Day 2 Tuscany.

This morning we had breakfast in our apartment with some of the things left by Oli and Flo. The figs and peaches are so fresh and tasty. The figs are plentiful on their tree right now so they’ve been a part of every meal.

We were picked up at the inn at 10:30 to go to Chef Oli’s estate, called the Bird House, where we had an intro to pasta making. 

The terrace. What a view!

The table is all set up for us with everything we need: one egg and 100 g ‘00’ flour. 

Mixing the egg into the flour. 

Kneading the dough

Testing the dough to see if it’s been kneaded enough. 

We each made our own dough and while it was resting in beeswax wrap, had coffee and tea on the terrace. 

This was just a few of the goodies Flo brought out for our first break. 

The pasta machines we are using. 

After about 30 minutes rest, we divided the dough in thirds so we could make 3 different pasta shapes. This is the first piece rolled out and ready to cut and roll into garganelli. 

Chef Oli giving us instructions. 

Receiving the instructions. 🤣

So much fun!

And such concentration. 

In this photo you can see the tools of the trade: the waxed wrap (blue checked), 

the eppicotispai (ribbed board), and the dowel. 

Making farfelle (bowtie) 

Serious work 

Pasta is on a tray of semolina flour to help dry it out and not stick together. 

The last shape to make is tagliatelle. We could either cut it by hand or use the pasta machine. 

A nest of tagliatelle

Showing us how to make the nest. 

During a break. 

The pasta then sat out to dry a bit while we learned to make real tiramisu. We had to move inside for this lesson so Oli said it would be a bit of a squeeze but we managed just fine. 

Finished product. 

While the tiramisu was chilling, we took another break on the terrace and chef Oli prepared our lunch. Get ready to be amazed. 

As always, there’s plenty of this. Oli makes his own wine (both red and white) from grapes on their property. 

Bruschetta with fresh herbs & tomatoes from the garden. 

Prosciutto with melon. I immediately thought of my dad because he always put pepper on his melon. 

Pecorino cheese with fig jam

I missed getting a photo of just the zucchini but you can see it here in the mixed plate. This is just the starter. Now on to the pasta. 

Salsa ai funghi (mushroom sauce)

Ragu

Pesto di basilico (basil pesto)

And of course the finale, tiramisu. 

I’m certain I’ve gained 10 lbs in the last two days. 

I’ve neglected to mention the others in the group. There is a couple - Rachael & Zisis originally from Greece who are living and working in London, Ola - a young woman originally from Poland who’s living in Ireland, Hugh - a man from the UK who owns a B&B on the island of Cypress and Sharon - a woman from Illinois, about our age (which is really young 🤣). The rest of the day is free to rest and digest all that food. Ciao!