Pane e Salsa: La classe di cucina con Tina Fallani

When I arrived to my first cooking class earlier tonight, I was understandably disappointed to hear that the teacher would be late because of the current bus strike in Florence and that due to the class size, we wouldn’t actually be doing any cooking: only eating and explanations. That was all before signora Fallani walked in with huge bucketfuls of food, an enormous bag filled with bread, and a warm, peppy smile. I knew I was in for a treat. Not only did signora Fallani cook a grotesque amount of delicious food to the point that we students were forced to take the leftovers home with us (such a chore), she also started out by saying that Italian cooking is about having “a passion for what you are doing.” I was hooked. She gave everyone a handout with this saying at the very top. It then went on to say this:

“There is a care taken in the preparation of food and produce that is complemented by a receptive audience willing to take the time to appreciate it. Whether it be art, politics or sport, in Italy the most important thing is to have passion for what you are doing.

The same philosophy is applied to eating. It is found in every region of the country, each fiercely proud and protective of its own signature dishes…and where is it that mothers and fathers, sons, daughters and cousins come together to argue, discuss, to bond? The dinner table.”

students helping themselves
to mounds of delicious food

Needless to say, Tina cooked a fabulous meal. She also explained everything in extreme detail and demonstrated some of the preparations. We started out with little potato gnocchi nestled in a beautiful Sugo Finto sauce. It is a very rustic, red, vegetable sauce with carrots celery, red wine, lots of tomato and basil, and of course, salt, pepper, and olive oil. It tasted like home. We then helped ourselves to a classic bruschetta followed by crustini with a salsa verde, a wonderfully tangy, slightly bitter, salty combination of parsley, capers, garlic, olive oil, and hard-boiled eggs. It was bright both in color and flavor and I couldn’t help but lick my fingers after it was done. Along with the crustini and bruschetta, Tina prepared fagiolini al pomodoro (string beans with tomato sauce). Talk about tasting like home! I grew up to the smells of my grandmother and mother cooking this dish and it brought me back to an extremely warm, happy place. But after 2 helpings, I was abruptly snapped back to reality by Tina’s desert: poached peaches in a chocolate sauce. I don’t think I even need to describe it to you.

I left with a full stomach, a warm heart, and a Mezza Luna (half moon) knife Tina sold to me for Seven Euros. It is a moon shaped knife with two handles that you use to finely chop vegetables. After telling her about my family, my blog, and my apartment’s absolute lack of even mediocre cutlery, she insisted that I could not live without one…she was right. I will definitely be taking another class.