this is the land of Chianti Classico wine with vineyards, olive trees and woods full of wild boar, markets and ancient hilltop villages such as San Gimignano, Siena, Castellina and Panzano. The four day culinary program includes a wine tasting followed by refreshments, an olive oil tasting followed by a light lunch, dinner at Le Vigne restaurant in Radda in Chianti, a guided visit to a Montevarchi market and two hands-on cooking sessions followed by dinner. You are also welcome to stay in the accommodation offered by the Mammas who will adopt you and make your life in Chianti an easy, friendly time.
Everybody to the Table with the Tuscan Mammas invites you to join the Tuscan Mammas in the heart of Chianti to discover the flavour of life in Tuscany. It contains all the recipes from their culinary program which are designed to be printed out and kept in a folder. This is a great idea as you have their complete repetoire yet only need to print off the ones you are ready to use for cooking. The CD-ROM also contains some background information and useful tips. As well, there is video (no audio) designed to give you a feel for cooking with the mammas in this gorgeous part of Italy and as a reference to the recipes.
Mostly, though, Everybody to the Table with the Tuscan Mammas is about sharing a love of good food and wine and enjoying the company of friends, old and new.
View a sample recipe - Maiale all'uso di caccia (Pork loin hunter's style)
You can buy the CD Everybody to the Table with the Tuscan Mammas by Club "Gli Amici di Tutti a Tavola (published by mediaRare, 2009) direct from VisitVineyards.com - the first retailer in Australia - at A$29.95 for subscribers (including postage in Australia) and A$24.45 (incl. postage) for Members.
Please email us to place your order, quoting your Membership number or fax your order including credit card details to us on (03) 6248 5076. (online sales coming very soon)
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MEMBER BENEFIT: Members are invited to cook with the Tuscan Mammas and discover the flavour of life in Tuscany, Italy with this one day cooking class and dinner package.
MEMBER BENEFIT: Members are invited to discover the flavour of life in Tuscany, Italy cooking with the Tuscan Mammas with this exclusive offer. An unforgettable experience!
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