Three mid-winter menus from our January Masterclass

What we cooked in January during our Tuscan masterclass. It includes salads, soups, fresh pasta, and plenty of vegetables

Ciao my friends, we’re at the last day of January, Carnival is upon us, and days are longer and brighter. Even though on Social media January is always considered the longest, slowest month, I’m surprised by how quickly it slipped through my fingers. I’m in the midst of a personal process of wintering, taking time to heal, mentally and physically, before another busy Spring will push us out there, greeting people, hugging new friends, scouting the market for the best seasonal produce.

I started testing the recipes for the new book, and we had friends over for lunch to help us eat everything. Livia sat proudly at the head of the table and had chips and popcorns as an appetizer, scorning all the food her mother had lovingly prepared. Every recipe went through a severe judging process, tuning the solitary moment of recipe testing into a joyful communal feast.

And now, as promised, I’m sharing the lavish Mid-Winter menus of our Three-day January Masterclass. A Dutch family (ciao Esmé!) joined us for the second time, and we went wild on the menus. We took our time to figure out what to cook in our three days together. Sitting at the local cafe, drinking espresso and macchiato and feasting on rice puddings and cornetti, while busy locals would just pop up at the counter for a caffè, we jotted down a list of preferences. But we knew that seasonal vegetables would have been the protagonists, so after our breakfast, we rushed to the nearby market to shop.

If you drive past the market on a Wednesday morning, it looks like an unassuming gathering of non-related stalls. There’s the man selling flowers and seedlings for the garden, the rotisserie truck filling the morning air with the mouthwatering aroma of chicken roasted on a spit, and a couple of stalls selling house vests, bright-colored clothes, comfortable shoes, pasta tools, and non-stick pans.

If you venture to the back of the market, you’ll meet the reason why our cooking classes are always a hit with our students. Two facing vegetable stalls sell local, seasonal vegetables, along with crates of citrus fruit from the south of Italy. The potatoes are often still covered in soil, and some of the cabbage leaves are burnt by wind or sun—a sign that those vegetables were actually grown on a field that suffered, but also enjoyed the uncertain weather. Each season is showcased in its diverse colors, textures, and shades.

Here, smelling the fresh produce, caressing with the eyes their curled leaves or opalescent whites, weighing the artichokes in my hand to pick those for the carpaccio and those that will be instead stewed, we define the details of the menu, turning ideas into actual recipes and dishes.

Two to three heavy bags are left at the stall for Tommaso to collect, while we move to the next vendor.

Next to the vegetable stalls, a fishmonger sells mainly locally caught fish, but also clams, mussels, and shrimps, which sometimes we turn into seafood soups, fried anchovies, or spaghetti alle vongole. A welcomed wild card.

Right at the end of the market, a small white truck is a tiny supermarket in disguise. Here we buy local pecorino, fresh ricotta, but also wedges of Parmigiano Reggiano, slices of oozing gorgonzola, piquant provolone, black olives, pickled onions, and everything else we might need to finish our menu. Fancy a tiramisu? Here you find the mascarpone. Do you want to make spaghetti con le vongole, as we had planned during the last masterclass? That’s where I buy good, dry spaghetti, pale yellow and rough, perfect to absorb the clam sauce.

From the market we walk to the butcher, our last stop, where we are always welcomed like family. A taste of their artisanal prosciutto, some guanciale because you never know, and we drive back home, to sort out our grocery shopping and start cooking.

What are you most excited about when it comes to mid-winter produce? Any recipe from your cooking repertoire that is showing up more often on your table now?

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This is what we cooked three weeks ago, during our January Masterclass.

I love writing down all my menus in a little black notebook: it is a great source of inspiration for new classes, for recipe development, and future gatherings with friends. If you make the dessert the day before—or in the morning—usually you can cook the whole menu in about 3 hours, especially if you have an extra pair of hands helping you in the kitchen.

These are the next openings:

• 19-21 June 2024 – [2 spots left]

• 25-26 September 2024 – [SOLD OUT]

• 13-15 November 2024 – [6 spots left]

• 11-13 December 2024 – [6 spots left]

You can learn more about our masterclasses HERE.

Wednesday

• Raw Artichoke Carpaccio

• Cheese and charcuterie board (young and aged pecorino, plus prosciutto, mortadella and soppressata from the local artisanal butcher)

• Spaghetti con le vongole (a wild card, but when you see clams at the market…)

• Cavatelli with mushrooms and sausages

• Stuffed pork loin

• Purple cabbage with carrots (RECIPE BELOW BEHIND PAYPALL)

• Biancomangiare with lemon marmalade

Thursday

• Soup with cavolo nero, leeks, and potatoes

• Puntarelle salad

• Crostoni with sausage and stracchino

• Potato Gnocchi with kale pesto (the best gnocchi I have made so far for a little change in the technique, I’ll share the recipe soon)

• Stuffed Guinea Fowl (not a chicken, but very similar to this recipe)

• Roasted fennels

• Fennel and blood orange salad

• Zuccotto with ricotta and chocolate chips

Friday

1. Salad with leftover Guinea fowl and celery

2. Butternut squash soup, made with Guinea fowl stock

3. My family Southern lasagna

4. Pork ribs and beef steak from the Southern ragù

5. Stewed Artichokes

6. Saffron Latte alla Portoghese

7. Rice pudding tartlets

RECIPE - Purple cabbage with carrots

You asked me for quick, weeknight recipes with vegetables. This purple cabbage and carrot side dish is what I’ve been cooking lately, at least once a week. It brightens up every meal.

It works greatly with pork chops, roast chicken, or even fresh, tangy cheese. I often serve this in a bowl with basmati rice and chickpeas for a balanced, wholesome meal. And, honestly, I also eat the cabbage and carrots with a fork, cold from the fridge.