SOMETHING  ABOUT MY COOKING EXPERIENCES IN VENICE

WE WILL START WITH AN ITALIAN BREAKFAST

My cooking courses always start with an Italian breakfast for my guests, and the morning begins with relaxing chats that also serve to get to know each other better. I serve cappuccino made with good strong Italian coffee and homemade, typical Venetian cookies or cakes I bake at home. I still use my family’s recipes when I bake something for my guests. Breakfast in Italy is different from any other country in the world: no scrambled eggs, cheese or bacon. In the morning Italians crave to eat sweets. On the occasion, I also teach how to use the Italian coffee maker ( moka), which is one of the symbols of Italy. I always provide my guests with a list of the best bakeries and pastry shops in town where they can try the typical Italian breakfast with “cornetto” and cappuccino. I always suggest to my guests not to leave Venice without a culinary experience in my favorite coffee bars where the selection of local pastries is amazing.

MY COOKING SCHOOL IN VENICE AND MY KITCHEN

My kitchen is very well organized with plenty of space and a marble countertop. You will not find expensive electronic equipment, which I dislike. Rather simple, basic tools that you can buy everywhere. The right cookware is one of the crucial choices. The right tools in your own kitchen can make all the difference, especially for beginners. I always stress the importance of learning to do everything with your hands: chop an onion to make homemade soffritto, shape pasta, make homemade gnocchi. Only when you are confident with your hands and have become good at it,  you can buy modern,  electric tools to make everything much faster. I also teach how to choose the right pans and a stainless steel set of pots.

HANDS-ON COOKING EXPERIENCE

In my kitchen, my guests are encouraged to actively work on the recipes of our menu. Apron laced up, sleeves rolled up, and off we go. I just explain the recipes step by step, show how to do it, and then let my guests try it. You should not be afraid to make mistakes. It is not a competition, but rather an opportunity. I always suggest my guests try again at home everything they have learned so they can consolidate the new techniques they have learned. Usually in my classes, I teach simple tricks that you can use every day at home. Basic skills, however, can change the way you cook and make any simple recipe a success. A meal that you made with your own hands will have a very different taste, believe me.  My cooking experience in Venice is a fun, unique, and private experience that can be tailored to all ages and skill levels.

PROFESSIONAL COOKING INSTRUCTOR

As a professional cooking instructor, I know how to teach and how help people to learn new cooking skills. I have a degree in psychology and have always been interested in nutrition and health. I love food and wine like many people, but I have a scientific approach to everything. I learned to cook by helping my mom and grandmother in the kitchen, but the knowledge I have about food comes from my college education. In life, I help people on a diet and teach them how to cook and how to organize meals.  I have been doing cooking lessons in Venice for 22 years and have a lot of experience. Cooking classes with foreign guests are an opportunity to get to know very different people from around the world. I consider food a way to gather people together around a table and have enjoyable moments, all under the guidance of a professional chef in her Venetian home. My cooking classes will be a culinary journey in Venice where you can discover local, authentic recipes learning a lot about cooking techniques.

CULINARY EXPERIENCE IN VENICE: PASTA MAKING

I always suggest to my guests to make homemade pasta. It’s super simple and everyone likes it. To make pasta you need simple ingredients that everyone has at home: eggs and flour. Once you learn how to make it, you no longer buy pasta at the supermarket because the quality is much lower and the taste is different. I also teach how to use a basic pasta machine and how to make different shapes: spaghetti, fettuccine, farfalline, fusilli and ravioli. Ravioli is a stuffed pasta. For the filling, you can use ham, cheese such as ricotta or any vegetables such as pumpkin and artichokes. Do you want to learn how to make two varieties of pasta ( one also with spinach)? Book a cooking class with me.

GLUTEN-FREE PASTA

In my cooking class in Venice, you can choose a gluten-free menu. I have a lot of experience also in making gluten-free pasta for those on a gluten-free diet. You can use store-bought gluten-free flour or naturally gluten-free flour such as rice flour, corn flour, chestnut flour or chickpea flour. There are many techniques you can learn in my cooking courses that will help you in creating tasty gluten-free dishes at your own place.

RISOTTO

Another typical traditional Venetian dish is risotto. Rice is a grain that needs a lot of water to grow, and northern Italy, which has many rivers, is the ideal place. Historically speaking, people in the Veneto like rice better than pasta. You can make risotto using almost any ingredient: from meat ( for example sausage)  to seafood ( for example clams or shrimp). But don’t forget to try a vegetable risotto with our seasonal produce: mushroom, pumpkin, artichoke, asparagus or spinach. There is no limit to the variety you can create.

TIRAMISU

Don’t miss Venetian desserts! I like to bake and I like to teach how to bake Venetian biscotti. According to our local tradition, Venetian cookies are very basic, with a few ingredients, but anyway delightful. The most famous Venetian cookies are “zaetti,” made with cornmeal and raisins. You have to try them to understand how good they are. Of course, we can make tiramisu, which is a typical Venetian dessert. Made with coffee and mascarpone cheese, it is the most well-known Italian dessert in the world. One of the reasons is its simplicity and it is made with ingredients that can be found anywhere.

CHAT WITH ME

My cooking classes are also an opportunity to chat with a Venetian who knows everything about her city. I am always happy to provide a list of the best stores where you can buy wine or bars where you can taste typical Venetian cicchetti. All my customers always ask me what the best cicchetti in Venice are. If you want to learn not only to cook but also to experience more about Venice, a cooking class in Venice Italy is the best way.